Storm Drop Two at Home, Including Heartbreaker on Friday
Saint Bonifacius, Minn – Fighting to remain in the conference playoff race, the Storm men’s basketball team hosted two conference games this weekend with the hopes of remaining in the sixth and final playoff spot heading into the final two weekends of action. Friday night the Storm took on the Martin Luther Knights and it was a battle right ‘till the end. The Storm jumped to a quick 15-8 lead but the Knights bounced back and took a six point lead into half-time, 39-33.
The Storm came out of half-time and turned a six point deficit into an eight point lead with a 23-11 run. Martin Luther fought back and both teams traded the lead over the final three minutes of action. The Storm tied the score at 79-79 on two free throws by Jake Jarvis (Kalispell, Mont.) with 1:14 left in the game but a three-pointer by Martin Luther and two free throws would seal the victory for the Knights in a heart-breaking loss for the Storm. In the loss, senior guard Mike Landers (Milwaukee, Wis.) led all scorers with 17 points and 7 rebounds. He was joined in double figures by freshman forward Andrew Harrel (Kalispell, Mont.) with 16 points and 7 rebounds, sophomore forward Inder Singh with 14 points on perfect shooting, including 4 for 4 from beyond the arc, and freshman point guard Taylor Jones with 11 points.
On Saturday,the Storm hosted Bethany Lutheran and the Vikings shot a blistering 60% from the field in the first half, leading 41-23 at the half. The Storm did not get closer than 8 points as the Vikings cruised to an 84-59 victory. The Storm shot just 37% in the first half while getting out-rebounded 45-27 in the game. In the loss, senior guard Jake Jarvis would score 16 points and be joined by fellow senior guard Mike Landers with 11 points, as they competed for the last time on their home court. Crown is back in action on Tuesday, February 9th, when they travel to Minneapolis to take on non-conference opponent North Central University with tip off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
