Cedarville wins against Central State despite injuries

By Danielle Cherry

The crowd was wound up as the pep band’s music rattled the seats, and deep base pierced every moment. The Cedarville men’s basketball team lined up to play against Central State on November 23. Despite a vital team member getting injured, the Jackets won the game 89-73. 

The Jackets focused on defense, pressing against the Marauders, not giving them room to get to the hoop. The coaches yelled excitedly as the Yellow Jackets whittled away Central States’ time to shoot, causing turnovers. They were like a clock, moving as one unit, rotating seamlessly to follow their player across the court. The Jackets racked up a comfortable 29-17 lead early. 

Central State stepped up to push back against Cedarville’s tough defense, but the Jackets adjusted their shooting. Instead of focusing on three-pointers, the team drove the ball relentlessly, breaking through Marauder ranks in the paint. Ethan Sellers drove to the bucket, swinging away from swatting players, landing a clean two-pointer after an excellent drive. 

Timothy Davis led the team confidently, scoring 14 points in total. He picked himself up off the ground when diving after balls on the floor, wrestling them away from Central State. The Jackets took the first half with confidence, ending 48-30. 

Everything stopped as the halftime show transported the crowd into a world of lights. The whole student body participated in lighting up the gymnasium with flashlights to “Carol of the Bells.” The crowd was captivated by this magical moment and laughed with delight. Stinger, dressed up for the holidays, led the crowd in an air guitar jam that stole the show. 

Returning after the magical light show, the Jackets struggled with fouls, gaining two within the first minute, which agitated the players and coaches. Even amid this, when head coach Rob Jones called a player’s name, they were ready to replace whoever was in foul trouble. 

“The next guy is up. It impacts us on the defensive end more than offense,” Jones said. “Timmy did a great job defending tonight so that did change some of our matchups.” 

But with ten minutes left in the second half, star defender Timothy Davis went down screaming. The crowd jumped to their feet, and a hush covered the gym. Pounding his fist on the ground in pain, an ankle injury took Timothy Davis off the court, leaving the team minimally disoriented. 

“For about 30 minutes, I felt really good about how we played, but we kinda lost our wind a little bit when Timmy Davis went out of the game; that took something from us,” Jones said. “We kinda lost our footing a little bit.” 

The Jackets began to lose points to Central State, allowing the Mauraders to break through their once-tight defense. Central State slowly gained steam, racking up points. Even still, the Jackets slowly kept their lead with the help of Jaylen Davis. He went to the line and consistently swished his free throws, making 10 out of 10. His ability to keep calm under pressure made him the top scorer on the court, with 23 in total. He is able to stay calm during his free throws and is confident in his abilities. 

“I just kind of believe in myself, and I practice free throws every day and just put it to the Lord,” Jaylen Davis said.  

Sellers had four fouls in the game’s final moments but continued to play, taking charge of the court. His diverse ability to see the floor made him a valuable asset in passing the ball between teammates and breaking Central State’s full-court press. He could change direction at lightning speed and pop a three, allowing him to rake up 19 points.

“I have a lot of responsibility with ball handling, but Coach does a great job pouring into me and keeping me positive,” Sellars said. “When you have a coaching staff that pours into you that really gives you the confidence to do what you need to do.” 

In the face of Timothy Davis’s injury, the Jackets held their own, finishing the game 89 to 73, ending on two free throws from Jaylen Davis to seal their victory. The Jackets fought hard and worked as a team, with multiple players integral to the victory. 

“We had some really good stretches offensively and defensively, and now the combination comes to how we can put that together for a full 40 minutes,” Jones said.

The Jackets suffered from many injuries early in the season, with players like Anthony Ruffolo and now Timothy Davis sidelined. But on November 30, they press on against the University of Charleston, where they will look to combine their offensive and defensive stretches. 

Danielle Cherry is a freshman Communications major and writer for Cedars A&E and Sports. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and loves a good cup of coffee.

Photo by Ian Chan