Some seeds grow, some don’t: #1 Monmouth falls too #4 Lake Forest in semi-final
Ryan Phillips - Sports Editor and Biliqis Solademi - Staff Writer
Monmouth’s season ended at the Midwest Conference Tournament, hosted at Glennie Gymnasium.
Declan Flynn opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but the Scots found themselves in early trouble. Down 6-0, Jordan Hill went on a scoring streak, hitting two lay-ups and a three-pointer and cut the deficit to 12-10.
With 13 minutes left in the first half, leading scorer Zay Brown added four points during a Lake Forest run. Kyle Taylor heated up with seven minutes remaining, hitting a much-needed lay-up and a three-pointer to tie the game and energize the student section.
Flynn knocked down another three-pointer, followed by a jumper from Cameron Thomas. Hill and Flynn combined for six points in the final minutes, and the Scots took a 40-29 lead into halftime.
“Coach said to continue playing hard,” Jason Huber said. “We tried to make some adjustments to our defense at halftime.”
The second half unfolded differently. The Scots led 55-43 after a three-pointer by Thomas with 16 minutes remaining.
Alex Brown of Lake Forest got the scoring started for the Foresters, tipping in a basket and hitting a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 59-57. Max Maring made a lay-up to extend the lead. Except, Alex Forwowycz hit a three-pointer for Lake Forest, followed by a two-pointer from Elijah Bull. The Foresters took their first lead of the game, 64-63.
The final seven minutes would prove crucial, as both teams exchanged baskets. With 47 seconds remaining, Thomas scored a lay-up, pulling the Scots within one. Monmouth was forced to foul, and Forwowycz hit his free throws to keep the Foresters ahead.
Hill found an opening for a lay-up with 1.4 seconds left, but it was too little, too late. many players fell to their knees in disbelief as the Scots' season ended.
“After the game, coach said that he loved us and he was super proud of us,” Huber said. “He told us this is the best group I’ve ever been a part of.