Men's Basketball falls by one point in back-and-forth WHAC Championship game

(Livonia, MI) - The Rochester Christian men's basketball team traveled down to Livonia for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament Championship against the Madonna Crusaders. The Championship game would come down to the wire. After being tied at the halfway point, Madonna was able to grab a bucket in the final minute to earn the win. 

FIRST HALF

Teams traded points buckets on their opening possessions, with James Fisher grabbing six of the first eight RCU points. Tymias Williams scored the next seven points with his first three-pointer of the day, while the teams continued to trade points with a slight MU advantage. James Fisher, Tyler Allen, and Darnell Turner Jr. added points before the media timeout. 

Madonna built the lead up to five points before Tymias Williams and Tyler Allen hit shots to retake the lead at 29-28. Darnell Turner Jr. would score an "and-1" before Allen and Williams gave the Warriors a four-point lead. Madonna looked like they were going to end the half with an 8-1 run, but Williams would hit a three-pointer with 18 seconds left to draw the teams back to even. 

SECOND HALF

The back-and-forth battle continued into the second half, with Madonna scoring the first four points before James Fisher and Linden Holder each hit buckets. James Fisher continued his dominance in the post, scoring the next seven RCU points. 

RCU built the lead up to eight points with a 12-4 run over 4:06, as Tymias Williams continued his scoring with eight of the points in the run. Madonna would go on a 7-0 run over 49 seconds, giving them a two-point lead with 2:20 left. Tymias Williams regained the lead with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to make it 76-73 with 29 seconds left. Madonna was able to respond right away with a jumper, followed by forcing a turnover and scoring a bucket with 11 seconds left to take a 77-76 advantage and earn the win. 

TOP PERFORMERS

Tymias Williams led both teams, tying his season-high of 30 points, while James Fisher totaled 23 points in the game. Williams would also lead the team in assists with five. 

Tymias Williams was the top rebounder on the team with 13 total rebounds, 10 coming defensively, with James Fisher pulling down nine and Darnell Turner Jr. coming down with eight. Williams was top of the team with two steals and two blocks. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors now await to see if they will receive an at-large bid for the NAIA First and Second Round, which will be shown at this link on Thursday, March 5, at 7 PM EST.