Yellow Jackets Come Up Short in G-MAC Championship

By Josh Decker

No. 6 seed Cedarville fell just short of a G-MAC conference championship for the second consecutive year on Saturday afternoon, dropping a 76-62 result to No. 1 Walsh.

Branden Maughmer and Kollin Van Horn each scored 12 points in the contest for the Yellow Jackets and Quinton Green chipped in 10. The Jackets’ offense was stagnant in the game and Cedarville was unable to contain the Cavaliers’ offense, which shot nearly 60 percent overall from the field.

Cedarville kept pace with the hosts for the first twelve minutes, grabbing a narrow 22-19 advantage going into the under-eight media timeout.

However, the Jackets scored only three more buckets in the final eight minutes of the half, which was characterized by missed shots and poor effort defensively.

Walsh took a 37-30 lead into halftime after dominating in the paint 22-12 and shooting 60 percent from the floor.

Cedarville ran out of gas in the final twenty minutes, falling behind by as many as 21 before hitting a few shots to cut into the deficit. It was too little and too late however, as the Yellow Jackets’ tournament run was halted with a disappointing 76-62 loss.

It marks the second straight season Cedarville has been the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament only to be defeated in the final game.

Despite the loss, it was announced on Selection Sunday that Cedarville earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. The No. 6 Yellow Jackets will face off against G-MAC rival and No. 3 seed Hillsdale on Friday, March 11th at noon.

Josh Decker is a senior Sport Business Management major, and a sports reporter for Cedars. He loves playing sports with friends, and spends much of his free time as a student assistant for the Cedarville men’s basketball team.

Photo is by Ralph Schudel