None of the more than 800 rowdy fans in attendance at Saturday's men's basketball matchup between Hillsdale College and Northern Michigan University will ever forget it.
In absolutely improbable fashion, the Chargers put together a stunning 59-58 win over the Wildcats in the most insane finish ever seen in the newly renovated Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. As great as this win was for the Chargers, most importantly, it put an end to their four-game losing streak and helped the team move to 9-7 overall and 7-5 in the GLIAC.
Hillsdale heads to Big Rapids Thursday for a showdown with Ferris State before coming back home next Saturday, welcoming Grand Valley State.
The Wildcats trailed as by as many as 14 points late in the first half of this game. But they rallied in the second half, making three of their five 3-point field goals in the game's final two minutes to grab the lead. After one breathless possession after another, and putting Hillsdale in a situation where it had to foul multiple times, NMU held the win in its hands.
With four seconds to play, the Wildcats were inbounding the ball from underneath their own basket. The inbounds pass was a high-arcing one that went past the half court stripe. Junior Rhett Smith, playing "center field," timed his jump perfectly and intercepted the pass. He immediately fired the ball to senior forward Ian Sheldon, standing near the right wing, along the 3-point line. Sheldon then somehow found senior Darius Ware, camped under the basket. Ware, one of the most explosive jumpers in recent Charger history, got the pass, jumped with two feet, elbows passing up the rim, and slammed down a two-handed dunk to flip the one-point deficit into a one-point victory, sending the home crowd into a delirious roar.
The fans rushed the floor in mad celebration, a group that featured many former Charger men's basketball players, who were on hand for the program's annual alumni game. Pictured here is 2012 All-American Brad Guinane embracing Ware, a former teammate, in the celebratory mob after the game.
Hillsdale clearly fed off the energy generated by the home crowd in the first half, playing splendid basketball for most of the first 20 minutes. The Chargers carried a 36-25 lead into halftime, but it didn't take long for Northern Michigan to respond.
The Wildcats hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, and the shot seemed to fill the team with momentum and confidence. NMU went on a 13-2 run, eventually tying the game at 45 all. NMU hit 3-point baskets on three out of four possessions beginning at the 2:58 mark to take a six-point lead, 58-52 with 59 seconds to go. Before that rally started, the Wildcats were 2-for-17 from beyond the 3-point line.
Junior Zach Miller, one of the Chargers' toughest players, brought the team back. He stepped up with a 3-pointer with 40 seconds to go, cutting the lead to three, 58-55. Hillsdale's team defense then forced a five-second violation on a sideline out of bounds play, getting the ball back with 37 seconds to play.
With 11 seconds to go, Miller then smartly drew a foul while attempting a 3-point shot. He made the first two free throws, but missed the third, leaving the Chargers down 58-57. Three fouls by the Chargers still wasn't enough to force Northern Michigan to the free throw line, but as it turned out, that end-game strategy wouldn't matter.
Junior center Jason Pretzer had a terrific ballgame, leading the team in scoring for the second time in two weeks. His 18 points paced the Chargers, and he shot 8-for-12 from the floor. Junior Kyle Cooper had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists after battling first-half foul trouble. Ware, who had 4 points in the game, set a new career-high with 10 rebounds.
Photo by Sheridan Markatos