Junior forward Joe Reuter is averaging 15.8 points per game for Hillsdale this season. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department
Junior Joe Reuter and the Hillsdale men’s basketball team split two G-MAC games on the road last week, losing to the Walsh Cavaliers on Thursday and beating the Lake Erie College Storm on Saturday to cap off a four-game road trip.
The Chargers were once again without head coach Keven Bradley due to a private matter, and were led by assistant coaches Evan Morrissey and John Cheng.
Hillsdale held a 33-28 lead over the Cavaliers at halftime, but Walsh managed to outscore the Chargers 37-18 in the second half, leading to a final score of 65-51. The Chargers bounced back on Saturday, putting up 50 second half points to beat the Storm 89-71.
Reuter led the Chargers in points against both Walsh and Lake Erie, putting up 18 against Walsh, and then setting a new career-high with 30 against the Storm. The junior forward made 11 of his 19 shots from the field, and also led the Chargers with nine rebounds and six assists.
“It was definitely good to contribute in a way that helped the team win,” Reuter said “but I’m not too focused on the individual stat line and more so just doing my part to help the team win.”
Reuter currently leads the Chargers with 16.8 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. In his third year he has started all 22 games for the Chargers and is 39 points shy of 1,000 career points in a Hillsdale uniform.
“Joe has stepped up his game lately and was a heavy contributor in a must win game for us against Lake Erie,” Morrissey said. “He’s a really good teammate. He holds himself to a very high standard, and also holds his teammates to that same standard.”
Sophomore guard Ashton Janowski also contributed to the offensive effort against Walsh, putting up 16 points, while freshman guard Mikey McCollum had 11 points and 1 assist in 22 minutes off the bench.
Passing ended up being the key difference in the Walsh and Lake Erie games for the Chargers. After making only 11 team assists against the Cavaliers, the Chargers had 37 total assists on 33 team shot attempts against Lake Erie.
“Our biggest success from Lake Erie was our ability to move the ball and pick apart the defense,” Yarian said. “I thought Walsh was an OK game. We played really well in the first half, but slowed down in the second and became more stagnant with no ball movement.”
Even with Reuter’s career high, the Chargers saw heavy contributions from their bench players against Lake Erie.
McWhinnie had eight points, four rebounds, and two steals along with his four assists in 18 minutes off the bench. Senior center Eric Radisevic also had eight points, making 4 of his 5 shot attempts, and McCollum seven points and seven rebounds.
“Moving the ball together with 27 total team assists on 33 baskets is something we’re really proud of and speaks to the guys we got on the floor,” Morrissey said. “They want to play together. unselfish, selfless basketball.”
The Chargers will return to Potter Arena Thursday night at 7:30 against the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets, who the Chargers lost to in January. Hillsdale will play Saturday, against the Ashland University Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 17 at home for the first time this year.
“Cedarville and Ashland will be good tests for us this week,” Yarian said “They are both top four teams in the conference and we are ready to prove we can get back up in the ranks.”
