Broncos Edge Concordia Men’s Basketball

by Jacy Johnston

The Concordia Bulldog men’s basketball team looked to bounce back from a two-game losing streak against Hastings College in Walz Arena on Jan. 20. Despite an outstanding performance from junior Chandler Folkerts, late runs by the Hastings Broncos in both halves doomed the Bulldogs in the end, 84-77. Concordia fell to 11-9, with a 5-8 GPAC standing.

The first half began with the Bulldogs in control with back-to-back triples from seniors Robby Thomas and Micah Kohlwey. Despite this early sharp shooting, Concordia soon turned towards the paint to continue its first half romp. With eight minutes until the break, the Bulldogs had a 32-21 lead over the Broncos. Concordia soon lost control, and after quick transition play by Hastings, the Bulldogs led only 41-40 at the half.

It seemed to be a carbon copy of the first half for Concordia as the Bulldogs built up a 10-point lead. At the 11:32 mark, the Bulldogs controlled the game 57-49. However, the Broncos’ shooting heated up, and soon Concordia trailed 70-68 with 5 minutes to play. The Bulldogs continued to fight but could not overcome great free throw shooting and clock management by the Broncos down the stretch. Concordia lost 84-77.

In addition to Folkerts scoring 27 points, senior Robby Thomas and junior Eli Ziegler both netted 11 points for the Bulldogs. Folkerts continued his double-double streak with 11 rebounds during the game. Ziegler led the team in assists, dishing six of the team’s 19 assists on the night.

The Bulldogs will look to snap their three-game losing streak at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23 in South Dakota against Mount Marty.