In what could have been their final home game of their careers on Saturday afternoon, the Hillsdale men's basketball team's stellar senior class made sure they'll get at least one more contest in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Hillsdale rolled past visiting Lake Erie 79-64 with a lights-out shooting performance and excellent defense, clinching a top three finish in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the rights to host a quarterfinal game in the G-MAC Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 28 in the process.
Great offensive balance, led by the Chargers' four senior starters, was the difference for Hillsdale in the contest. Senior Cole Nau was perfect from the floor -- 5 of 5 on field goals, 3 of 3 on 3-pointers and 4 for 4 from the line -- to finish with a career-high 17 points, as well as four rebounds and three assists, in the victory, and senior Jack Gohlke shot 60% from the floor and 66.7% from deep to finish with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists as well.
Center Peter Kalthoff finished with a 13 point, 10 rebound double-double, senior Kyle Goessler chipped in 11 points, and sophomore Joe Reuter added 13 points and four rebounds as the Chargers shot 56.3% from the floor, 60% from 3-point range and 88.9% from the free-throw line in the victory.
The Chargers got off to a fast start, taking a 20-9 lead on a Jack Gohlke 3-pointer with 9:45 to go in the first half, but a late Lake Erie run cut Hillsdale's advantage to 33-28 at the half.
Hillsdale came out firing in the second half, stretching the lead back to 12 with 9:04 to play, then the Chargers went on a 14-4 run over the next three minutes that pushed the lead to 22 and more or less ended the game. Lake Erie made another push late but never got closer than 79-64 before the final buzzer.
Along with Goessler, Gohlke, Kalthoff and Nau, the Chargers also honored seniors Noah Applegate and Jacob Ngobi for their contributions to a four-year run that's seen Hillsdale win two G-MAC regular season titles, make two NCAA DII Tournament appearances, win 20 games in a season three times and reach the 2022 NCAA DII Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
Now, at 21-3 overall, 14-3 in the G-MAC, Hillsdale hits the road for its final three games of the season looking to add another trophy to the case. With a one-game lead over Walsh and Ashland in the conference title race, Hillsdale can clinch a share with wins next week at Malone and at Ashland, but will have a tough task as both teams are extremely strong, especially at home. The Chargers begin with a trip to the Pioneers on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
Photo by Summer Fields