Bobcats Go 1-2 at Highland Classic
For the second time in three years, the Bryant & Stratton College's men's basketball team traveled to Highland, Illinois over the weekend to compete in the Highland Classic Tournament where they...
WAUWATOSA, WI (December 16, 2018) - For the second time in three years, the Bryant & Stratton College's men's basketball team traveled to Highland, Illinois over the weekend to compete in the Highland Classic Tournament where they went 1-2 against very talented NJCAA Division I programs.
The Bobcats began the tournament on Friday with a remarkable upset victory over the 2017-18 NJCAA Division II National Champions, Triton College, 108-105 in a thrilling finish.
On Saturday, Bryant & Stratton squared off against Moberly Area Community College and suffered their first lost of the tournament 100-62.
Following the loss to Moberly Area, the Bobcats competed for third place against Mineral Area Community College but came up short down the stretch falling 88-86 in the closing moments.
Bryant & Stratton now stands at 9-4 overall but remain unbeaten in region play at 8-0.
GAME ONE (BSC vs Triton) 105-102 Win
A tough opening match against the 2017-18 NJCAA Division II National Champions, Triton College, the Bobcats found a way to pull through down the stretch. With the score tied at 105-105, sophomore guard, Joe Duty, knocked down a clutch shot from long distance with seconds left to secure the victory.
After winning the NJCAA Division II National Championship last season, Triton made the jump up to Division I this season.
Freshman guard, Justin Brookens, led the way for Bryant & Stratton with 29 points on 8-15 shooting from the field followed by sophomore guard, Kyle McDermed dropping 26 points on 9-12 shooting.
Freshman guard, Manny Jingco, produced 14 points while Duty added 14 as well.
The Bobcats shot a resounding 55.6% from distance to Tritons 38.9%.
GAME TWO (BSC vs Moberly Area) 100-62 Loss
After a massive upset win over Triton, the Bobcats came out sluggish against Moberly Area as they were outscored by 24 points in the first half (51-27) and never were able to recover.
The Bobcats shot just 37.5% from the field to Moberly Area's 50.6%. Bryant & Stratton suffered their second lowest three-point shooting percentage on the season at 25% and shot just 43.8% from the charity stripe.
Only two players scored in double figures for Bryant & Stratton as freshman guard, Mikell Cooper, led the way dropping 15 points off the bench followed by forward, TJ Schneider, producing 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field.
The Bobcats were forced into 21 turnovers which marks as their third most turnovers in one game on the season.
Moberly Area went on to win the 51st annual Highland Classic Tournament after defeating the host, Highland CC, 95-88 in the championship game.
GAME THREE (BSC vs Mineral Area) 88-86 Loss
Competing for third place recognition, Bryant & Stratton came up short down the stretch as Mineral Area made a huge stop defensively in the closing moments to secure the win.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats improved their shooting remarkably from the prior game as they knocked down 32-66 (48.5%) shots from the field and reduced their turnovers from 21 to 15.
After a poor shooting performance against Moberly, Brookens bounced back dropping 22 points, eight assists and four steals. McDermed produced 17 points on 50% shooting and Duty contributed 15 points.
Earning his minutes, Schneider added 16 points off the bench on 5-7 shooting from the field.
Bryant & Stratton competed as the only NJCAA Division II program in the tournament and now holds an all-time overall record of 1-6 at the Highland Classic.
UP NEXT:
Bryant & Stratton comes back home after nine consecutive road games as they host McHenry College on Tuesday night. The Bobcats hold a 2-0 advantage against McHenry as they defeated them 99-53 last season and 70-62 the prior year (2016-17).
Tip-off will take place at 7:30pm.
Spectators can view the game live on the OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL.