Hillsdale, Michigan -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team continued its road quest on Saturday, facing off against the #24-ranked Hillsdale Chargers. Trailing for nearly the entire game, the Storm seemed destined for defeat, especially when down double digits with just three minutes left. However, Lake Erie staged a miraculous rally and took a 72-71 lead with five seconds remaining. In a dramatic and controversial finish, the referees called goal-tending on a late Hillsdale drive, assessed a technical foul to Head Coach Kyle Conley, and Hillsdale emerged victorious, 75-72. The Storm now drop to 9-4 overall and 2-3 in G-MAC play.
Game Recap
The first half was a back-and-forth battle featuring six lead changes and eight ties. Lake Erie's largest lead was just two points, while Hillsdale managed to go up by as many as 10. With 1:17 left in the half, the Chargers led 38-28, but the Storm rallied to trim the deficit to six, heading into the break trailing 38-32.
Early in the second half, the Storm trimmed the deficit to four, only for Hillsdale to hit back-to-back threes, extending their lead back to double digits. For the next 15 minutes, Hillsdale maintained control, holding an 8-15 point cushion. With just three minutes left, Lake Erie faced a daunting 69-59 deficit. Then came a furious six-possession stretch:
2:51 left: Micah Bays gets fouled attempting a three-pointer, sinks all three free throws. 69-62, Chargers.
2:34 left: Derrick Anderson missed layup. Still 69-62, Chargers.
1:59 left: Derrick Anderson layup made plus a foul, free throw drilled. 71-65, Chargers.
0.50 left: Cameron Johnson turn-around jumper good. 71-67, Chargers.
.31 left: Todd Simons driving layup good and-one, free throw made. 71-70, Chargers.
.06 left: Derrick Anderson pull-up jumper good to take the lead! 72-71, Storm.
Hillsdale then ran a beautiful last-second play from a timeout to get their best player, Joe Reuter, driving downhill, where his shot was interfered with as it was coming down for a goal-tending call and automatic two points. Since it was such an important call, the referees went to the monitor where they confirmed their ruling and gave the Storm exactly one second left.
Fueled with fire and passion from his team's improbable late-game heroics, Head Coach Conley was given a technical after kindly giving the refs his opinion. Hillsdale sank the resulting free throws to go up three points, and with no timeouts remaining to advance the ball, the Storm in-bounder launched a heave that struck Hillsdale's gymnasium roof, giving the Chargers the ball back and promptly ending the game.
Analysis
From the 4:53 mark of the final period until the controversial goal-tending call in the final second, the Storm defense was nothing short of dominant. Lake Erie smothered Hillsdale's offense, holding them to 0-7 from the field and forcing two turnovers during that span. While the Storm's offense shone in the clutch, as detailed above, it was their stifling defense that truly gave them a fighting chance.
Adding to the drama, Hillsdale missed two critical one-and-one free throw opportunities in the final minute, leaving the door wide open for Lake Erie's late-game heroics.
A glaring issue for the Storm was their three-point shooting—or lack thereof. In the first half, they went 0-6 from beyond the arc, breaking a streak of 63 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer in each half. The last time this happened was in a game against Tiffin back in December of 2022.
By the end of the night, Lake Erie had shot just 3-17 from three-point range, their worst performance of the season. Considering their season average of 33.2% from deep, a more typical shooting performance might have drastically changed the outcome of this game.
Additionally, the Storm struggled to push the pace and showcase their athleticism, managing only five fast-break points—their lowest output of the season so far.
The Matchup
The Storm came so heartbreakingly close to securing their first road victory against Hillsdale on Saturday but fell short, dropping to 0-16 all-time at the Chargers' home court. However, Lake Erie has found modest success at home, with a 3-9 record in the series dating back to their inaugural meeting in 2010. The Storm will have an opportunity to close the gap in the all-time series when they host Hillsdale on Saturday, January 18, at 3 p.m.
Looking Ahead
Lake Erie will aim to bounce back and return to the win column when they host Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday, January 9, at 7:30 p.m. The Panthers entered the season as the preseason favorites to win the G-MAC, and they've lived up to that billing. After two narrow losses to start the season—an overtime defeat to Indianapolis and a one-possession loss to Lincoln—Kentucky Wesleyan has reeled off 10 consecutive victories, including impressive wins over top G-MAC opponents Ashland, Malone, and Walsh.
The Panthers have been dominant on the boards, leading the conference with an average of 42.2 rebounds per game and boasting a league-best rebounding margin of +10.1 per game. Lake Erie, on the other hand, presents an interesting contrast. The Storm lead the G-MAC in offensive rebounding (14.1 per game) but rank last in defensive rebounding, pulling down just 24.1 per game. This matchup of strengths and weaknesses on the glass will be a critical factor in determining the outcome.
Projected Starters for the Panthers:
6'1 Kennedy Miles - Fifth Year - 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 44/36/69 splits
6'2 Quentin Toles - Junior - 13.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 45/31/92 splits
6'5 Logan McIntire - Junior - 15.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 57/54/75 splits
6'5 Edward Jones Jr. - Senior - 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 46/29/82 splits
6'7 Fatih Huyuk - Junior - 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 60/0/55 splits
Key Reserves:
6'3 Alex Gray - Fifth Year - 7.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists 48/43/84 splits
6'6 Terrence Ringo Jr. - Junior - 6.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, .3 assists, 1.2 blocks, 51/43/64 splits
6'3 Kaeveon Mitchell - Fifth Year - 2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, .8 assists, 40/33/0 splits
