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02.08.05
- For the first 28 minutes of the game, it seemed as if HC had the
game under control, but once the tide changed in Goshen's favor, the
Maple Leafs rode the momentum to a 76-71 upset over the NAIA
8th-ranked Foresters. The loss was the first to Goshen since
February 17, 1998 when the Maple Leafs knocked off HC 77-69 at the
Roman Gingerich Center, and it also dropped the Foresters into
second place in the MCC standings behind Taylor. It seemed
almost routine as HC jumped out to an 11-3 lead five minutes into
the game, a margin it maintained most of the half. And when
the Foresters stormed out of the locker room and pushed a 36-29
half-time advantage to 12 at 43-31 two and a half minutes into the
half, again things seemed under control. HC was still up 53-46
with 12:05 left to play when an old-fashion 3-point play by Goshen's
Jordan Buller seemed to sway the momentum.
Over the course of four minutes, Goshen
put an 11-4 run on the Foresters, tying the game at 57-57 with 8:02
remaining. After HC’s Doug Sheckler converted a pair of free
throws, Eric Walsh knocked down a trey, giving the Maple Leafs their
first lead of the game at 60-59 with 7:21 on the game clock.
It was a lead the Leafs would not relinquish. Willie Frazier
hit a layup with 1:26 to play that gave Goshen a 70-67 lead, and
when the Foresters failed to convert on its next possession, they
were forced to foul. The Maple Leafs knocked down the critical
free throws and held on for the big upset win. Walsh and Tyler
Sheerer led the Leafs’ offensive charge, each scoring 19 points.
Buller chipped in 18 points and four assists, while Kopanski tallied
13 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds. Alex Kock
had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Foresters. Sheckler
added 14 points, while Kyle Ganton and Steve Snider each chipped in
12. The loss drops the Foresters to 10-4 in the MCC and 18-9
overall.
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