Courtesy of Midland Athletics
CRETE, Neb. — Midland University traveled to Crete to face Doane University in its final Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season game. In the closing seconds, the Warriors had a heartbreaking 79-77 loss to the Tigers, ending their season.
Doane opened the game on a 9-0 run before Dylan Simons got Midland on the board with two free throws, sparking a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two points. The Tigers responded with a 3-pointer as the teams began trading baskets before a Doane timeout.
After the break, Midland used a 6-0 run, capped by a free throw from Butch Lordeus, to take a 17-14 lead with less than seven minutes remaining in the first half. Doane answered with a 5-0 run to regain a 19-17 advantage. Jake Orr made three free throws, followed by a layup from Alec Noonan, as Midland reclaimed a 22-19 lead.
The back-and-forth battle continued, and consecutive 3-pointers from Lordeus and Orr pushed the Warriors ahead 34-25 with 34 seconds left in the half. Doane made a free throw before the break as Midland took a 34-26 lead into halftime.
After intermission, Doane opened the second half with a 13-2 run to take a 39-38 lead. Lordeus ended the drought with a jumper and a 3-pointer, and Orr added a layup during a 7-5 stretch before the Tigers called back-to-back timeouts.
Midland responded with a 6-2 run, highlighted by a dunk from Orr, to take a 51-46 lead. Doane trimmed the deficit to one with a 3-pointer and a free throw. Lordeus ignited a 9-0 run with a dunk, giving Midland a 60-50 advantage with 10 minutes remaining.
The Tigers heated up from beyond the arc, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers during a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 62-59. Noonan answered with a layup, but Doane followed with a 7-0 run to take a 66-64 lead with five minutes to play.
Amari Rahaman and Simons fueled a 5-3 stretch to tie the game at 69-69. Doane hit another 3-pointer to move ahead 72-69. The Warriors responded with back-to-back layups from Nick Dolezal and Simons to take a 74-72 lead.
Doane answered with another 3-pointer to go back in front 77-74. After both teams traded free throws, Midland cut the deficit to one with four seconds remaining. The Tigers made two more free throws to extend the lead to 79-76. Rahaman made the first of two free throws in the final seconds but missed the second, and Doane secured the rebound to seal the 79-77 victory.
Orr led the Warriors with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine steals. Simons added 18 points, while Lordeus finished with 11 and Noonan contributed 10.
Midland shot 29 of 53 (54.7%), while Doane went 29 of 58 (50%). The Tigers made 15 3-pointers compared to Midland’s five.
“Really proud of our effort tonight on the road. I thought we played with a sense of urgency and a ton of energy in a hard-fought game all the way to the final possession.
I wish we could have limited their scoring in the second half; giving up 53 points is tough to overcome.
I’m especially proud of our three seniors — Isaiah, Nick and Jake. They have been tremendous players for our program, outstanding members of our community, and excellent students at our university. I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done to help our program grow. Our program is in a better place because of their commitment over the years. They will be missed.” commented head coach Tyler Erwin.
Midland concludes the season with an 11-17 overall record and a 7-13 mark in GPAC play.
