Cougars topple Cedarville
MOUNT VERNON — In a back-and-forth game between two of the heavyweights in the American Mideast Conference, the Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team came out on top, 84-77, over rival Cedarville in their showdown Thursday evening. The Cougars took advantage of strong hustle to make up for a few missed shots and free throws to put them in a four-way tie for first place in the conference.
The teams were evenly matched, and it showed throughout the beginning of the first half as the teams traded baskets. The Yellow Jackets took advantage of layups for their points while the Cougars used a quick transition game to work the ball quickly down the court to answer back. Five straight points from Ben Falkenberg helped MVNU jump out to a 17-11 lead with 13:50 left in the first half.
Cedarville worked its way back, and tied the game at 17 moments later. The teams would trade baskets over the next several minutes, as the Cougars worked out to a 32-31 lead. Dan Borcherdt then led the attack for the Cougars as he knocked in three straight 3-pointers to make it a six-point advantage, 41-35. MVNU opened up a nine-point lead, but a Daniel Rose dunk in the final second of the half cut the Cougars’ lead to 48-41 at the break.
In the early goings of the second half, both teams struggled to make any kind of solid run. The Cougars managed to put a few points together with just over 14 minutes remaining as two Steve Mayes free throws gave MVNU a 13-point advantage, 63-50.
Slowly and methodically, the Yellow Jackets managed to cut into the Cougars lead over the next 12 minutes of the game. Cedarville was able to pull down the offensive rebounds they had not been able to find in the first half. With 1:55 left on the clock, a Chris Walker jumpshot cut the MVNU lead to 77-74.
The Cougars had had their chance to stretch their lead at the line, only to see shot after shot go in and out of the basket. Finally Dan Borcherdt, the all-time Ohio High School Athletic Association leader in career free-throw percentage, stepped up to the line and delivered in a big way. He was 6-of-6 from the line over the final minute to help seal the 84-77 victory.
“We did a good job overall, tonight. Cedarville is a great team, and we had to earn the victory,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “We did a good job of slashing to the basket to get some good shots. We made some timely 3-pointers as well.
“We also kept Cedarville from making 3-pointers. They are very good at shooting from the outside, and we were able to limit them. Plus, it’s always nice to have the home crowd behind us to give the guys a boost of energy. It was nice to be home after a few games on the road.”
Both teams shot poorly from the free-throw line as Cedarville finished 5-of-17 (29 percent), while the Cougars managed to shoot 13-of-21 (62 percent) on the night. Falkenberg’s missed free throw in the second half ended a streak of 30 consecutive baskets from the charity stripe.
The teams were pretty much even for the rest of the statistics. Cedarville won the shooting percentage battle 51 to 49 percent. The Yellow Jackets also outrebounded the Cougars, 45-44. It just seemed to be the little plays the made the difference in the end.
“The guys really did a lot of stuff well out there tonight. We missed a few shots, but the effort was there,” said Flemming. “They really did a good job on defense and rebounding, particularly in the first half. We just had to weather the storm a bit in the second half.”
The Cougars were led by Borcherdt’s career-high 22 points. Falkenberg added 23 points and five assists. Ryan Seesholtz finished the night with 14 points, six rebounds and four steals. Mayes tallied 6 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Guy Rathmell led the Yellow Jackets with 21 points, four assists and five rebounds. Rose added eight points and 12 rebounds in limited action. Walker threw in 15 points and six rebounds in the loss.
The MVNU victory created a four-way tie atop the AMC South Division between MVNU, Cedarville, Walsh and Shawnee State. The Cougars will play Shawnee State on Saturday at home at 7:30 with a chance to take another step toward the division title.
“It will definitely be a big game on Saturday,” noted Flemming. “The games here in early January are just as important as those games down the stretch.”
