| (Box Score) Goshen, IN — As the final buzzer sounded in the Roman Gingerich Center Saturday afternoon, Goshen head coach Stan Daugherty only knew part of the puzzle.
True, Goshen had fallen to Mid-Central Conference foe Marian College by a 69-61 score, signaling the end of seniors’ Matt Crawford, Willie Frazier and David Haire’s respective careers in a home Goshen uniform.
What Daugherty — and the rest of the Roman Gingerich Center crowd — couldn’t have known was that it would be the Leafs' final game of the season.
Period.
With the loss giving both Goshen (12-18, 4-12) and Marian equal 4-12 conference records, Daugherty and staff retreated back to the administrative offices to listen to the final moments of several other MCC match-ups, two of which would have a direct impact on deciding if Marian or Goshen — or Spring Arbor University — would qualify for post-season play.
With eight of the nine MCC teams headed to the tournament, Goshen needed neighbor Bethel College to beat Spring Arbor.
They didn’t.
The Leafs then turned to Taylor University, who had to beat Indiana Wesleyan to allow Goshen to get in the dance.
They didn’t.
Nearly 20 minutes after the conclusion of Saturday’s Goshen-Marian contest, Daugherty had to regroup his team to convene in the home locker room.
The news was not good.
“In all my time of being involved with basketball, this has to be the toughest manner to end a season,” said Cory Furman, Goshen assistant coach. “We’ve been throwing around the word opportunity a lot in the past few weeks, and it really hurts not to get an opportunity (to play in the conference tournament). We had control of our own opportunity, though, and we simply didn’t get it done.”
Goshen entered the day sitting comfortably in seventh place in the league standings, while a win over Marian would have cemented the Leafs’ standing as the seventh seed in tournament play. A loss would mean a journey down the MCC’s tie-breaking procedures, however, a trip Daugherty’s team would have no control over.
After Spring Arbor beat Bethel to grab its fifth MCC win of the season, only Marian and Goshen remained with four conference wins apiece. The MCC’s first tie-breaking procedure is head-to-head competition. Given Goshen’s 71-66 overtime win in Indianapolis (click here for related article), tie-breaking procedure number two was called upon, utilizing conference records against the league’s best teams and working downward in the standings.
Marian had beaten Grace College, the league’s fourth-place team. Goshen’s best win came against Taylor, who finished tied for fifth.
“It’s a confusing way to figure it all out until you’ve done it for a few years, but it’s the way our conference works,” Furman said. “The only thing that would have made this worse is if we weren’t in control of our own destiny, and needed help to begin with. At least we can look in the mirror and say, ‘you know what? We didn’t get it done.’ Hopefully it fuels our returning guys for next year.”
After a pre-game ceremony recognized Goshen’s three seniors to start the afternoon’s festivities, it was Marian that looked more ready to play, claiming a 15-8 lead just seven minutes into play. Goshen responded with a 10 to two run over the game’s next two and a half minutes, however, and claimed an 18-17 lead with 10:51 remaining in the period. Traded baskets then marked the majority of play before halftime, with Marian claiming a 31-30 lead at the break.
It was the start of the second half that would ultimately prove to be too costly for Goshen, as Marian exploded with a 13 to nothing run to open up a 44-30 bulge with 15:49 to play in the contest. The Leafs missed their first seven shots from the floor during the drought, while Marian cashed in on four of its first eight shots, three of which came in the long-ball variety.
A driving layup from McCollum ended the drought at the 15:10 mark, and Goshen would slowly crawl back into the mix. A pair of made free throws from Crawford was followed by huge, four-point play from Haire that turned a 36-46 deficit into just a 41-46 ballgame.
Marian responded with a three pointer of its own, but Crawford stepped up and canned a three on Goshen’s next possession. A three-point play from sophomore Sam Boldman made it a 47-51 Marian lead with 8:31 to play, while a layup and a pair of free throws from junior Brice Hartman cut the lead to 51-53 with 6:32 remaining.
Hartman drained a three-ball at the 4:39 mark to make it a 56-55 Marian lead, while a pair of free throws from Haire gave Goshen its first lead of the second half — a 57-56 difference — with 3:58 to play.
It was a lead that would last just moments.
Marian scored on its next trip, and Goshen came up empty on its ensuing possession. Trailing by just three points with 2:00 on the clock, the Leafs came up with a big defensive stop, but couldn’t secure the defensive rebound.
Marian went on to make a pair of free throws with the extra possession, claiming a 62-57 lead and never looking back. Goshen would get within four points on two occasions down the stretch, but would get no closer.
“Today was like so many of our games this year in that we were in a position to decide the game in the final three or four minutes,” Daugherty said. “We had a tough stretch shooting the ball to start the second half and that period of time put us in a hole. After that, I thought we played our best basketball to come back and take a lead. It was from that point on that we were inconsistent. We had some good shots in the final minutes that we missed, and then we didn't defend well enough down the stretch. I did think that we played with some energy and enthusiasm, we just did not complete enough plays on both ends of the court to win the game.”
Hartman led all Goshen scorers with 16 points. He also grabbed four rebounds. McCollum finished with 15 points and six boards, while Crawford finished his career with 12 points, five boards and three assists on a three of six shooting clip from the field. Haire scored six points and Frazier grabbed five rebounds in their final efforts in a Goshen uniform. Goshen was without freshman swing Nate West for just the second time this season, as he missed Saturday's game with a strained ligament in his left foot.
The Leafs’ lack of a post-season appearance is a program first — the MCC expanded to nine teams in the 2004-2005 season — while Goshen’s two-game home-stand to conclude the season may have been the difference. The Leafs finished 3-5 in MCC road games on the season, compared to just 1-7 in league games played in the Roman Gingerich Center.
“It was a disappointing day in that we could have secured the seventh seed in the tournament with the win and I know that our guys would have liked one more shot at the top teams,” Daugherty said. “This game typified our season in that so many games we played well for stretches, but our inconsistencies on both ends of the floor would cost us a chance to win. My hope is that our returning players will have gained some good experiences in close games that we will be even more effective next year. Overall, I think this team did a good job of improving and getting much better from week to week. Our younger players made some great strides and if they work hard in the off-season, I believe that we will be a much better team next year.”
Check back to this website for the most up-to-date off-season news, including recruiting updates, post-season award information and post-season banquet details. To contact head coach Stan Daugherty, call him at (574) 535-7493 or click here to send him an email.
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Senior Matt Crawford