The Bears took down the Hillsdale Knights 61-51 in their senior night game on Friday evening. Before the game, the team honored its five seniors with posters and signs as friends and family walked them down the court.
Hillsdale put the first points on the board, hitting a three-pointer and a short jumper. Senior shooting guard Trevor Cadigan responded with a three-pointer of his own, putting the score at 5-3. For the rest of the quarter, the Bears struggled to keep up with Hillsdale’s fierce offense. After a three-pointer and a steal that allowed the Knights an easy layup, the quarter ended with M-A falling behind 14-9.
The Bears settled in on offense during the second quarter. Senior point guard Dominic Auer scored after forcing a turnover, and junior small forward Jerry Williams swished two three-pointers to even the score 21-21. Both teams battled for the lead with reciprocating three-pointers and after two free throws by junior power forward Aiden Atkins, the half ended with the game tied 29-29.
M-A pulled ahead in the second half after a block and forced turnover by Auer, allowing the Bears to score on the next possession. Another turnover gave Atkins a quick bucket, and despite the Knights’ defensive pressure, junior point guard Jacob Sutton knocked down a short-range jumper to give the Bears a 40-35 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter.
“I think somewhere in the second half, we flipped a switch, and we knew we had to turn it up to win the game,” Sutton said.
The Bears continued to grow their lead with a three-point play by Sutton and a more aggressive defense, closing out the quarter comfortably leading 45-37.
Sloppy Hillsdale fouls and empty possessions put M-A up 51-38 early into the final quarter. The Knights started to build steam with a three-pointer and a steal, but Atkins responded with an electrifying dunk. Hillsdale sank two three-pointers to bring the game within ten, but Sutton hit a floater and Atkins dunked again, eliminating any chance of a comeback. The Bears won decisively, 61-51.
“I think in the second half we did a great job on defense. We got a bunch of steals, led the transition offense, and that helped us win,” said senior small forward Brady Santoro.
“I think our game plan going in was just to have fun, play hard, let the seniors do their thing,” Sutton said. “We gave them energy from the start, cheered them on, and just wanted to see them have fun.”
“I’m gonna miss the players. We have a great community,” Auer said.
The Bears will travel to play the Half Moon Bay Cougars on Friday at 7:45 p.m.
