MCKENZIE, Tenn. – Six outstanding Wildcat seniors were honored before Bethel's last regular season game Saturday at Crisp Arena. The seniors along with their teammates made the last appearance of the six a day to remember with a commanding 113-87 victory over the (RV) William Carey Crusaders. The win came off the heels of Bethel's upset over N0. 21 Loyola on Thursday.
Bethel led 56-29 at the half. Seniors Javonte Ellis, Cayden Edmonson and Foday Sankaray combined for 34 of Bethel's 56 points. The Wildcats staved off any run by the Crusaders in the second half and went on to secure a much needed victory. With the win the Cats finished fifth in the SSAC.
The Wildcats are 19 -11 overall and 10- 8 in the SSAC. The Cats finished 13- 4 at home on the season. They are 103-30 all-time at Crisp and 74-43 versus SSAC opponents in the building.
William Carey fell to 18-12 and 8-10 in the league. Bethel beat WCU earlier this season in Hattiesburg 84-81.
The Wildcats shot 53 percent from the field and knocked down 14 three's in the game. Bethel dominated the boards with a 47-22 advantage. Ellis finished with a game high 26 points. Edmonson had 23 points while Sankaray had 15. Bethel's bench outscored WCU's bench 45-25 in the game.
Seniors Noah Chatman, Charles Cobb, Edmonson, Ellis, Cameron Ricks and Sankaray were honored before the game.
The Cats move on to the post-season and play number four seeded Loyola Thursday night in the SSAC Championships. The Cats and the Pack tip-off at 9:45 p.m. The two split their two games during the regular season.
The Countdown to Tip-off Show with Dave McCulley and Zack O'Kelley airs at 9:15 p.m. on WEIO, 100.9 and www.thefarmradio.com
Seeds
1. Faulkner (Ala.) 17-1
2. Dalton State (Ga.) 15-3
3. Stillman (Ala.) 11-7
4. Loyola (La.) 11-7
5. Bethel (Tenn.) 10-8
6. Middle Georgia State 9-9
7. William Carey (Miss.) 8-10
8. Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 8-10
9. Mobile (Ala.) 7-11
10. Blue Mountain 6-12
Tiebreakers
- Stillman and Loyola split head-to-head during the season, but Stillman went 2-0 v. Bethel, compared to 1-1 for Stillman
- William Carey won the regular season's only head-to-head matchup with Martin Methodist
Schedule
Wednesday, March 4
Game 1 | 10:45 a.m. | #7 William Carey (Miss.) v. #10 Blue Mountain (Miss.)
Game 2 | 2:15 p.m. | #8 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) v. #9 Mobile (Ala.)
Thursday, March 5
Game 3 | 10:45 a.m. | #3 Stillman (Ala.) v. #6 Middle Georgia State
Game 4 | 2:15 p.m. | Winner Game 1 v. #2 Dalton State (Ga.)
Game 5 | 6:15 p.m. | Winner Game 2 v. #1 Faulkner (Ala.)
Game 6 | 9:45 p.m. | #4 Loyola (La.) v. #5 Bethel (Tenn.)
Friday, March 6
Game 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Winner Game 3 v. Winner Game 4
Game 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Winner Game 5 v. Winner Game 6
Saturday, March 7
Championship | 6:30 p.m. | Winner Game 7 v. Winner Game 8
