MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The Bethel Wildcats saluted their seniors before tip-off Saturday against Mobile. The Cats then promptly about their business sending the seniors off in style in their last regular season game at Crisp Arena with an 89-70 win over the Rams.
Manager Reco Brittman, student assistant Ryan Mansfield along with senior players, Isaac Edmondson, Braxton Nappier, Chase Nappier and Bradley Walker were all honored before tip-off.
The No. 19 Wildcats moved to 23-7 overall and 17-5 in the SSAC. Bethel has won ten of their last 12 and 19of their last 22 outings. The Rams dropped to 10-17 and 7-15. The Wildcats are now 83-26 all-time in Crisp Arena. Bethel is 14-3 at home this season. The Cats are 62-40 all-time in SSAC play.
Bethel leads the series 8-3 and is 6-0 versus the Rams in McKenzie.
The Cats led by as many as 15 in the first but Mobile had a last surge to cut Bethel's lead to 39-34 at the break. The Cats used an 11 point unanswered run in the first few minutes of the second half and went on to win by 17.
The Wildcats shot 54 percent from the floor hitting 32-of-59 attempts from the floor. The Wildcats hit 22-of-29 free throw attempts. Bethel out rebounded the Rams 38-29. Both teams had 17 turnovers in the match-up. Mobile was 23-of-61 from the field at 37 percent.
Bethel was led by Chase Nappier and Cayden Edmonson who scored 19 points each. Isaac Edmondson pitched in with 14 tallies. Tony-Toni Wright led the Rams with 16 points.
Coach Jeff Britt commented, "I'm very happy for our team, especially our seniors. They have worked so hard and provided excellent leadership on and off the court. This was a great way for them to finish in Crisp Arena. We are excited about our upcoming games in the conference championships."
Stillman (Ala.) and William Carey (Miss.) claimed 2018-19 SSAC Men's Basketball Regular Season Co-Champion honors, and the remaining eight seeds fell into place for the 2019 SSAC Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Newk's Eatery. Bethel claimed the third seed.
Stillman wins the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed and the bid to the 2019 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship.
Seeds
1. Stillman (18-4)
2. William Carey (18-4)
3. Bethel (17-5)
4. Loyola (13-9)
5. Dalton State (13-9)
6. Faulkner (12-10)
7. Middle Georgia State (11-11)
8. Martin Methodist (8-14)
9. Mobile (7-15)
10. Blue Mountain (6-15)
Tiebreakers: Stillman wins the tiebreaker with William Carey due to their 2-0 record v. Faulkner, compared to 1-1 for the Crusaders. Loyola wins the tiebreaker with Dalton State due to their 2-0 head-to-head record v. the Roadrunners. Blue Mountain owns the tiebreaker with Florida College due to their 1-1 record v. William Carey.
Schedule
Wednesday, February 27
Game 1 | 10:45 a.m. | #8 Martin Methodist v. #9 Mobile
Game 2 | 2:15 p.m. | #7 Middle Georgia State v. #10 Blue Mountain
Thursday, February 28
Game 3 | 10:45 a.m. | #4 Loyola v. #5 Dalton State
Game 4 | 2:15 p.m. | Winner of Game 1 v. #1 Stillman
Game 5 | 6:15 p.m. | Winner of Game 2 v. #2 William Carey
Game 6 | 9:45 p.m. | #3 Bethel v. #6 Faulkner
Friday, March 1
Game 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Winner of Game 3 v. Winner of Game 4
Game 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Winner of Game 5 v. Winner of Game 6
Saturday, March 2
Championship Game | 6:30 p.m. | Winner of Game 7 v. Winner of Game 8
Odds & Ends
· No. 5 Stillman, No. 15 William Carey, No. 19 Bethel and RV Loyola are all ranked in the latest NAIA Men's Basketball Top-25 Poll
· Loyola and William Carey bring the longest winning streaks into the tournament, at three games
· William Carey claimed last season's tournament title, while Dalton State won in 2017, Faulkner won in 2016 and Martin Methodist won in 2015
· Prince McDaniel (Stillman) leads the league with 20.7 points per game, Myles Burns (Loyola) leads with 2.7 steals and 9.0 rebounds per game and Sean Cranney (Dalton State) leads with 4.9 assists per contest
Bethel action can be heard on WEIO, 100.9 and at www.thefarmradio.com. The Countdown to Tip-off show will begin at 9:15 p.m. Thursday night.
