The Goshen men’s basketball team finished their weekend by way of one win and one loss in the Jaguar Tip-Off Classic hosted by Governor’s State University held at GSU’s Athletic and Recreation Center.
In the Leaf’s first of two games in the three-team round robin tournament, senior Billy Geschke punched in a career best with 33 points to knock off the Jaguars in a 91-88 victory. Geschke accomplished the career evening with a perfect 3-for-3 mark from behind the arc and a routine 10-for-11 showing at the free-throw line.Geschke is no stranger to cashing in on the freebies: his career mark stands just over 89 percent, ranking him second in Goshen history as he begins his final year in Maple Leaf purple. His career high came just two days after senior Christian Grider punched in a career-high 32 points in a season-opening win over Lawrence Tech on Tuesday.
Goshen seniors accounted for 83.5 percent of Goshen’s scoring efforts on the evening as Grider and Devin Heath-Granger tallied 13 apiece. Connor Funkhouser added 12 and Emmanuel Audu five. Alhassan Barrie and Patryck Ostrowski were the only non-seniors to register a bucket in the contest as Barrie put in 10 points and Ostrowski five. Barrie also led Goshen in rebounds on the evening with seven, including two on the offensive glass.
The Maple Leafs (2-1) finished an astounding 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from three-point land to maintain a lead throughout while both teams fell victim to the turnover bug in the early-season affair: Goshen turned the ball over 22 times while forcing Governors State (0-2) into 18.
“Obviously we still have work to do, but I’m very pleased with the effort and composure,” said Goshen interim head coach Jon Tropf. “We shot the ball well and handled pressure well late. The energy on the bench was electric. We still need to be better on the glass and at establishing our defensive mindset, but any day you get a win on the road is a good day.”
Goshen then took to the court the following afternoon only to see its premature run at an undefeated season come to an abrupt end as the Leafs fell to Calumet College of Saint Joseph 94-77.
Billy Geschke continued his hot hand with a team-leading 20 points. Christian Grider and Devin Heath-Granger finished just behind Geschke atop the scoring with 18 and 15 respectively.
Heath-Granger also did what he does best as the primary ball-handler for the veteran-laden Leafs by dropping a game-high nine assists. That performance pushed the Indianapolis native past the 400-assist mark in his career as he sits in fourth in GC’s 61-season history.
Heath-Granger also did his best to fill up the remainder of the stat sheet with seven rebounds and a takeaway. His seven boards from the point guard position tied him for the team high with forward Alhassan Barrie. Heath-Granger’s steal also leaves him one away from cracking the top 10 in GC record books.
Barrie added nine points to go with his caroms, nearly matching his output from Goshen’s opener. He and Geschke earned spots on the all-tournament team.
The Leafs will look to return to the winning column next Friday as they compete against the University of Rio Grande in the Caleb Dimmich Memorial Classic at Indiana Wesleyan. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. followed by a matchup with Miami University-Hamilton the following day at 3.