McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- A pair of late free throws helped provide the final difference as McPherson College fell to Southwestern College, 70-69, in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) men's basketball matchup Saturday afternoon at the Sport Center.
Aaron Bachura (Wilsey, Kan., Council Grove HS) scored three of his team-high 18 points on a traditional 3-point play to give the Bulldogs (12-18, 6-16 KCAC) a 69-68 lead with 14 seconds left. Southwestern responded on its next trip down the court after Cameron Hunt was fouled by
Reed Rowell (Topeka, Kan., Butler CC). Hunt stepped up to the free throw line and promptly drained both attempts to put the Moundbuilders back in front by one. McPherson had the ball with a chance to win the game, but a floater by
Grant Raleigh (Hesston, Kan., Hesston HS) just prior to the final buzzer would not fall.
Southwestern jumped out to an early 8-4 lead behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Myron Fisher and Jacob Horsch, but McPherson responded with a 15-4 run behind five 3-pointers -- two each from Bachura and
DeAndre Henson (Aberdeen, Md., Cloud County CC) and one from
Ryan O'Hara (San Antonio, Texas, Cedar Valley CC) to lead 19-12 with 12:48 to play in the half. The Bulldogs led by six as late as the 2:55 mark after a trey from
Taylor Ellison (Tulsa, Okla., Memorial HS) made it 32-26, but the Moundbuilders scored the final seven points of the half to take a 33-32 lead into the break.
The teams spent the first seven minutes of the second half trading the lead back and forth before McPherson was finally able to gain some traction and put together a 7-0 run to lead 54-48 with 11:26 to play. Southwestern, or rather, Hunt scored six straight over the next 1:43 to tie the game at 54. That was part of a larger 13-1 run over a span of 4:29 to turn a six-point deficit into a six-point lead for the Builders. The Bulldogs were 0-for-3 from the field, committed two turnovers and allowed a Southwestern offensive rebound during the stretch before Bachura drained another three with 6:57 remaining.
McPherson would draw to within one on a handful of occasions over the next five minutes, but Southwestern was always able to counter. The Bulldogs caught a break when Horsch missed the second of two foul shots with 30 seconds to play. The miss left the margin at two points. On the next possession, Raleigh was stripped by Horsch as he drove to the basket, but Bachura picked up the loose ball and slashed to the basket. He was fouled by Hunt but still managed to make the basket to set the final sequence of events into motion.
Southwestern was an efficient 22-of-45 (48.9 percent) from the field with eight 3-pointers. They also converted on 18 of 30 attempts at the free-throw line. McPherson was 25-of-64 (39.1 percent) from the field and hit nine 3-pointers. At the line, the Bulldogs were 10-of-15. The hosts also held a 38-33 advantage on the boards.
Bachura finished 6-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-10 from behind the arc, while pulling down five rebounds. Henson added 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting with three 3-pointers. He also tallied five assists, three rebounds and two steals in his final collegiate game, while Rowell added 10 points and eight rebounds and O'Hara had six points and six boards.
Careino Gurley (Minneapolis, Minn., Rochester CTC) posted nine points off the bench.
Hunt posted his game-high total on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and a 9-of-12 effort at the charity stripe. He also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds and three steals. DJ Wallace added 12 points, Horsch had 10 and Barrington Hunter nine.
"Certainly it is hard to lose," remarked head coach
Tim Swartzendruber. "Especially on Senior Day, when our three seniors gave it their all. I am proud of our team and how we competed this last month. We were in every game. I also want to say thank you to Kyle Hopkins and our band for supporting us along with a great student crowd today."
Saturday was the final game in the careers of Henson, Rowell and O'Hara, who - along with student assistants Carson Clay and Jared Whitten - were honored during Senior Day festivities prior to the game. Henson finished his career with 846 points, 301 rebounds and 105 assists - reaching the final two milestones in Saturday's game. The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish last in the 12-team KCAC this season, exceeded the coaches' preseason prediction by two positions and will look to keep climbing up the KCAC ladder in 2017-2018. McPherson will lose four of its top eight scorers, but will return a good nucleus of players led by Bachura, Raleigh, Gurley and
Thomas Butler (Key West, Fla., Vermilion CC).
