For the Albion College Men’s Basketball team, ending the regular season on a high note is not good enough. The Britons welcome the Bulldogs from Adrian College this Saturday with an MIAA tournament bid on the line.
“If we win, we’re automatically in,” Head Coach Jody May said.
The Britons are currently riding a three game winning streak in MIAA league play and have given themselves a chance to make a run at an MIAA championship. Two weeks ago, the outcome of the season was not looking quite as bright.
“If you could see how far some of these guys have come from when they first got here, you would be amazed,” Luke Walker, Cedar Springs senior, said. “As a team we battled back and have an opportunity to do what nobody thought we could have done.”
This season has been full of ups and downs for Albion, but the team is clicking at the right time.
“We went through a lot of adversity this year,” Kolin Kazen, Holland junior, said. “Some people that have had to step up are freshmen Zach Hurth and Carter Elliot. Also our seniors have done what they were supposed to.”
Kazen has stepped up his game significantly for the Britons as well. Wednesday’s win against Alma College marked Kazen’s fifth double-double of the season, as he scored 18 points and gathered in 14 rebounds. He is having a career year averaging 15.9 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, both career highs.
“He’s always had the talent to do [well],” May said. “I think he’s done a great job staying mentally into the game. He’s taken on more of a leadership role.”
May stressed the fact that multiple players have stepped up throughout the season, though.
“It comes from someone different every night,” May said. “Kolin has been pretty steady, but after that we get good contributions from everyone. It could be Zach Hurth one night, it could be Lawrence Ridgell one night, it could be Sean Hendon.”
Everything comes down to one game for the Britons. They will put their season on the line this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Kresge Gymnasium when Adrian College makes the trip northwest to Albion College.
May does not believe he has to say anything special in the locker room before a game of this magnitude.
“Four games ago, I said if we win our last four games we’re going to be in the tournament.”
Nothing more needs to be said.
Leave a Reply