The Carthage College men's basketball team (10-15, 4-10 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) closed out its 2016 season on Saturday, Feb. 20 with a 78-69 win over Millikin University (9-16, 3-11 CCIW) at the Griswold Physical Education Center in Decatur, Ill.
The Red Men finished the year in sixth place in the league and missed qualifying for the CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament. Since the event began in 2006, Carthage has qualified only for the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. Last year's team also went 10-15 and finished also sixth.
No. 1 Augustana College (Ill., 24-1, 13-1 CCIW) won its 15th league title, and the Vikings will play host to the CCIW Men's Basketball Tournament for the fifth time. No. 12 North Central College (19-6, 12-2) finished second and No. 13 Elmhurst College (20-5, 10-4) third, with Illinois Wesleyan University (13-12, 7-7) taking fourth place.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair until Carthage created a little daylight toward the end of the period. A layup by
Jordon Kedrowski at 6:59 put the Red Men up by six points, 28-22, on a layup by
Brad Kruse at 6:59. Carthage led by as much as nine points, 35-26, on a three-pointer by
Mike Stevenson at 4:40. The Big Blue came back with a 12-3 run to end the half on a 38-38 tie.
The Red Men re-gained a six-point lead early in the second half, 44-38, at 17:06, but the Big Blue used a 9-0 run to take a 47-44 lead at 15:33. Carthage tied the game, 47-47, at 14:20, and it turned into a one-point game for the next six minutes. The Red Men took a three-point lead, 54-51, at 8:41 on a pair of free throws by Kedrowski. A layup by
Kevin Kozil at 7:07 put Carthage up by six, 59-53. A three-pointer by
Ellis Matthews at 3:49 gave the Red Men an eight-point lead, 65-57, and Carthage went on to win by nine points, 78-69.
Carthage shot 43 percent (24-of-56), including nine-of-26 three-pointers, while Millikin shot 45 percent (26-of-58), including four-of-16 from three-point range. The Red Men got to free-throw line 29 times and made 21, while the Big Blue connected on 11-of-16. Carthage out-rebounded Millikin, 38-30.
Carthage's
Mike Stevenson (Jr., Burlington, Wis./Wilmot-Union) came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points on eight-of-12 field goals, along with five-of-six free throws.
Jordon Kedrowski (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill./Downers Grove-North) also came off the bench to add 10 points. Three Millikin players scored in double figures, with T.J. Sims leading the way with 19 points on eight-of-14 field goals, including three-of-seven from three-point range. T.J. Griffin had 14 points, as did Tommy Pilackas.
"It was a good basketball games on both sides," said Carthage coach
Bosko Djurickovic. "even though neither team had a lot to play for. We played hard and did a nice job, and I'm proud of our guys. We did a good job at the end of the first half at protecting the basketball. Even though we never had a big separation in the second half, we led most of the way, and our focus was very good. We got some easier baskets than we're accustomed to, and that's something that's been lacking most of the year."
"We had some ups and downs this year," concluded Djurickovic, "but it's always nice to end a season on a high note. It's going to be a completely-different conference next year, with the top-three teams turning over all their seniors. While they'll continue to be good, it's a fresh start for the rest of us. I'm excited about next season, and I think we'll be solid, but we need to bring in some other players to put a better product on the floor."
