(RV) Dordt Denies (RV) Concordia Men’s Basketball’s Late Rally
by Garrett Suchanek
Friday night, the (RV) Concordia men’s basketball team ended their pre-Christmas part of the season with another overtime game. However, this time the Bulldogs failed to come out on top and fell to Dordt College 102-104 and sit at 8-4 overall and 4-4 in GPAC.
In the first half, it was close early, but then the Defenders exploded for a 27-6 run to blow the game open. Dordt held a 60-38 lead at the half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs turned things around and got back in the game. After trailing by 24 points with 13:18 left in the game, Concordia responded with a 27-10 run to make it an 86-79 deficit.
Over the last four and a half minutes, the Bulldogs went on an 11-4 run to tie the game at 90. Dordt had an opportunity to win the game at the buzzer, but missed the shot and sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Concordia continued its flurry of offense and held a six-point lead with 1:51 left. As the game progressed, the Defenders wouldn’t go away and tied the game at 102 with 18 seconds left.
The Bulldogs had possession with the shot clock turned off and a chance to win the game, but it didn’t happen. Sophomore Rudy Knight drove to the hoop and missed the go-ahead shot. On the following possession, Dordt raced down the court and laid in the game-winning bucket with .3 seconds left.
Concordia had five players score in double figures. Junior Chandler Folkerts paced the Bulldogs with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Knight finished the night with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Junior Eli Ziegler and seniors Jamie Pearson and Robby Thomas chipped in 16, 12 and 11 points respectively.
The Bulldogs will have over a week to relax and prepare for their trip to California. Concordia will take on Simpson University and No. 23 California State University-Maritime on Dec. 29 and 30.
