The No. 17 ranked men’s basketball team took a big step toward securing a Heart of America Conference title and NAIA national tournament berth by defeating the No. 4 ranked William Penn Statesmen 81-76 Monday night.
The Statesmen scored the first two baskets to take them to a 4-0 lead. With their intense defense, the Vikings pulled through and shut the Statesmen down to only a 33 percent shooting average in the first half. By half time, the Vikings were in the lead by two points.
In the second half, both teams put up a fight until Kerry Green, a senior hit a game-changing three that kept them in the lead. With only 8:10 left to go, the Vikings were up 71-59.
The Statesmen had a hard time scoring in the second half, which helped Grand View take the game with the final score of 81-76.
“Mentally we improved; we stayed together,” said junior Jjuan Hardnot. “The last time at William Penn we kind of dispersed, but this time we did it as a team, we did it as a group, we played together and played hard.”
The win puts Grand View at 14-4 in the conference, a half game behind William Penn at 14-3. GV has nine more games left in the season to take first place before the regional tournament.
“Being the No. 1 team in the conference is our short-term goal; it’s what helps us bring it every night,” said senior Kerry Green.
The men play again Saturday, February 4, at 4 p.m. against Central Methodist University, after the women’s game at 2 p.m.
Grand View point leaders
- Kerry Green, 19
- Nate Washington, 18
- Chase Mullens, 10
- Alex Welsch, 10
- Jay Schon, 10
