Preview: Chargers face road/home split with critical conference contests on tap

Jan 25, 2022

Two critical wins at home last weekend have kept the Hillsdale College men's basketball team in a good position in the G-MAC title race, just a half-game behind the two current leaders, Walsh and Malone.

Hillsdale has another big weekend coming up as it looks to stay on that pace and remain in a position to pass both the Cavaliers and Pioneers when they meet those two teams later in the season.

The Chargers hit the road to Columbus on Thursday to take on Ohio Dominican, then return home for a Saturday match-up with Cedarville on Saturday. The Saturday game is also Hillsdale's annual Coaches vs Cancer Suits and Sneakers game, where both teams' coaches will be dressing up to raise awareness about cancer prevention, screening and early detection.

You can attend the games by purchasing tickets at the links below, or follow along online with free webcasts for both contests that are also linked below. Saturday's home game also will be broadcast locally on 99.5 FM the Dale and 101.7 FM Radio Free Hillsdale.

Schedule

RV Hillsdale (13-4, 8-3 G-MAC) at Ohio Dominican (5-13, 3-8 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 | Alumni Hall | Columbus, OH

Cedarville (10-7, 6-4 G-MAC) at RV Hillsdale (13-4, 8-3 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI

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Additional Info

Projected Starters

Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (22.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.3 apg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (9.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.8 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Jr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (7.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (9.1 ppg, 3 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3 apg)

Ohio Dominican: #10 Zach Szul, So., G, Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne (11.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.1 spg); #11 Arius Jones, Jr., G, Lansing, MI/Carroll (3.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 apg); #13 Mitch Wilkinson, G/F, So., Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Central (6.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg); #23 Alek West, Jr., G, Sylvania, OH/Northview (14.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.1 spg); #32 Matt Hall, Fr., F/C, Ross, OH/Ross (3.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)

Cedarville: #2 Branden Maughmer, Sr., G, Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe (17.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2 spg); #5 Isaiah Speelman, Sr., F, Hilliard, OH/Bradley (11.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg); #10 Kollin Van Horn, Sr., C, Proctorville, OH/Fairland (8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg); #32 Jayvon Maughmer, So., F, Chillicothe, OH/Chillicothe (10.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg); #35 Conner TenHove, Sr., F, Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso (10.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.2 apg)

Scouting the Opposition

Ohio Dominican: Although still near the bottom of the standings in the G-MAC, the Panthers have started to solidify their rotation in the last month and could be a spoiler as the calendar turns to February.

ODU has a potent three-guard lineup in Zach Szul, Sean Marks and Alek West, all of whom score in double figures. West in particular has emerged as a critical player who's able to generate his own shot and set up others. The Panthers also have a deep bench, with several players getting minutes, and ODU has used several different starting lineup combinations throughout the season to try and find a winning mix.

There are issues for the Panthers at both ends of the floor. ODU is scoring 64.1 points per game, next-to-last in the G-MAC at this juncture. Their defense has improved in the past few weeks, but is still giving up 73.1 points per game, the eighth-best in an 11-team conference. But, as shown in an upset win of Findlay and near-upsets of Ferris St. and Malone, the Panthers are capable of going toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the region on any given night.

Kelly Winter is the head coach for the Ohio Dominican men, in his third season with the Panthers program. An Ohio native who played at nearby Capital University, Winter was an assistant coach for five seasons at ODU before taking the reins in the summer of 2019.

Cedarville: A veteran team with big goals for the 2021-22 season, this weekend is a crossroads for Cedarville, which is still in contention for the G-MAC title but can't afford to take more losses at this juncture and stay in the race.

Nearly every player of consequence returns for a squad that reached the G-MAC Tournament title game last season, led by 2020-21 first team All-G-MAC honoree Branden Maughmer and second-team members Quinton Green and Kollin Van Horn. Isaiah Speelman has given the Yellowjackets additional scoring punch since being inserted into the starting lineup midseason as well.

If Cedarville has a weakness, it's defense – the Yellowjackets are giving up 74.7 points per game, next to last in the G-MAC. But Cedarville has been able to simply outscore many opponents this season, averaging 75.2 points per game, fifth-best in the G-MAC. They'll face a stiff test on Saturday in a Hillsdale team that held the Yellowjackets to 57 points in a one-point home loss to the Chargers in December.

Cedarville is coached by Patrick Estepp, who is entering his 13^th season leading the Yellow Jackets in 2021-22. He's guided Cedarville to six 20-win seasons, a G-MAC championship in 2013, and perennial success in the National Christian College Athletic Association Tournament, including national titles in 2012 and 2019.

Scouting the Chargers

Hillsdale took care of business at home over the weekend, picking up two wins to remain a half-game behind the top two teams in the G-MAC with nine games left in conference play. The Chargers face another critical week ahead with two tough opponents before three straight games against top league title contenders, all on the road, to start February.

The Chargers are looking to build off of one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2020-21, a campaign that saw Hillsdale repeat as G-MAC regular season champions, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and reach the Atlantic Regional Final round, with a 21-3 final record.

Three starters return for the Chargers, led by G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year and consensus All-American Patrick Cartier. A high-volume scorer whose efficient offense consistently draws double-teams in the paint, Cartier has the perfect running mate in fellow first team All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian, whose versatility and outside shooting touch causes significant matchup issues of his own for opposing defenses. Also back is junior forward Tavon Brown, whose defense, rebounding and energy were critical to the team's success last season.

Three top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau, Kyle Goessler and Jack Gohlke, have moved into the starting lineup to help fill the void left by the departures of second-team All-G-MAC honorees Connor Hill and Davis Larson, while sophomore Noah Applegate and freshman Joe Reuter, among others, have taken on expanded roles off the bench.

The Chargers have been dominant defensively so far, giving up 63.9 points per game, second lowest in the G-MAC and 19^th in the nation in Division II. Continuing to play tough defense and improving offensively will be key to Hillsdale's hopes of a big run in 2022.

Directing the Chargers for the 15^th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 264-140 record. Returning as assistants on Hillsdale's bench this year are associate head coach Keven Bradley, assistant coach Eric Weiss, and assistant coach David Choi.

Other Notes

The Chargers lead the all-time series with Ohio Dominican 16-5, and have won four straight over the Panthers, including a 74-58 home win on Dec. 9 this season. Hillsdale also is a perfect 10-0 against Cedarville all time, through there have been several close contests between the two teams, including a 58-57 Charger victory at Cedarville on Dec. 11 earlier in this campaign.
Hillsdale was picked as the favorite to win the G-MAC crown for the third consecutive year in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, though by only a single vote over conference newcomer Ashland, which made the NCAA Tournament in its final year in the GLIAC last season. 2020-21 G-MAC runner-up Findlay was picked third and 2020-21 G-MAC Tournament champion Malone was picked in fourth. Currently, the Chargers are 8-3 in G-MAC play, a half-game back of G-MAC co-leaders Walsh and tied with Malone.
The 2020-21 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year, Patrick Cartier, continues to excel on the court in his junior season. Cartier was recently named to the Bevo Francis Award Watch List, has scored 17 or more points in 15 of Hillsdale's 17 games so far, and is currently first in the G-MAC and 12^th in the nation at the DII level in points per game with 22.2. His 62.3 field goal percentage is 15^th in DII, and he is Hillsdale's career leader in the stat by nearly three full percentage points. On Saturday, Nov. 13, the junior also became the 39^th player in Hillsdale College men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 points for his career with 30 points in an 83-61 win over Northwood.
In the first start of his career against Tiffin on Saturday, Jan. 15, junior Jack Gohlke had a night to remember, going 7 of 12 from 3-point range for a career high 25 points in Hillsdale's 96-69 win. Gohlke's seven 3s were the most by a Charger in a single game since Stedman Lowry hit seven 3-pointers in an 82-72 road win over Cedarville on Jan. 20, 2018. Gohlke is shooting a G-MAC-leading 42% from beyond the arc for the season.
Senior Austen Yarian joined Cartier on the list of Charger players to surpass 1,000 points for his career, becoming the 40^th with 11 points against Northwood on Dec. 20. The 2020-21 first-team All-G-MAC player now has 1,043 for his career, and, with 679 rebounds, is also closing in on breaking into the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in that stat as well.
Hillsdale's team identity under John Tharp is well-known, and it starts with defense – the Chargers are second in the G-MAC in scoring defense and are 19^th in the nation in DII at 63.9 points per game. Unselfishness and taking care of the ball are also core tenets of the Hillsdale style of play, and the Chargers also lead the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.76) and in assists per game (17.88).
Charger freshman Joe Reuter has carved out an early role off the bench for Hillsdale in his first season on campus, and had a huge game on Saturday, Jan. 8 against Malone, scoring 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting. It's the first time a true freshman has led the Chargers in scoring since teammate Austen Yarian scored 19 points in a 77-61 win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 27, 2018 and the most points by a true freshman since Andrew Taylor scored 24 in a 75-71 loss to Ashland on Feb. 1, 2007. Reuter enters this weekend having scored in double figures in back to back contests, with 17 in a home win over Trevecca Nazarene and 10 in a win over Kentucky Wesleyan.
While it's a long road to get there, Hillsdale has the opportunity to chase unprecedented accomplishments in the program's history this year. The Chargers will be in contention for a third-straight G-MAC title, something that's never been done in the history of the program. The Chargers also will be looking for their seventh NCAA Division II tournament appearance in school history, and their first back-to-back appearance since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams made it in consecutive years.