The Hillsdale College Chargers took down the Mercyhurst University Lakers to grab their first NCAA Division II Tournament win since 2001, and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
Due to some conferences opting out for the season with COVID-19 concerns, the NCAA reduced the field from 64 to 48 teams. Because of this, the Chargers, as the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region, earned a bye to the round of 32.
“I really liked how our kids played, I thought they competed and defended at an incredibly high level, and they were pretty intelligent on the offensive end of the floor” head coach John Tharp said. “It meant a great deal, I was really happy for the kids, and happy for the program. It’s been something that we’ve been working for and towards, we’ve had some opportunities to win one in years past but never did, so it was a great win for us.”
The Chargers dominated the Lakers on both sides of the ball. Sophomore forward Patrick Cartier led the way with 29 points on 10-12 shooting, and the fifth-year senior backcourt of Connor Hill and Davis Larson both joined him with double-digit scoring nights, putting up 12 and 10, respectively.
They also held Mercyhurst to under 30% shooting from the floor, and no Laker scored more than nine points.
“Looking throughout the whole season, it was a history-making season, and that just kind of added to it, and going to the sweet 16, that meant a lot, especially when you look at mine and Connor’s whole five years here, and ending it the right way,” Larson said. “It was just a great year, and a really good W.”
The team fell in the Atlantic Regional Finals a few days later to the West Liberty Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers entered the game with a nation-leading 103 points per game average. The Chargers held them an astounding 25 points below that, but still came up short.
“They really rim-protected well against us, their hands were great, they had multiple blocks, multiple steals,” Tharp said. “We missed a ton of free throws, missed some shots around the rim, and their style of play was a tough one for us to try to adapt to with one day of prep.”
The loss ends a season that can be counted among the best in Hillsdale’s program history. The team’s 21-3 final record sets the school record for winning percentage in a season. They also grabbed their second-consecutive G-MAC regular season conference title along the way.
“On the court, we’re arguably the best team in the program’s history. It was great what we accomplished this year,” Hill said. “Off the court, it’s been great, our program’s always super close, our guys are always super close-knit, but especially this year, I just thought that we were a really really close group, and it was pretty cool to get to become tight with everyone on the team.”
It was announced on Monday that the National Association of Basketball Coaches selected Cartier as a First Team All-Region player. The NABC also selected Tharp as the Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
“Coach Tharp is extremely deserving of this award. He’s extremely dedicated to the program and the culture he has built here, and has contributed significantly to the success this team has had,” Cartier said. “I can’t say enough how lucky I’ve been to have him as my coach and am very happy he is getting some recognition.”
When Cartier was selected to the NCAA Division II All-American team, he became the first Charger in program history to receive such an honor. Including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association, Cartier is the 14th All-American in program history.
“It’s a real testament to the trust my teammates and coaches have placed in me. There’s no way our team would’ve gotten to where we were without every single player and coach on the team,” Cartier said. “It feels great to get this award, but it’s important to recognize everybody else that made it possible.”
For Hill and Larson, having played in their last games in a Chargers uniform has been a bittersweet experience.
“I’m really proud of the career I’ve had, especially after I got hurt in my fourth year, that was hard and I went through a lot with that, but I think that made me a better basketball player and a better person,” Larson said. “What Coach Tharp has done for me and Connor, we wouldn’t have it any other way, we were truly blessed. We had a great five years regardless of how many points we scored or how many wins or losses we had.”
Hill agreed, and said that it hasn’t fully hit him yet that his time on the Hillsdale basketball team is over.
“Someone asked me if I could go back and relive it all, and I 100% would,” Hill said. “A lot of my best friends are either current or former teammates and now lifelong friends. And Coach Tharp, him and I battled sometimes earlier on in my career, but he’s now become a second father figure to me, I would take a bullet for him in a second.”
Tharp, who has coached the pair for all five of their years here, had nothing but compliments to heap on them. Tharp saw Hill’s growth into an upperclassman athlete.
“Connor really just blossomed, and had a tremendous junior and senior year for us,” Tharp said. “He made just a ton of plays for us and has one of the best pull up games that I’ve ever seen. I was so pleased that he was awarded second team all-conference, because I thought he really deserved it and was the heart and soul of our team, I couldn’t be more happy for him.”
Tharp also praised Larson, and said that his example of a Charger athlete is one that should not be taken lightly.
“Davis Larson had an incredible career, he’s been a three or four year starter, and he did so many unbelievable things for us, both offensively and defensively, and just showed a tremendous amount of tenacity and heart,” Tharp said. “Davis represents everything that we want to be as a basketball program, he’s a tremendous student athlete and a heck of a basketball player, and just a great kid.”
