With three games left in the season, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team is looking to finish the 2021-22 season with a bang.
Saturday presents an opportunity to do that at home by sweeping the season series with Lake Erie, and honoring graduating players Austen Yarian and Tavon Brown at the same time as a part of the Chargers' annual senior day festivities.
It's also Alumni Day for the Charger men's basketball program, as former players from the rich history of Hillsdale College athletics return to campus for festivities surrounding the game.
You can attend the game by purchasing tickets at the links below, or follow along online with a free webcast for the contest that's 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
Lake Erie (12-10, 6-9 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (17-6, 12-5 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Lake Erie | Video vs Lake Erie | Tickets vs Lake Erie
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Lake Erie Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Lake Erie Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (22 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (10.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.8 apg); #3 Jack Gohlke, Jr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (8 ppg, 2.8 rpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (8.9 ppg, 3 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Lake Erie: #11 Jordan Burton, So., G, Toledo, OH/Notre Dame College (14 ppg, 4.6 apg, 1.3 spg); #12 Caleb Piks, Fr., F, Mentor, OH/Mentor (6.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg); #15 Leon Hughes, Jr., F, Toledo, OH/Whitmer (8.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg); #21 Kevin Peterson, Jr., F, Cleveland, OH/Padua (9.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.1 apg); #34 Jonny Manning, Fr., F/C, Grafton, OH/Midview (10 ppg, 6 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Lake Erie: The Storm had a four-game winning streak snapped at home by the Chargers on Tuesday, and now travel to Hillsdale to complete the season series on Saturday. While the streak has ended, there's no doubt Lake Erie has taken a significant step forward this season after finishing in last place in the G-MAC in 2020-21.
A big factor in the improvement of Lake Erie this season has been the addition of high-scoring combo-guard Jordan Burton from Notre Dame College, giving the team offensive punch from the perimeter it lacked in 2020-21. Jonny Manning and Leon Hughes have also made big strides offensively in their second seasons at Lake Erie.
The Storm have a deep bench that includes two players who started for Lake Erie last season, Jacob Plantz and Jackson Burdyshaw, who are both playing well in reserve roles. Improved offensive output has been critical for Lake Erie, who were at the bottom of the league last year but sit seventh this season with 71.6 points per game so far.
The Storm are coached by Kyle Conley, who is in his fifth season in charge at Lake Erie. Conley has made the Storm a tough out in the G-MAC during his tenure, guiding Lake Erie to conference tournament appearances in three of his four seasons and a semifinal appearance in 2017-18.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale hits the home stretch of the season with just three games remaining in a solid position. The win over Lake Erie clinched the Chargers' fifth-straight G-MAC tournament berth, and while the Chargers are still a game back of the three-way tie for first place between Malone, Walsh and Ashland, the number of games remaining between those three teams means that there is a strong possibility the Chargers can claim at least a share of the title if they win out.
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 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 64.7 points per game, second lowest in the G-MAC and 20th 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 15th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 268-142 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 are 19-2 all-time against Lake Erie and have won five straight against the Storm, including a 79-69 win on Tuesday at Lake Erie. The Storm's last win against Hillsdale came in a 53-52 final on Feb. 16, 2019.
- 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 12-5 in G-MAC play, sitting in fourth place, a game back of G-MAC co-leaders Malone, Walsh and Ashland.
- 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 16 or more points in 20 of Hillsdale's 23 games so far, and is currently first in the G-MAC and 11th in the nation at the DII level in points per game with 22. His 64.2 field goal percentage is 11th in DII, and he is Hillsdale's career leader in the stat by over three full percentage points. On Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, the junior also became the 39th 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. He's currently 15th all-time in Hillsdale history with 1,449 points.
- Senior Austen Yarian joined Cartier on the list of Charger players to surpass 1,000 points for his career, becoming the 40th with 11 points against Northwood on Dec. 20. The 2020-21 first-team All-G-MAC player now has 1,118 for his career, good for 30th all time and, with 724 rebounds, is also closing in on breaking into the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in that stat as well.
- 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 eight straight contests, including 17 in a home win over Trevecca Nazarene on Jan. 20, and 20 on the road in a win over Lake Erie on Feb. 15.
- In six starts since moving into the lineup on Jan. 15, junior Jack Gohlke has hit double figures five times, including two 25-point performances. Twice Gohlke has hit seven 3-pointers in a game in that stretch, 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. The junior is currently second in the G-MAC in 3-point percentage with 41.6 percent shooting beyond the arc.
- 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 20th in the nation in DII at 64.7 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 (1.67) and in assists per game (17.6). Hillsdale's assist-to-turnover ratio is the third best of any team in Division II, and its 17.6 assists per game ranks 11th among all teams in the country at the DII level.
- While it's a tough road to get there, Hillsdale still 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.