Tonight the Hillsdale men’s basketball team will face their biggest challenge of the season.
The Chargers host the No. 9 ranked University of Findlay in a battle for the top spot in the GLIAC South Division. Both the Chargers (6-1) and Oilers (6-1) enter the game with one loss on their records but have played their best basketball as of late, and are unbeaten in conference play.
“Since the loss to Lewis, we’ve refocused on the goals we’ve set for our season and just improving every day,” senior point guard Tyler Gerber said. “Against Ashland [University] and Lake Erie [College], we were hitting our open shots and achieving our goals defensively.”
Last week, the Chargers went on the road and dominated Ashland on Thursday by the final score of 70-43. Hillsdale made nearly half their shots while holding the Eagles to 28 percent shooting.
Against Lake Erie on Saturday, the Chargers didn’t shoot quite as well but still maintained their excellent defense, winning 62-56. Hillsdale’s effort was led by Nick Washburn’s 17 points and three blocked shots.
Washburn was named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week for his performance in the two games.
Findlay has consistently been a hoops power in the last few seasons. They won the 2009 National Championship and finished last season with a record of 24-4. However, this is the Oilers’ first season with new coach Charlie Ernst and it will be a challenge to replicate past successes.
The Oilers are led by dynamic First-Team All-GLIAC point guard Kyle Caiola and feature an offense with plenty of ball screens that the Chargers will have to contend with. Despite a loss earlier in the year, Findlay enters the game with plenty of momentum, having blown out their last opponent, Notre Dame College (Ohio), by a 41-point margin.
“They’ve shot well against us in the past, so we need to keep up our defensive pressure and make our own shots,” Gerber said.
He said Hillsdale’s defense and accurate shooting will be key to the outcome of the game.
The Hillsdale student section will be whiting out the stands in support of the Chargers. The 8 p.m. tipoff will be the first of a three game home stand for Hillsdale.