Schedule
SF1 -- #5 Malone (17-10, 11-9 G-MAC) vs #1 Walsh (20-8, 16-4 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 3 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH
SF2 -- #3 Hillsdale (23-5, 15-5 G-MAC) vs #2 Ashland (20-9, 15-5 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 3 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH
F – SF1 Winner vs SF2 Winner | 4 p.m. Friday, March 3 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Walsh Roster | Malone Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ashland Stats | Walsh Stats | Malone Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Kyle Goessler, Sr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (11.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Sr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (13.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Sr, G, Brookfield, WI/Central (6.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.1 spg); #20 Peter Kalthoff, Sr., F, Hillsdale, MI/Hillsdale Academy (13.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, So., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (12.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.5 apg)
Ashland: #1 Brandon Haraway, Sr., G, Norwalk, OH/Norwalk (16.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4 apg); #10 Simon Wheeler, Fr., G, Detroit, MI/Phoenix Prep (10.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.5 spg); #23 James Manns, Sr., F, Columbus, OH/Kingston Prep/Wright State (10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg); #33 Ethan Conley, Sr., G, Dayton, OH/Franklin Monroe (6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg); #35 Victor Searls, Jr., C, Hilliard, OH/St. Charles (12.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
Walsh: #12 Quentin Toles, So., G, Massillon, OH/Perry (11.9 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.2 spg); #21 Garrison Keeslar, So., G/F, Green, OH/Green (13.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.3 spg); #23 Zack Oddo, Fr., G/F, Green, OH/Green (2.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg); #30 Nic Smith, So., F, Cincinnati, OH/Walnut Hills (9.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg); #42 Tim Smith Jr., Jr., F, Cleveland, OH/Lakewood (16.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Malone: #1 Bo Myers, Sr., F, Rockbridge, OH/Logan (18.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg); #5 Levi Seiler, Sr., F, Wauseon, OH/Wauseon (12.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg); #13 Simon Blair, Jr., G, Greenwich, OH/South Central (9.4 ppg, 2.3 apg); #20 Justin Miller, Sr., G/F, East Liverpool, OH/Wellsville/Tiffin (19.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5 apg, 1.6 spg); #33 Erwin Gutic, Sr., C, Sarajevo, Bosnia/Wesley Christian, KY (2.8 ppg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ashland: The first test awaiting the Chargers in North Canton is a daunting one, as Hillsdale faces down an Eagles squad that beat them convincingly twice in the regular season in the G-MAC Semifinal round.
Ashland lost four starters off of its 2021-22 squad that finished third in the G-MAC but reloaded quickly around returning first-team All-G-MAC guard Brandon Haraway, earning a tie for second in the regular season.
The Eagles have benefited from strong play from newcomers, as Wright State transfer James Manns, redshirt freshman Maceo Williams and true freshman Simon Wheeler have all been extremely important to the team's success with strong play at both ends of the court. But internal development has also been key -- junior center Victor Searls has been one of the Eagles' best players after barely seeing the court last year, and senior Ethan Conley also has stepped forward in a much bigger role this year.
While many faces are new or in different roles, Ashland's identity remains the same -- the Eagles are an athletic, gritty, physical bunch that play great defense at one end of the floor and grind teams down offensively at the other end.
Ashland is coached by John Ellenwood, now in his 14th season with the Eagles, with a 237-149 record at Ashland. During his tenure, the Eagles have made three NCAA DII Tournament appearances and won their first-ever conference regular season and tournament championships at the NCAA DII level.
Walsh: The Cavaliers lived up to the preseason predictions that saw them as the team to beat in the G-MAC by surviving a tough gauntlet and claiming back to back regular season titles. Now, Walsh takes aim at repeating as G-MAC Tournament champions as well.
The Cavaliers are led by returning first-team All-G-MAC forward Garrison Keeslar, who's in his third season in a starring role for Walsh, and transfer Tim Smith Jr. has blossomed into a complete post player for the Cavaliers in his second season with the program.
Sophomores Quentin Toles and Nic Smith have also become key players in their second full seasons with Walsh, and the Cavaliers can call on a deep bench, led by Owen Hazelbaker, Milan Square, and Aiden Satterfield to keep momentum when the starters rest.
Walsh is a solid offensive team, but it's a G-MAC leading defense that's conceding just 59.9 points per game that is the real secret to the Cavaliers' success.
Walsh is coached by Jeff Young, the all-time winningest coach in Cavaliers history with 415 entering the season. Young has led Walsh to a 2005 NAIA National title, as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last five seasons.
Malone: A legitimate G-MAC title contender the last time Hillsdale saw them in early January, the Pioneers overcame a midseason lull and injuries to finish strong and reach the semifinal rounds of the G-MAC Tourney
The Pioneers remain an extremely dangerous foe despite being the lowest seed remaining, thanks to arguably the best one-two punch offensively in the G-MAC in Bo Myers and Justin Miller.
The pair have taken a step forward in 2022-23 and become the key pieces in one of the G-MAC's best offenses, combining to average 37.4 points per game, while the top two players off the bench for Malone last season, Simon Blair and Levi Seiler, have stepped into the starting lineup without missing a beat.
First-year players Terrance Broughton, Caleb Conard and Brady Moore provide the bench depth for Malone, which leads the G-MAC in rebounds per game and is second in the conference in scoring offense.
Malone misses forward Elijah Hinton, who gave the Pioneers a post presence inside that Malone lacks in his absence due to injury. But the Pioneers are clearly figuring out how to play without him, entering Friday's contest on a three game winning streak.
The Pioneers are coached by Casey Kaufman, now in his eighth season in charge. Kaufman has posted winning records in each of the last six seasons with the Pioneers, and led Malone to its first-ever G-MAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale snapped a two-game losing streak to end the regular season with an 87-57 win over Cedarville in the G-MAC Quarterfinals, and is now just two wins away from its first conference tournament title since 1995.
The Chargers will have a tough road to the title, that starts with figuring out how to slow down an Ashland squad that was one of just two teams to break 80 points against Hillsdale all season – and that did it twice in two regular season victories over the Chargers.
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, matching last season's win total entering the . 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
- Hillsdale has made it to the semifinal round of the G-MAC Tournament five times in six years in the conference, but has advanced to the G-MAC Championship game just once, in their first year in the G-MAC in 2018. The Chargers have one conference tournament title in program history, winning the GLIAC Championship in 1995 with an 89-80 victory over Oakland in the final.
- In terms of G-MAC Tournament Championships, top-seeded Walsh is the most successful team in the 11-year history of the conference, with three titles including last season. Malone has one G-MAC tournament title, won in 2020-21, while Ashland is in just its second season in the G-MAC, but won the GLIAC Tournament title in their final season in the conference in 2020-21.
- Ashland and Hillsdale have a competitive all-time series that's grown tighter this season with Ashland's 82-73 and 80-67 victories this season, with the Chargers holding a 24-22 edge over the Eagles entering Friday's contest. Hillsdale also has the all-time edge against both teams it could see in the final if it got by the Eagles on Friday night – the Chargers have a 13-6 lead over Malone in the series with the Pioneers, and an 11-9 edge over Walsh.
- After starting the 2022-23 season unranked, Hillsdale was ranked 23rd in the nation in both the NABC national rankings and 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.
- When the Chargers recorded their 23rd win of the season by beating Cedarville on Tuesday, the 2022-23 squad joined a short list of the best teams in program history, becoming one of just 10 squads in the 123-year run of men's basketball at Hillsdale College to reach 23 wins in a season. The all-time record for wins in a season is 28, set by the Chargers' NAIA Final Four squad in 1980-81, while Hillsdale's wins record as an NCAA DII member is 24, set in 2011-12. The Chargers could also make history by becoming the first Hillsdale men's basketball squad to qualify for three straight NCAA DII Tournaments – the Selection Show will take place at NCAA.com on Sunday, March 5 at 11 p.m.
- Already the winningest head coach in Hillsdale College history, John Tharp achieved a special milestone on February 16, 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 three victories to become the first Charger men's basketball coach with 300 wins in program history, a possibility if the Chargers can make a postseason run.
- 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 28 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 second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game and has been named the G-MAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week three times. Radisevic also is chipping in 5.8 points per contest off the bench for the Chargers as its top post substitute.
- Chargers senior Jack Gohlke had a game to remember in an 82-73 loss to Ashland on Thursday, Feb. 2, 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 176 career 3-pointers are the eighth-most all time by a Hillsdale player, and his 90 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 84.7% 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%).