The Charger men's basketball team got exactly the test it was looking for on Wednesday night, but also the exact result it wanted.
Pushed hard by a very talented Lourdes University squad, the Chargers made enough plays down the stretch to beat the Grey Wolves 84-77 at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Hillsdale stands at 8-4 as it heads into Christmas Break.
The Chargers took good care of the ball and got scoring from several spots across the lineup. But Lourdes is an intense offensive team and made some incredible shots throughout the game to keep it close throughout.
The Grey Wolves were 12-for-26 on 3-point shots, many of them with the defense in the correct position, leaving the Lourdes players very little air space. But they made many of those shots anyway, often from way back behind the 3-point arc, to keep the Hillsdale defense on its heels for much of the contest.
But on the other end of the floor, the Chargers got some terrific performances from its post players, led by sophomore Austen Yarian, who had a terrific 2018-19 debut.
Yarian had 17 points in 21 minutes on 7-for-9 shooting from the field. He was excellent in the post, making up-and-under shots as well as jumpers with open space in front of him. His return to the lineup boosts Hillsdale in every respect.
Senior center Nick Czarnowski scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half, as he went 6-for-9 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the free throw line.
Another post player who performed well was sophomore Trenton Richardson, who set a career-high with 13 points, making five of his seven shots from the field. Richardson was active and confident with the ball, putting on an excellent display in his 15 minutes on the floor.
Senior guard Harrison Niego added 10 points and 2 steals, while Davis Larson had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals for the Chargers.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews