Basketball is sometimes called a make or miss game.
At times in Thursday's 95-63 win over visiting Tiffin, it seemed like it was a make or make game for the 11th-ranked Hillsdale College men's basketball team.
The Chargers had the program's most efficient shooting performance in nearly a decade to defeat the Dragons, shooting a scorching 66.1% (41-62) from the floor to get back on track offensively after a poor shooting performance on the road on Dec. 31 snapped Hillsdale's 12-game winning streak.
Not since Hillsdale shot 69.7% (23-33) in an 85-74 win over Ashland on Jan. 25, 2014 have the Chargers finished with such a high percentage from the floor. Hillsdale's shotmaking was critical to opening up a lead late in the first half, as Hillsdale went on a 18-6 run in the final six minutes to turn a 26-22 lead into a 44-28 halftime advantage.
The Chargers never looked back, leading by double-digits the rest of the way and pushing the advantage to 30 points with eight minutes to play in the second half.
Sophomore Joe Reuter had an excellent performance to lead the Chargers, shooting 9 of 13 from the floor to finish with a game high 21 points, as well as four rebounds and two steals, while Jack Gohlke shot 75% from the floor and 60% from 3-point range to finish with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists as well.
Senior Kyle Goessler added 11 points and four rebounds for the Chargers, while center Peter Kalthoff finished with nine points, including three dunks, and eight rebounds as well.
Sophomore Charles Woodhams added nine points off the bench, Eric Radisevic chipped in egihht, and Ashton Janowski added seven for the Chargers. Point guard Cole Nau had an all-around solid night, finishing with six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
While Hillsdale flourished offensively, the Chargers also held Tiffin in check defensively, forcing the Dragons into 16 turnovers and creating 21 points off of those miscues.
With the victory, Hillsdale now improves to 13-1 overall and 6-1 in G-MAC play heading into a massive showdown with Malone at home on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
The Pioneers are red-hot as well, entering Saturday's game with a 10-2 record and a 5-1 mark in the G-MAC, and along with Hillsdale and Ashland, are part of a three-team group of front-runners that currently hold pole position in the race for the G-MAC title and top overall seed in the G-MAC Tournament in March.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan