Schedule
G-MAC Quarterfinal -- #6 Cedarville (18-10, 11-9 G-MAC) at #3 Hillsdale (22-5, 15-5 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Cedarville Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Cedarville Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Kyle Goessler, Sr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (11.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Sr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (13.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.2 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Sr, G, Brookfield, WI/Central (6.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1 spg); #20 Peter Kalthoff, Sr., F, Hillsdale, MI/Hillsdale Academy (13.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, So., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (12.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 apg)
Cedarville: #1 Jacob Drees, Sr., F, Hilliard, OH/Davidson (13.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4 apg, 1 spg, 1.5 bpg); #4 Chris Rogers, Sr., G, Harrisonburg, VA/Blue Ridge/Trevecca Nazarene (8.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg); #5 Grant Whisman, Jr., F, Middletown, OH/Madison (14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg); #22 Brayden Sipple, So., G, Blanchester, OH/Blanchester (6.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg); #32 Jayvon Maughmer, Jr., F, Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe (17.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Cedarville: The Yellow Jackets had a dramatic final day of the season, beating Kentucky Wesleyan 77-76 on a last-second buzzer beater to secure a spot in the G-MAC Tourney and earn the sixth seed.
Although they didn't lock up qualification until the final day, Cedarville is still a dangerous squad with a shot at a dark horse run at the title thanks to its offensive firepower. Junior Jayvon Maughmer, the team's lone returning starter from a NCAA Tourney squad in 2021-22, has become a star player in the league, while senior Jacob Drees has also become one of the league's most productive true post players. Sharpshooting junior Grant Whisman completes a deadly trio for the Yellow Jackets.
Sophomore Brayden Sipple and Trevecca Nazarene transfer Chris Rogers round out the starting lineup, and Cedarville has taken advantage of a deep bench led by true freshman guards Kyle Thomas and Ethan Sellars, both of whom are bringing scoring punch in part-time roles for the Yellow Jackets.
Cedarville has the best scoring offense in the G-MAC at 79.9 points per game, but is conceding 71.1 points per game defensively.
Cedarville head coach Pat Estepp is entering his 14th season leading the Yellow Jackets in 2022-23. He's guided Cedarville to six 20-win seasons, a G-MAC championship in 2013, and the first NCAA DII Tournament berth in program history last season.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale enters the G-MAC Tournament on a two-game losing streak, but have built a resume this year that marks them as one of the contenders to bring home the G-MAC Tourney title, even entering as the three seed.
The challenge entering 2022-23 for the Chargers was to remain among the elite in the G-MAC and the Midwest Region while replacing several key players in the frontcourt. Hillsdale no longer has the only two-time first team All-American in program history as Patrick Cartier has graduated, and also gone are perennial All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian and key defensive stopper Tavon Brown.
While those shoes are tough to fill, Hillsdale has shown it has plenty of talent and experience to draw on during an impressive 2022-23 campaign. Hillsdale's entire starting backcourt returned intact and those three seniors – point guard Cole Nau and wings Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke – have taken on an increased scoring load while also providing key stability and veteran leadership
Also returning is sophomore forward Joe Reuter, who came on after the Christmas Break to become the Chargers' sixth man, and earn G-MAC Freshman of the Year honors in his first collegiate season in 2021-22. Now a starter in 2022-23, Reuter has lived up to that potential so far, turning in big performances at both ends of the floor while averaging double figures and leading Hillsdale in rebounding.
In the post, veterans Peter Kalthoff and Eric Radisevic have been just what the Chargers were looking for as an interior tandem, as Hillsdale looks to offset some of the lost production from the graduation of its top three post players from last season. Kalthoff in particular is developing into one of the best post players in the G-MAC and currently leads the Chargers in scoring.
On top of balanced scoring from its starters, the Chargers bench is beginning to perform at a high level as well. Sophomore Charles Woodhams has three double-figure scoring outings this season, all off the bench, giving Hillsdale credible depth. Noah Applegate and Ashton Janowski are also part of the bench rotation for the Chargers.
Directing the Chargers for the 16th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 296-149 record, and who became just the 17th active coach in NCAA DII to reach 500 wins with the 90-64 victory at Malone on Thursday, Feb. 16. Returning on Hillsdale's bench this year for a third season is associate head coach Keven Bradley, and he will be joined by first-year assistant John Cheng.
Other Notes
- Already the winningest head coach in Hillsdale College history, John Tharp achieved a special milestone on Thursday, as Hillsdale's 90-64 win over Malone was his 500th win as a college coach. That victory makes him just the 17th active coach at the NCAA DII level to reach the 500 win mark. Tharp is also closing in on another milestone, needing just four victories to become the first Charger men's basketball coach with 300 wins in program history, a possibility as the Chargers look to close out the season strong.
- Hillsdale has qualified for every G-MAC Tournament since joining the conference in 2017-18, and is 3-1 all-time in quarterfinal matchups, most recently an 89-58 win over Trevecca Nazarene in 2020-21. The Chargers are still seeking their first-ever G-MAC Tournament title and first conference tournament title since 1995. Hillsdale's deepest run to date in the G-MAC Tourney came in 2017-18, when the Chargers reached the title game.
- The Chargers have a 14-1 series lead over Cedarville, though many contests in the series over the past few years between the two teams have been close. The Chargers have won both meetings this year, 72-60 at Cedarville on Dec. 1, 2022 and 79-70 at home on Jan. 26, 2023. Cedarville's lone win in the series came in last year's G-MAC Tournament.
- After starting the 2022-23 season unranked, Hillsdale was ranked 17th in the nation in the NABC national rankings, and 14th in the most recent D2SIDA poll, making this the third consecutive season Hillsdale has spent time in the national top 25 rankings. Hillsdale has spent 13 straight weeks in the national polls this season.
- Hillsdale did something it hasn't done in over 40 years this season by going over 20 wins earlier this month. It's the first time the Chargers have had three consecutive 20-win seasons in the NCAA DII era, and the first since a stretch of four straight from 1977-81 in its NAIA era. Hillsdale also is looking to make an unprecedented third-straight NCAA Tournament after qualifying in both 2021 and 2022 with a strong finish.
- In dealing with the graduation of All-American center Patrick Cartier, the Chargers have replaced one of the best players in program history with impressive offensive balance. Six different Chargers have led Hillsdale in scoring in the first 27 games, and four players are averaging 11 or more points per game, with point guard Cole Nau and reserve Charles Woodhams each chipping in over six points a game as well. The ability to get significant scoring punch from all five positions is helping the Chargers pose real problems for defenses so far in the 2022-23 season.
- Centers Peter Kalthoff and Eric Radisevic barely saw the court before this season, with just a combined 179 minutes played in the last three years, but have done an admirable job filling the void in the middle left by Cartier. Kalthoff is currently tied for the team lead in scoring with 13.6 points per game and has been named the G-MAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week three times. Radisevic also is chipping in 5.5 points per contest off the bench for the Chargers as a top post substitute.
- Chargers senior Jack Gohlke had a game to remember in an 82-73 loss to Ashland last Thursday, going 10 for 19 from the 3-point line to tie the Chargers' single-game record set by Tim Homan against Saginaw Valley State on Dec. 13, 2007. Gohlke has worked his way into the Chargers' record books as a sharpshooter – his 173 career 3-pointers are the eighth-most all time by a Hillsdale player, and his 87 3-pointers in 2022-23 are third most all-time in a single season, behind Charger legends Mike Lake (105 in 1994-95) and Homan (93 in 2007-08).
- Hillsdale's Kyle Goessler has been reliable at the free throw line throughout his career as a Charger, and his 84.5% percentage from the charity stripe to date ranks sixth all-time in Hillsdale history among men's basketball players with at least 100 made free throws – just ahead of former teammate Dylan Lowry (83.8%).