As endings go, Saturday's couldn't have been much better for the Hillsdale College men's basketball team.
The stakes were high at a packed Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The Chargers honored their graduating seniors while playing a longtime rival with a spot in the postseason on the line.
Missions accomplished.
Using a late barrage of cold-blooded shooting from Zach Miller and Kyle Cooper, Hillsdale defeated Grand Valley State 77-70 to clinch a spot in the GLIAC Tournament. The Chargers are now 16-9 overall and 12-9 in conference play.
Emotions were high from start to finish in this game, which featured a big opening burst by Hillsdale, some air-tight defense by GVSU, and a flurry of huge shots at the end of the game that sent the biggest basketball crowd in four years into a frenzy.
In the game's first 11 minutes, Hillsdale jumped out to a 28-13 lead, shooting well over 60 percent from the field while pushing the pace of the game to its preference. But over the last part of the first half, the Lakers amped up one of the GLIAC's stingiest defenses, and allowed the Chargers just four points in the last 8:47.
That defense continued to be stifling into the second half, and GVSU's Aaron Hayes went to work, getting to the rim time and again. After missing his first seven shots from the floor, Hayes made seven of his next eight shots as part of a 15-4 Laker run that put the visitors on top 65-59 with 3:57 to play.
Freshman guard Nate Neveau hit four straight free throws, sandwiching a 3-pointer by Cooper, and just 106 seconds later, Hillsdale was back on top, 66-65. Those plays started a 17-0 Hillsdale run that flipped the six-point deficit into an 11-point lead with less than 20 seconds to play, and the comeback was complete.
After Neveau's third and fourth free throws, Cooper nailed another 3-pointer, and Miller followed with a dagger of his own from beyond the arc. Hillsdale's defense picked up as the shots started falling, as the Chargers forced three turnovers and allowed only one offensive rebound on five missed shots by Grand Valley State during the 17-0 run.
Cooper had a magnificent performance in his final home game, leading all scorers with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Twenty of his points came in the second half, through which he battled foul trouble. The GLIAC's leading 3-point shooter, Cooper was also 4-of-8 from behind the arc.
Miller was also brilliant, with 9 points and 9 assists, as he mixed in his trademark passing with smart drives in the lane against a tough defense.
Neveau played with toughness and heart once again, playing 29 minutes off the bench, totaling 12 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore Ryan Badowski added 10 points.
Hillsdale's opponent in the GLIAC Tournament won't be known until the completion of Thursday's game at Saginaw Valley State.
UP NEXT: Hillsdale hits the road for the regular season finale at SVSU at 8 p.m. Thursday.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kadie Lowery