bRACKETOLOGY

By Tad Dorsey

  • Preseason #4 Morningside was once again impressive.  They picked up two more wins, including knocking of NAIA Division I #9 Benedictine 93-63 in the game of the week. The first half was an unbelievable defensive effort from the Mustangs, leading 40-12 after the break.  BC took over 4 minutes to make a basket. The second half was more of a shootout with the Mustangs winning the period 53-51. There were contributors all around for Morningside, led by Zach Imig’s 10-13 and 4-5 from 3 effort, scoring 30 points and 10 rebounds.  Trey Brown off the bench was dominant in the paint, going 6-8 with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Mustangs finished the Benedictine Classic with a 75-58 victory over Missouri Valley College. This was the 4th time in 4 games Morningside held the opposition under 65 points.  Tyler Borchers bounced back from a low scoring game with a strong effort here.  The senior finished with 18 points on 7 for 14 shooting, 8 rebounds, two blocks, a steal, and an assist. Ben Hoskins went 6 for 10 and 4 for 7 from 3 with 16 points and 6 rebounds off the bench.  The 4th ranked Mustangs improve to 4-0 on the season with one of the top early season resumes in the NAIA.  No rest for the challenged, as Morningside opens conference play with another ranked opponent, hosting #25 Dordt on Saturday.  
  • #7 Dakota Wesleyan had an off week following their sweep the NAIA Sanford Pentagon Classic.  The Tigers started the season 2-0 and are back at it for their GPAC opener at #25 Dordt on Wednesday, November 13th and finish the week hosting Midland on Saturday.  
  • #16 Jamestown picked up another solid victory over RV Dickinson State, upending the hosts 91-83.  Mason Walters, one of the early season GPAC stars, was on again. Walters went 10-13, and added some range, hitting his first career three, then adding two more in four attempts.  He ended up with 25 points and 18 rebounds. UJ jumped out to a 61-41 lead with 8 minutes remaining, before the Blue Hawks cut it to 80-70 with 3:42 left. The Jimmies out rebounded DSU by an impressive 57-27 margin.  Jamestown improved to 5-1, and are back in action Wednesday at Valley City State before opening conference play Saturday at Doane.   
  • #25 Dordt had a successfully showing at the Northwestern Pizza Ranch Classic.  They started by knocking off Viterbo 73-66. The Defenders fell behind 19-8 early to the V-Hawks.  They quickly rallied to tie it at 23-23 late in the first half. Late first half threes from Chad Bleeker gave Dordt a 38-30 halftime lead.  Viterbo cut the lead to 63-60 with 3:36 left, but could not pull ahead. Bleeker finished the game shooting 7-13, 5-10 on threes with 19 points and 8 rebounds.  Chad Barkema was also solid going 4-6 and 6-7 from the free throw line to finish with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Dordt closed out the classic with a 94-72 victory over Ozark Christian.  The Defenders were in control for the vast majority of the game. Marcus Winterfield led Dordt in scoring off the bench. He went 7-10 and 3-6 from three to score 19 points. Garrett Franken had another solid performance, going 8 for 15 with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists.  Dordt improves to 4-1 on the season. The GPAC schedule makers did not give Dordt any breaks, as they open the GPAC season Wednesday against #6 Dakota Wesleyan before traveling to Sioux City to challenge #4 Morningside on Saturday.  
  • RV Briar Cliff continued an undefeated push by sweeping the Presentation Classic.  The Chargers kicked it off with a 92-80 victory over Dakota State. Briar Cliff had a 13 point half time lead.  The 2nd half was a bit of a struggle, as BCU could never really pull away.  Jackson Lamb was 9 for 17 and 5-5 from the line with 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists.  Austin Roetman went 7-10 with 14 points while Jaden Kleinhesselink had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the double double.  Briar Cliff finished off the PC Classic by dominating the hosts, Presentation, 112-71. Briar Cliff had an early 15-0 run and cruised from there.  The leader in this game was Ethan Friedel, going 8-11 and 4-7 from 3 with 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. It was another solid effort for Jaden Kleinhesselink going 7-11 with 16 points.  Lamb finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds. BCU is 5-0 and next plays at Waldorf on Tuesday before opening conference play at Concordia on Saturday.  
  • Northwestern, like their rival Dordt, swept the Northwestern Pizza Ranch Classic.  They opened play with a blowout victory over Ozark Christian, 107-60. The Red Raiders were in control the entire game, having 5 players score in double digits.  Trent Hilbrands shot 7-10 2-4 from 3 to finish with 16 points, 4 assits, and 3 rebounds. Keegan Van Egdom matched the 16 points, going 5-9 and 3-7 from 3, also adding 3 rebounds.  Craig Sterk was 6-11 with 16 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. The Raiders closed the classic with a thrilling 69-66 victory over Viterbo. Viterbo took a 66-62 lead with 3:23 left on a three from Tyree Young.  Northwestern countered with two free throws from Trent Hilbrands and a game winning three point basket by Jay Small with 1:36 left. Viterbo had chances to tie or take the lead late, with some missed free throws, a missed two, and a turnover.  Craig Sterk, who also hit some clutch free throws late, finished 7-12, 3-5 from 3, and 6-11 at the line for a game high 23 points and 5 rebounds. Trent Hilbrands was the only other Raider in double digits, going 5-13 with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Northwestern improved to 4-1, and is back in action Wednesday, hosting Mount Marty for their conference opener.  
  • Hastings is 4-1, and had a bye week before conference play.  They have a pair of road games to open conference play, at Doane on Wednesday and at Mount Marty on Saturday.   
  • Concordia (NE) is off to an impressive 4-0 start, headlined by their 66-65 upset over DI #9 Benedictine.  They had a bye before opening conference play. They have two home games, Wednesday hosting Midland, Saturday hosting RV Briar Cliff.   
  • Midland evened their record, with a home loss to DI York College, falling 72-65.  Midland battled after falling behind 11-0 three minutes into the game. Late in the first half the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to cut the York lead to 3.  It was 31-28 at the half. York went up 10 early on in the second half, but Midland tied the game on back to back threes from Bowen Sandquist. York countered with an 8-0 run to put the game away.  Midland was led by Ryan Williams who went 8-21 with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Warriors also lost an exhibition game to NCAA Division I UN Omaha 72-53, in a game that was closely contested, especially early on.  The Warriors are 2-2, and travel to open conference play against Concordia(NE) on Tuesday and are at #7 Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday.  
  • Doane rebounded from a rough start with a 2-1 week.  They lost their first game to undefeated RV Bethel (KS) 86-79.  It was a 44-42 game at the half. Jaxon Harre led the Tigers off the bench, going 6-8 with 16 points and 4 rebounds.  Fahad Tarjali was also strong as a reserve making all seven of his shots for 15 points and 9 rebounds. Doane followed with their first win of the season, winning a thriller at Sterling 85-83.  The Tigers led 39-34 at halftime, and extended the lead to 54-41 early in the 2nd half.  Sterling tied it at 69 all late with a 12-0 run.  In a tie game Doane forced a turnover with under a minute left.  Joe Burt hit a three with 31 seconds remaining to give Doane the lead.  Anthony Laravie was the leading scorer with 18 points on 5 of 11 shooting.  Miguel Lopez had a strong game going 4-8 with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists for the double double.  Chukwudi Onwumere was strong off the bench, going 7-11 with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Doane also knocked off D1 York College on the road with an 87-78 victory.  This is the second time they played York, losing the season opener 70-65. Doane was in control for the majority of the game, taking a 22 point lead with 7:45 left in regulation.  York had a late 24-9 run to cut the lead to 83-76, before clutch free throw shooting put it away for Dordt. Anthony Laravie led the Tigers, going 8-14 and scoring 20 points. Migule Lopez had a double double with 10 points and rebounds.  The Tigers improved to 2-5 and have two GPAC home games, Wednesday against Hastings and Saturday against #16 Jamestown.  
  • Mount Marty continued a strong non-conference start with two more road wins.  The Lancers knocked off win-less Valley City State 84-73. The Vikings had a 1 point lead at halftime.  Colby Johnson was a marksman, going 9-10 and 6-7 from 3 with 27 points and 4 rebounds. Johan Larson was perfect off the bench making 3 shots, all threes, and two free throws to finish with 11 points.  They followed this up with an overtime victory over Mayville State, winning 85-77. It did not seem like they would need overtime, as they took an 8 point lead with 3:57 left on a three from Jordan Johnson.  Mayville countered with a 10-2 run, tying it with a three point play by Latrelle Franklin with 46 seconds remaining. Chris King missed at the buzzer. The Lancers were strong in OT, starting with a three from Chris King for a 73-70 lead, and never trailing.  The Lancers were 7-8 from the free throw line in OT to secure the victory. Chris King led the Lancers going 9-21, 5-12 from 3 for 25 points. Colby Johnson had a strong game, going 7-12, 3-4 from 3 for 19 points and rebounds. Saba Gvedashvilli had 10 points and 11 rebounds for a double double.  Mount Marty’s 6-1 start is their best since the 2004-2005 season. Mount Marty opens conference play traveling to Orange City to play Northwestern on Tuesday before hosting Hastings on Saturday.  

TAD’S POWER RANKINGS

  1. Morningside – Among the best in the country.   
  2. Dakota Wesleyan – Ty Hoglund is a difference maker, leading the league with 27.5 points per game
  3. Jamestown – Freshman Mason Walters has been solid, leading the league with 10 rebounds per game and 13th in the league in points per game at 15.8ppg.  
  4. Briar Cliff – Undefeated start, can compete when making threes
  5. Concordia – Exciting start with close victories, can they maintain it?
  6. Hastings – Bart Hiscock off to a strong start, scoring 26.6 per game (2nd in the GPAC) and 7.8 rebounds for 5th in the league.  
  7. Dordt –  Solid effort in wins in the Northwestern Pizza Ranch Classic
  8. Northwestern – Survived against Viterbo in a game that was to close for comfort
  9. Mount Marty (+1) – Best start in over a decade, can they carry it over to conference play?
  10. Midland (-1) – Battled in a tough loss to York
  11. Doane – Got into the win column!  

Stat Leaders

Points Per Game

  1. Ty Hoglund (DWU) 27.50 ppg
  2. Bart Hiscock (HAS) 26.60 ppg
  3. Jackson Lamb (BCU) 25.80 ppg
  4. Ryan Williams (MID) 23.25 ppg
  5. Nick Harden (DWU) 20.50 ppg

FG%

  • Ty Hoglund (DWU) 62.5%
  • Bart Hiscock (HAS) 61.8%
  • Brendan Lipovsky (HAS) 59.2%
  • Mason Walters (JAM) 57.1%
  • Colby Johnson (MM) 56.9%

3pt%

  • Merrit Laurence (MID) 85.7%
  • Nick Hoyt (BCU) 72.7%
  • Sam Scrapeli (CON) 60%
  • Ty Hoglund (DWU) 60%
  • Bart Hiscock (HAS) 53.6%

Free Throw %

  • Jackson Lamb (BCU) 96.7%
  • Chad Barkema (DOR) 92.9%
  • Ty Hoglund (DWU) 90%
  • Ethan Freidel (BCU) 89.3%
  • Carter Kent (CON) 86.7%

Assists per game

  • Isaiah Dobson (JAM) 5.33 apg
  • Sammy Green (BCU) 4.60 apg
  • Matt Hahn (MOR) 4.25 apg
  • Jordan Johnson (MM) 4.17 apg
  • Jack Frazier (JAM) 4.00 apg

Rebounds per game

  • Mason Walters (JAM) 10.00 rpg
  • Ryan Williams (MID) 9.25 rpg
  • Choul Biel (CON) 8.75 rpg
  • Miguel Lopez (DOA) 8.43 rpg
  • Garrett Franken (DOR) 7.80 rpg
  • Bart Hiscock (HAS) 7.80 rpg

Blocks per game

  • Brock Schrom (JAM) 2.33 bpg
  • Choul Biel (CON) 1.50 bpg
  • Craig Sterk (NWC) 1.25 bpg
  • Josh Van Lingen (DOR) 1.20 bpg
  • Samuel McCloud (DWU) 1.00 bpg
  • Tyler Borchers (MOR) 1.00 bpg

Steals per game

  • Matt Hahn (MOR) 2.25 spg
  • Isiah Sykes (DOA) 2.14 spg
  • Samuel McCloud (DWU) 2.00 spg
  • Elijah Pappas (MM) 1.67 spg
  • Jackson Lamb (BCU) 1.60 spg

Conference Schedule

Nov 12:

RV Briar Cliff (5-0) @ Waldorf (1-4)

Mount Marty (6-1) @ Northwestern (4-1)

Midland (2-2) @ Concordia (4-0)

Nov 13: 

16 Jamestown (5-1) @ Valley City State (0-6)

Hastings (4-1) @ Doane (2-5)

7 Dakota Wesleyan (2-0) @ 25 Dordt (4-1)

Nov 16: 

16 Jamestown (5-1) @ Doane (2-5)

Hastings (4-1) @ Mount Marty (6-1)

25 Dordt (4-1) @ 4 Morningside (4-0)

RV Briar Cliff (5-0) @ Concordia (4-0)

Midland (2-2) @ 7 Dakota Wesleyan (2-0)

GAMES OF THE WEEK

7 Dakota Wesleyan @ 25 Dordt:  November 13 8:00 PM

25 Dordt @ 4 Morningside November 16 4:00 PM

RV Briar Cliff @ Concordia November 16 4:00 PM

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