This week, Hillsdale men’s basketball was marked by second-half slugfests as Charger play in the final 20 minutes determined the outcome of both games. While one ended in a Hillsdale victory, the other ended in defeat.
On Thursday, the Chargers took on the Lake Erie Storm at Jesse Philips Arena. The Storm made it rain from three-point territory, sinking eight of its first 12 shots, and went into halftime with a 43-35 lead. But it was the Chargers’ shutdown defense in the second half that held the Storm to making only two of its last 11 three-point attempts and opened up Hillsdale’s offensive production.
It was the electrifying play from junior guard Darius Ware that was instrumental in providing momentum to the Chargers’ offensive surge. Ware scored a career-high 14 points, which included two slam dunks that energized and excited the Hillsdale crowd.
The always-reliable junior forward Tim Dezelski had the best performance of the night with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. Other top contributors included senior center Nick Washburn, who had 13 points and six rebounds, and junior guard Brandon Pritzl, who had 14 points and three rebounds.
Though Hillsdale was able to pull off the comeback against Lake Erie, they were not able to sustain their early lead against the Ashland Eagles on Saturday and fell 64-56. It again came down to shooting. In the first half, the Eagles shot a dismal 24 percent, but went on to make 70 percent of their shots in the second half as well as all five of their three-point attempts.
The Chargers particularly struggled to find their offensive rhythm. They shot 37 percent from the field, converting on only 20 shots.
“We did not work quite hard enough on offense to break down Ashland’s defense,” head coach John Tharp said. “We had a stretch where we turned it over and then did not get enough key stops down the stretch of the game.”
Hillsdale’s usual top performers did their best to keep the Chargers in the game. Before fouling out in the game’s final moments, Dezelski contributed 13 points, three blocks, and three steals. Pritzl put up 11 points, while Washburn had 7 points and four blocks.
Hillsdale will hope to improve its record to 17-7 when it takes on the Malone Pioneers tonight at 6 p.m.
“We will work on doing a better job screening and cutting versus pressure and also on our defensive principles,” Tharp said.
The game brings with it a certain sentimentality, as it is the Chargers’ final home contest of the season.
“Playing at home for the last time is always a bit weird,” Pritzl said. “The feeling normally doesn’t kick in until after the game, the idea that you won’t be going out there with your teammates and brothers again.”
Tonight’s game is also Breast Cancer Awareness Night, which is sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. T-shirts will be available for purchase before the game and students can buy long sleeve pink shirts for $15 and short sleeve white shirts for $10.