The five healthy seniors on the Hillsdale College women's basketball team played out the final seconds of their careers on the court together, as Thursday night's season finale ended at Saginaw Valley State University.
Ashlyn Landherr, Kayla Geffert, Madison Berry, Kelsey Cromer and Sarah Theut came to the program together in the Fall of 2012 and they ended their careers together, on the court, one last time.
The Chargers lost to the Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals 73-55 Thursday night. Hillsdale's season concludes with an overall record of 10-16 and 7-15 in the GLIAC.
For three-plus quarters, the Chargers were playing a terrific road game. They led from the start and pushed the pace against the GLIAC North Division champions. Theut hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give Hillsdale a 48-42 lead.
However, the Cardinals responded big time, with a 28-2 run that put the game out of reach. The run started right after Theut's shot, and ran until the late stages of the fourth quarter.
While Thursday's game drew the curtain on the careers of Hillsdale's seniors, it was the team's freshmen who performed well in the finale. Makenna Ott ended the season on a tear, and led the team with 15 points in the game, with 13 coming in the first half, when Hillsdale took a 40-35 lead. Ott had five straight double-digit scoring games in her last five games of her debut season.
Guard Allie Dewire had 10 points and 5 rebounds and set a good tone for the team with her strong first-quarter play. Berry and Geffert each scored 7 in their final collegiate games, with Geffert and sophomore Allie Dittmer each grabbing 7 rebounds.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kadie Lowery