Concordia dismisses thoughts of Doane comeback
CRETE — There wasn't a Doane comeback this time, thanks in part to Scott Beck.
The 6-foot-1 junior guard scored the last six points of a 12-3 Concordia run midway through the second half that pushed the Bulldog lead to 17 points. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs then coasted to a 74-61 men's basketball victory over Doane before an estimated 600 spectators Tuesday night at Fuhrer Field House.
Concordia improved to 23-3 overall and 12-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference heading into Saturday's showdown at second-ranked Northwestern (Iowa), a game that will likely decide the GPAC title.
A year ago, Concordia held a 16-point lead with 12 minutes left at Doane, only to see the Tigers roar back for an 80-77 win. On Saturday at then No. 17 Dordt, Doane overcame a 21-point first-half deficit and an 18-point halftime hole to win 91-81.
"Anything can happen in a rivalry game like this," said Beck, one of five Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points. "They made a run at us there in the second half, and we had to answer it.''
Concordia held a 39-24 halftime lead as its man-to-man defense limited the Tigers (10-12 overall, 7-7 in the GPAC) to 29 percent shooting in the first half. Doane had eight offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes, but only converted just one into a hoop.
"We had some point-blank looks and the darn thing wouldn't roll in,'' Doane coach Ian Brown said. "When you play against a team that defends like Concordia, you have to take advantage of every one of those opportunities."
Doane whittled the deficit in the first seven minutes of the second half and got as close as 47-39 on a driving layup by Michael Stoynev. The sophomore from Norris was one of four Doane players in double figures with 11 points.
Wes Gehring, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who came off the bench for a team-high 17 points, scored the first six points of the decisive run on an offensive rebound and putback, two free throws and a 17-foot jumper.
Beck then closed it out with a basket inside, a baseline drive and an 8-foot jumper he swished and an 18-foot jumper he buried as the shot clock expired that gave Concordia a 59-42 cushion with 7:25 left.
"We were running a weave off a high screen, and I ended up with the ball at the end of the shot clock,'' said Beck, a Scribner native who also had eight rebounds and five assists. "I was able to take it to the hole and score."
This was Concordia's fourth game in seven days after a weekend trip to Chicago for back-to-back contests on Friday and Saturday. Coach Grant Schmidt's fears of his team being fatigued or flat for the Tigers never materialized.
"I thought we had a solid performance on both ends of the floor," Schmidt said. "This team is where it is right now because of defense, and to limit them to 24 points in the first half was key. Offensively, we executed well and made shots.''
Concordia, which hit 50 percent from the field (27 of 54), unleashed a balanced attack that was difficult for the Tigers to defend. Jon Ziegler, a 6-2 sophomore from Lincoln Lutheran, finished with 15 points, while 6-3 Benjamin Buhr, a freshman from Lincoln East, knocked down 12.
Seward senior Jason Jisa had 10 points, despite playing with a deep thigh bruise that sidelined him last weekend.
"Who do you want to stop?'' Schmidt said. "We got great contributions from everyone and moved the ball well."
Brent Cole's 17 points paced the Tigers, while teammate Brad Hochstein netted 13.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
The 6-foot-1 junior guard scored the last six points of a 12-3 Concordia run midway through the second half that pushed the Bulldog lead to 17 points. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs then coasted to a 74-61 men's basketball victory over Doane before an estimated 600 spectators Tuesday night at Fuhrer Field House.
Concordia improved to 23-3 overall and 12-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference heading into Saturday's showdown at second-ranked Northwestern (Iowa), a game that will likely decide the GPAC title.
A year ago, Concordia held a 16-point lead with 12 minutes left at Doane, only to see the Tigers roar back for an 80-77 win. On Saturday at then No. 17 Dordt, Doane overcame a 21-point first-half deficit and an 18-point halftime hole to win 91-81.
"Anything can happen in a rivalry game like this," said Beck, one of five Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points. "They made a run at us there in the second half, and we had to answer it.''
Concordia held a 39-24 halftime lead as its man-to-man defense limited the Tigers (10-12 overall, 7-7 in the GPAC) to 29 percent shooting in the first half. Doane had eight offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes, but only converted just one into a hoop.
"We had some point-blank looks and the darn thing wouldn't roll in,'' Doane coach Ian Brown said. "When you play against a team that defends like Concordia, you have to take advantage of every one of those opportunities."
Doane whittled the deficit in the first seven minutes of the second half and got as close as 47-39 on a driving layup by Michael Stoynev. The sophomore from Norris was one of four Doane players in double figures with 11 points.
Wes Gehring, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who came off the bench for a team-high 17 points, scored the first six points of the decisive run on an offensive rebound and putback, two free throws and a 17-foot jumper.
Beck then closed it out with a basket inside, a baseline drive and an 8-foot jumper he swished and an 18-foot jumper he buried as the shot clock expired that gave Concordia a 59-42 cushion with 7:25 left.
"We were running a weave off a high screen, and I ended up with the ball at the end of the shot clock,'' said Beck, a Scribner native who also had eight rebounds and five assists. "I was able to take it to the hole and score."
This was Concordia's fourth game in seven days after a weekend trip to Chicago for back-to-back contests on Friday and Saturday. Coach Grant Schmidt's fears of his team being fatigued or flat for the Tigers never materialized.
"I thought we had a solid performance on both ends of the floor," Schmidt said. "This team is where it is right now because of defense, and to limit them to 24 points in the first half was key. Offensively, we executed well and made shots.''
Concordia, which hit 50 percent from the field (27 of 54), unleashed a balanced attack that was difficult for the Tigers to defend. Jon Ziegler, a 6-2 sophomore from Lincoln Lutheran, finished with 15 points, while 6-3 Benjamin Buhr, a freshman from Lincoln East, knocked down 12.
Seward senior Jason Jisa had 10 points, despite playing with a deep thigh bruise that sidelined him last weekend.
"Who do you want to stop?'' Schmidt said. "We got great contributions from everyone and moved the ball well."
Brent Cole's 17 points paced the Tigers, while teammate Brad Hochstein netted 13.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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