Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FOREST CITY, Iowa — Midland University traveled to Forest City on Saturday evening to face Waldorf University in a Great Plains Athletic Conference matchup. A balanced offensive attack, featuring five Warriors in double figures and 26 assists, powered Midland to a 95-60 road victory.
Trey McCain opened the scoring for Midland, while Waldorf responded with a quick 5-0 run. After a free throw from Jeff Rozelle III, McCain and Butch Lordeus knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 9-0 run. Waldorf answered with a basket before Midland was whistled for a timeout.
Following the break, Lordeus connected on another 3-pointer as Midland used an 8-0 run to build a double-digit lead at 19-7 early in the first half. Waldorf converted two free throws and a 3-pointer, but Jake Orr answered with a three to push the lead to 22-12, forcing another Waldorf timeout.
Out of the break, Rozelle III and Dylan Simons combined for a 5-0 run, prompting yet another timeout by Midland. Simons later jump-started a 7-3 stretch as Midland extended its advantage to 34-16. Waldorf briefly cut into the lead with a 5-0 run, but Midland closed the half strong with a 14-4 run to take a 48-25 lead into intermission.
Waldorf opened the second half with a basket, but McCain sparked a dominant 14-2 Midland run to extend the lead to 62-29. After the timeout, Orr energized the Warriors with a dunk, followed by a layup from Nick Dolezal to cap a 6-2 run.
Waldorf responded with an 11-2 surge, forcing a Midland timeout heading into the final 10 minutes. Coming out of the break, Cole Petersen scored back-to-back baskets, and Simons added a 3-pointer. After a Waldorf free throw, McCain scored on consecutive possessions to ignite an 8-3 run, pushing the lead to 86-46.
Isaiah Smith threw down a dunk following the timeout, and Dolezal added another basket. Waldorf closed with an 11-0 run, but Midland finished strong with a 5-3 spurt to secure the 95-60 win.
Midland shot 40-of-70 (57.1%) from the field, while Waldorf shot 18-of-65 (27.7%). The Warriors connected on 11-of-21 (52.4%) from beyond the arc and outrebounded Waldorf 44-28.
McCain led the balanced scoring effort with 18 points, followed by Orr with 17. Lordeus and Simons each added 12 points, with Simons also grabbing nine rebounds, and Dolezal chipped in 10 points.
“I’m really proud of our guys tonight,” head coach Tyler Erwin said. “It was a really good road win for us. I thought our offensive efficiency was the best it’s been all year. We got stops early, played well with different lineups, and stayed together as a team. Our bench gave us great production, especially Dylan Simons, and our defense traveled tonight.”
Midland (10-10, 6-6 GPAC) will travel to Seward, Nebraska, on Wednesday to face Concordia University (13-6, 7-4 GPAC). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
