Home Teams Rule In Crossroads League Tourney
It was a case of Home Sweet Home in the semifinal round of the Crossroads League men’s basketball tournament on Saturday.
Both Saint Francis and Indiana Wesleyan used strong shooting performances on their home hardwood to earn wins in the league tourney.
No. 1 seed Saint Francis topped Goshen College 80-76, while No. 2 seed IWU outscored Bethel College 104-91.
Saint Francis (28-4) will host IWU (28-4) on Tuesday night at 7 in the tourney title tilt.
Saint Francis hit 11 treys in holding on to down the Maple Leafs in Fort Wayne. The hosts, who were tied with Goshen at 35-35 at halftime, were 11-24 from distance in the win.
Dominique Bolden led the way for Goshen, the No. 4 seed in the tourney, with a game-high 26 points.
Christian Grider and Kevin Phillips each had 14 points for Goshen, which drops to 19-13. The Leafs shot 27-48 overall from the field, including 6-13 from deep. Goshen was 16-24 from the line and had 13 turnovers.
Bryce Leinhoop led Saint Francis with 22 points. Evan Henry scored 17 for the winners. Saint Francis was 27-59 overall from the field and 15-22 from the line with 14 miscues.
Indiana Wesleyan enjoyed a blistering day from beyond the arc to knock off the No. 3 seed Pilots. The Wildcats hit 17-27 attempts from deep in the win.
Bob Peters poured in 32 points, including hitting 7-9 from deep, to lead IWU. Jonny Marlin had 15 points for the winners, who led 57-46 at halftime.
Clay Yeo popped in 25 points to pace the Pilots. The junior guard, who played at Triton High School, was 9-12 from the field, including 5-6 on 3-pointers.
Caleb Oetjen had 21 points and Gage Ott 18 for Bethel, which drops to 23-9. The Pilots were 36-54 overall from the field, including 9-16 from distance.
Jordyn Coon, a WCHS graduate, had two points for the Pilots.