Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes led his team with 21 points and 8 assists over the Golden Grizzlies. Photo/Horizon League Network
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] game that appeared headed for an ultra-competitive finish Saturday afternoon ended up a decisive, well-deserved victory for Brian Wardle‘s team.
The difference at the free-throw line was just the start, as Keifer Sykes and Green Bay outplayed Oakland en route to a BLANK-BLANK victory to close the regular season for both teams.
On senior night, Sykes paid homage to his own legacy as a force to be reckoned with, making tough shots and slick passes to the delight of the crowd at the Resch Center. The Horizon League’s Preseason Player of the Year helped strengthen his case for the postseason award, ending the day with 21 points, adding eight assists with no turnovers.
“[Their fans were] saying goodbye to one of the greatest players they’ve ever had,” Kampe said in a post-game interview with WDFN. “This program’s been around a long time, and they knew they had something special. And he was great today. The [crowd] energy really helped them.”
The Golden Grizzlies, who’ve came out flat but picked up the tempo in their last several games, looked the exact opposite Saturday. Greg Kampe‘s plan to utilize the inside advantage with the duo of Jalen Hayes and Corey Petros worked wonders out of the gate, helping accumulate an offensive rebounding edge. But the shots, from the field or the free-throw line, did not continue to fall and the Phoenix used a 19-4 run late in the first half to begin to run away.
The Phoenix were also something special from the charity stripe. The conference’s worst free-throw shooting team (63.2 percent) shot a nearly perfect 18-of-19 from the line, whereas Oakland struggled, making only 9-of-19.
“Once Valpo won [last night] and all the pressure was off them to repeat [as regular season champions], you knew they were going to relax and play,” Kampe said. “We came out with great intensity and executed, then we started missing free throws. Then the dam opened…and they’re really good.”
The bench play for the Phoenix was another decisive advantage, largely in part due to Daeshon Francis. The freshman guard scored a season-high 17 points, a major swing considering Oakland’s reserves hit just 3-of-12 attempts.
Petros registered his Horizon League-leading 10th double-double of the season, completing his day with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Khalil Felder had 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
Hayes contributed 14 points and nine boards to round out Oakland’s contingent of double-digit scorers.
Green Bay’s forwards got involved after halftime and figured heavily in escalating the lead down the stretch. Senior Greg Mays had another strong outing with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and junior Jordan Fouse added 16.
The win solidifies the top four seeds for next week’s Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament. Green Bay earn the No. 2 seed and join host Valparaiso with the double-bye advantage, placing both teams directly in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Oakland get the No. 3 seed and Cleveland State slide in at No. 4, with the Golden Grizzlies set to play next Friday at 7 p.m. ET at the ARC.
“The score doesn’t look good,but the team that was picked seventh finished as the No. 3 seed,” Kampe said. “Now we’ve got to get ready for next weekend.”
*First reported by our partners at Press Row Sports.
