Photo by Micah Gilbert
Article by Quincy Williams
McPherson, Kan. - The McPherson men's basketball team pulled off an incredible comeback victory Saturday night against the Bethel Threshers, winning 87-83. The win improved the Bulldogs to 19-8 on the season, including a 14-7 mark in the KCAC.
The Bulldogs started the game off as poorly as possible. At one point, with about 14:07 left in the first half, they trailed by 17. Early on, this one looked like a laugher. No Bulldog shots were falling, and they offered swiss cheese defense on the other end. The Bulldogs went on a mini-run to close out the first half, mainly led by Lual Magot (Sr. Tucson, Ariz.) and Dorian Paige (Sr. Tucson, Ariz.) who had 12 and nine points, respectively. The Bulldogs trailed 44-35 after the first half.
There was a significant reason for concern for the Bulldog faithful a few minutes into the second half. The Bulldogs had a lackadaisical start to the period and gave the ball away multiple times. Halfway through the period, something turned. In part due to Grant Munsen's (Sr. Manhattan, Kan.)Â ridiculous alley-oop finish, the momentum seemed to completely turn.
The Bulldogs would take the lead, their first lead of the game, with two minutes left with the score at 83-81, and they wouldn't relinquish it. Paige and Magot had fantastic games, scoring 23 and 22 respectively. Paige's defense and grit on both sides of the ball shined through in this great win.
"I am so proud of our whole team today," said Bulldog head coach T.J. Eskildsen. "We got down by 17 early and just kept battling the whole way. Our four seniors showed great leadership the whole game and each one of them made big plays down the stretch. We have three huge games left in the regular season. I'm excited for the opportunities this team has in front of them."
The Bulldogs play at Kansas Wesleyan next Saturday at 7 p.m.
