SPRING ARBOR, MI --
Saturday afternoon marked the perfect happy ending on Bockwitz court for the five
seniors of the Spring Arbor University men’s basketball team, who outlasted the
Goshen College Maple Leafs 79-67 on senior night.
It would be a day to
remember for each of the team’s seniors, each of whom played a major role in the victory. Guard Chris Bellamy recorded his 600th rebound and center
Matthew Howe joined the 1,000 point club with a layup early in the first half.
Howe and Bellamy are two of only 14 players ever at Spring Arbor to have
recorded both more than 1,000 points and 600 rebounds.
Starting point guard
Matt Van Pelt and starting big man Matt Carden both recorded double doubles in
the game. Van Pelt scored 10 points and dished out 10 assists, while Carden tallied
14 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. The 6’6 power forward’s scoring average
has increased drastically in the last six games. While averaging 4.63 points
per contest overall, Carden is averaging almost 11 points per game in his last
six. His midrange shooting is the most accurate it has been in four seasons.
“My shot’s really been clicking lately and my confidence is at an all-time high because my teammates keep telling me to pull the trigger without hesitating,” said Carden. “I just try to play my role and hit shots when Van Pelt, Bellamy, and the other guys find me,” he added.
Senior Randy Taylor,
who saw playing time near the end of the second half, played his often
overlooked role in the game by being a great teammate and looking to screen for
guys like Carden.
“Randy [Taylor] was a
great teammate today,” said Carden. He was communicating out there which helped
us on both ends of the floor.”
While the night
belonged to seniors Taylor, Carden, Van Pelt, Bellamy, and Howe, it was junior
Rob Hogans who led them all. Hogans connected on five long-range shots and had
a game-high 29 points. He led the team statistically, but it was a collective effort
throughout.
