Early Lead Not Enough to Give Leafs First Conference Win

The men’s basketball team fell to the nationally ranked Spring Arbor Cougars on Saturday, Jan. 19. Their record drops to 6-16 and 0-10 in the Crossroads League.

The Leafs were on the attack early, as they took a 4-0 lead only 30 seconds into the game. While Goshen had the lead for almost the whole first half, Spring Arbor then started to pick up the pace.

Maple Leaf senior Carter Boos was able to add nine points in the first half, including a game-tying bucket, before the Cougars matched Boos’ score with 13 seconds left in play. The Cougars were able to take the lead 41-43 going into the second half.

Alhassan Barrie, a senior, lead the Maple Leafs with 19 points and nine rebounds, one rebound shy of another double-double for the senior forward. Barrie had 16 points at the half, shooting eight for 10 from the floor.

Paul Marandet led all scorers with 23 points for the Cougars and led all players with six assists. Marandet was also 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. The Cougars scored 27 points from their 31 free throws attempts in their victory over the Leafs.

Austin Branagan, a first-year, came off the bench, scoring 11 points and leading the Maple Leafs with three assists. Despite facing foul trouble early, Colton Noel, a sophomore, also added 10 points for the Maple Leafs.

The Cougars shot 54 percent from the floor, while Goshen shot 42 percent. In the first half, Goshen was 17-of-29, shooting 58 percent. However, the leafs struggled to get the offense going in the second half as they only shot 26 percent from the floor.

Both Goshen and Spring Arbor were able to cash in at the free throw line, as both teams shot over 80 percent on the game. The Maple Leafs only got to the line 19 compared to the Cougars 31 attempts.

Free throws and rebounding became large factors in this match up, as the Cougars cleaned up on the glass, out-rebounding the Leafs 33-19.

Goshen is looking for their first conference win as they face Bethel College at the Gunden Gymnasium on Wednesday with a tip-off set for 8 p.m. following the women’s team in action at 6:00.