Cedarville endures a tough loss against Walsh

By Tayler Sharp

Three games in five days is a lot of basketball for one team. On Thursday evening, the Cedarville men’s basketball team finished its quick three-game stretch with a tough loss to the Walsh Cavaliers, 72-56.

Cedarville makes a layup, Walsh matches it with a three-pointer. Cedarville pulls off a dunk, Walsh matches it with a three-pointer. Cedarville makes a three-pointer, Walsh matches with another three-pointer. 

Every time the Cedarville Yellow Jackets showed momentum to come back and take the lead, the Cavaliers doubled their energy. The Yellow Jackets just couldn’t keep up. 

Though the Jackets struggled to score, their defense put a dent in the might of the Walsh offense. Cedarville put major pressure on the strong shooters from Walsh, only allowing them to shoot 35% from the field in the first half. The Jackets’ defensive resolve was able to hold Walsh 20 points below their 92 points per game average. 

Going into the game, the men knew it would be an intense matchup. The Walsh Cavaliers are currently 11-2 overall and 5-2 in the GMAC conference. Despite Walsh’s record, it appeared that the Thursday night game could go either way during the first half. 

From the tip, it was clear that the game would be a defensive battle. Cedarville held Walsh within only a couple of points for the duration of the first, even leading at times. Going into halftime down 30-22, the gap started getting too large for Cedarville to close. 

“We had a nice little streak going where I thought we were growing and developing as a team each game, I thought we were growing on the defensive end, and I thought our offense connection was growing,” said head coach Rob Jones. 

“And you know, I thought we did some things well tonight,” Jones said. “Ultimately, we just didn’t shoot the ball well enough. We just couldn’t find the momentum. But you know, the season is a journey, and it’s about growing and developing responses to adverse situations, responses to games like this.” 

The men’s basketball team is ready to continue focusing on growth and development as they head into a balanced week of rest, recovery and practice. This short break in the season will allow them to prepare for their road matchup against Hillsdale next Thursday. 

Tayler Sharp is a journalism major and writer and photographer for Cedars. Tayler loves playing golf, reading a good book or doing anything outdoors.