Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Midland men’s basketball team completed a sweep of the Draemel Classic Invite on Sunday afternoon, besting Bellevue University by a score of 69-57. The victory marks the third straight for the Warriors as they improve their season record to 8-3.
Defense was the theme of the game and it was evident early on. The two sides combined for just 52 points while committing 12 combined turnovers in the opening period. The Warriors’ defense ended up being the story of the game. For the fourth time this season, the Warriors held their opponent to 60 or fewer points. Bellevue recorded as many turnovers (13) as they did assists (13) and shot 8-of-22 (36.4%) from the field in the second half.
Midland’s defensive presence was powered by the best performance to date for newcomer Tyler Sandoval. Just 11 games into his collegiate career, Sandoval finished with a career-high 3 blocks on the defensive end and had a career-high 18 points on the offensive. He missed just one shot in the game and also added four offensive rebounds.
Leading 37-36 with just under 15 minutes to play, Bo Sandquist opened up the game for the Warriors with a masterful shooting display. He scored 14 consecutive points, capped by a deep three from warrior logo at half court, to put Midland up 51-39 with 11:15 to go. Sandquist finished with a game-high 20 points and connected on 6 shots from behind the arc.
The gates opened up for the Warriors from that point forward as their lead ballooned to a game-high 18 points by the 3:05 mark. They cruised for their third win of the week, 69-57.
Head coach Oliver Drake had this to say of his team’s play. “Our guys just keep battling. We continue to control the things you can control. Our defensive intensity was where it needed to be and then our offense came around as well. Things weren’t going our way in the first half, but we never gave up. We kept battling and regrouped at halftime. When your mentality is right and your behind-the-scenes work is as good as ours is, then you always have a chance.”
Up next for Midland (8-3, 1-2 GPAC) is a return to conference play and a trip to Yankton, South Dakota to face Mount Marty (3-9, 0-4 GPAC). The two teams will square off on Wednesday, December 1 at 7:45 p.m. inside Cimpl Arena.
