Men’s basketball advances to semifinals of KCAC tournament with win over York
They will continue tournament play Saturday at home.
On Wednesday night, the third-seeded Bethel men’s basketball team started their run to Hartman Arena in the annual KCAC postseason tournament with a quarterfinal matchup against sixth-seeded York at Thresher Gym.
Also on Wednesday, the KCAC awards were announced. Freshman Carmelo Yakubu was named Freshman of the Year as well as to the all-conference honorable mention team. Senior Clifford Byrd II was named to the All-KCAC First Team and All-KCAC Defensive First Team. Senior Bryant Mocaby was named to the All-KCAC Third Team.
“I was really happy to see Melo [Yakubu] get freshman of the year,” head coach Jayson Artaz stated. “He has really improved over the course of the year and has taken on a bigger role as the year went along. I’m really proud of the hard work that he has put in to get to this point.”
In the quarterfinal battle, the Threshers took home the victory and the right to play another game in convincing fashion, 95-76.
After winning the opening tip-off and scoring the first points of the game, Bethel would never trail the Panthers. The Threshers increased their lead to as large as 13 at one point in the first half. York went on a 4-0 run at the end of the half however, including a bank-shot buzzer-beater to cut the Bethel lead at the intermission to just four, 41-37.
“The first half we weren’t very sound defensively,” Artaz said. “We kept falling asleep off the ball which allowed York some easy shots.”
Early in the second half, the Panthers came out hot, bringing the Threshers’ lead to just one possession. Bethel responded right away with a 9-0 run, extending its lead back up to 13.
York started to cut into that lead and bring it to under ten points. The Threshers then lit it up from the floor with a 12-0 run, taking their largest lead of the contest at 21, leading 81-60. Bethel would eventually clear its bench for the remainder of the game, cruising to a 95-76 victory, and clinching a trip to the semifinals.
“The second half we just had to wake up and be more alert,” Artaz said. “We emphasized the fundamentals and basics defensively in the second half and we were much better at taking away easy shots. Once we made them take challenged shots we were able to get out in transition and score the ball.”
Byrd II led the Threshers in four categories in the contest with 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Mocaby followed him with 18 points, while also breaking the all-time three-point record at Bethel with 228 makes from behind the arc. The previous record was held by Thresher alum Jenson Kingsley with 222.
Yakubu followed with 15 points and Jared Richardson with 14 right behind. At the conclusion of the game, Thresher coaches, players, and fans alike tuned into the KCAC Network on their phones to find out who they would be playing next.
With plenty of eyes watching in North Newton, seventh-seeded Sterling stunned second-seeded Kansas Wesleyan in Salina, meaning that Bethel will take on the Warriors at Thresher Gym on Saturday with tip-off slated for 2 p.m.
“Sterling has been a very difficult matchup for us this year,” Artaz stated after learning who his team would be paired up with. “We split with them in the regular season and the win we did get came off an incredible finish so it will be a really good challenge for us. I knew that no matter who we played would be a real challenge for us, but I was happy to get to play at home in the playoffs.
“This is now the third year in a row that we’ve hosted two playoff games. If I’m not mistaken, I don't believe Bethel hosted a home playoff game in over ten years before this stretch. So getting a home game is good for us because our student section is always rowdy and fun at the games. We need our fans to be out in full force and extra rowdy for this one.”
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