Mighty Mouser

Bentley senior lifts Bulldogs to huge win over NL

By Andrew Bolton

Burton--Tonight was Bentley’s last home game of the season. For the seniors, it was one last chance to play in their own gym in front of a boisterous home crowd. They undoubtedly wanted to go out in style while giving their fans something to remember.

Cory Mouser certainly did his part.

The 6'2" senior forward threw the Bulldogs onto his shoulders and carried them to a 50-41 victory over a New Lothrop team that has had their number for the past couple years. It was a heroic effort by a senior who simply wasn’t going to accept a loss.

The first quarter was evidence of things to come. Mouser scored the first four points of the game on a couple of nifty inside moves. Bentley finished the first quarter ahead 12-11 after New Lothrop connected on seven free throws to keep them in the game early.

In the second quarter, the Hornets took over. Their swarming defense held the Bulldogs to just six points in the period, and New Lothrop would take a 22-18 lead into the break. Mouser and senior guard Lau’ren Jones had all but two of Bentley’s points between them. Clearly, more balance was needed.

Or so I thought.

Bentley Coach Jeremy Trent obviously thought something different.

The Bulldogs made a noticeable effort to pound the ball inside to Mouser, and the effort really paid off. Cory had 11 points in the third quarter on various inside moves. Riding his strong play, the Bulldogs soared to a seven-point lead, but a 3-pointer by Ryan Praski at the buzzer reminded the Bulldogs that they were playing one of the best Class D teams in the state.

But in the end, there was too much senior power from the Bulldogs, as Mouser, Jones, and Aaron Mangham put the game out of reach with key baskets and stops down the stretch. A couple of Bentley students rushed the floor after the buzzer, but quickly stopped when they realized they were the only ones doing so.

Game and Player Notes

–Stat of the Game: New Lothrop’s FT shooting: First Quarter–7/7       After–12/23 

–As you might have surmised, it was all about the seniors for the Bulldogs. Playing without injured senior Patrick Ellison, they left it all on the floor tonight. Cory Mouser was stunning, going for 23 points and nine boards. Lau’ren Jones chipped in 11 points, six assists and five rebounds. Aaron Mangham had seven points and seven rebounds, with most of those stats coming in the waning moments. Johnny Irvin played lock-down defense on Ryan Praski the entire game. It was a great team effort all night.

–As for the Hornets, they got outplayed. The Bentley full-court pressure disrupted their game all evening leading to 20 turnovers. This number was actually smaller than the number of turnovers Bentley had, but the Bulldogs didn’t turn it over down the stretch, which New Lothrop did repeatedly. That and the missed free throws officially doomed the Hornets in the end, but they were outplayed the whole night. Ryan Praski had 10 points, but only one rebound and no assists. He missed four free throws in the final period and turned it over at least three times himself late in the fourth. Brian Sheridan had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Brandon Baryo added 10 points and six rebounds. However, Brandon did most of his damage from the line going 8/8 there but only adding one field goal. Both of these guys got pushed around by Mouser, which is a surprise, considering Sheridan and Baryo are big and strong in their own right. No one did anything of note outside of those three. Tyler Henige must have missed eight 3-pointers, which about sums up the contributions of the rest of the team. In short, this was not the New Lothrop team that I saw beat Goodrich. They need to right the ship quickly because playoffs are just around the corner.

--Note to Bentley fans: Yes, there was a huge free throw disparity, particularly early in the game. Yes, there were some tough calls made against you. On the whole, the officials called the game well. The constant heckling they were receiving was unwarranted. You guys should also check the rules regarding traveling. Just a thought.

--There is no rest for the weary, as New Lothrop finishes out the conference season against Flint Hamady. A win against the Hawks would give the Hornets the GAC Blue title outright.