Last night, Bethel College realized that Goshen was aiming to make layups and forced them instead to shoot outside the three point arc. This strategy crippled the cold shooting Maple Leafs and led Bethel to a crucial conference win. The first half of the game went reasonably well for Goshen, a highlight being Carl Steen’s dunk at the beginning of the game. The crowd went wild and expected more excitement to come. Both teams shot a lot of free throws. Spectators watched Goshen make layup after layup. The first half ended with the Pilots in a tentative lead of 35-34.
Bethel had obviously caught on to Goshen’s strategy of scoring most of their points inside the three point arc. They stepped up their defense and pushed them outside, restricting their shots to be farther and farther away. Bethel’s tactics worked, and helped keep their shots to be field goals only. “The run to start the second half was huge,” says Bethel’s coach, Mike Lightfoot, “We talked about some key things at halftime and this was one of the first times all season the players stayed with the focus. It’s a sign that we are growing up a little bit.” Goshen’s coach, Gary Chupp, commented that, “We shot the ball terribly. But I can live with that. In basketball you are going to have nights like this. What really disappointed me was our effort in the start of the second half.” The game ended with a loss for Goshen at 54-70.
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