Statesmen Beat Clarke, Defend Regular Season Title

Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team entered Monday’s matchup with Clarke needing a win to become the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season champions once again. Up just five at the half, the Statesmen powered past the Pride in the second half to waltz their way to a second-straight crown, winning 100-77. The team is now 17-1 on the season and 15-1 in league play.

Ahmad Pender (Sr., Chicago, Ill, Wellness & Recreation) picked up a loose ball during the first possession for WPU, found a way to the basket, and opened the scoring with a layup. The Pride returned the favor at the other end, but Q Cager (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky., Wellness & Recreation) pulled up and delivered a three-pointer to put the home side ahead once more.

Five minutes gone and it seemed the Statesmen were off to the races once more. With makes from Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) and Nathan Gehring (Sr., Waukee, Iowa, Master’s of Business Leadership), the team went up 16-6. But Clarke, always a stingy team, was not going to let the navy and gold run off into the sunset. The visitors put the pedal down over the next five minutes, going on a 16-4 run that put them up 22-20. Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) then tied it up right before the media timeout, with the first half very much undecided.

The teams battled back and forth the rest of the half, with the score being tied six times over the final 10 minutes. However, WPU found some momentum late in the half. With 50 seconds to go, Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) ran the court and Gehring fed him a scrumpious pass, with Newman tying the game at 37. A steal from Watkins sprung Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology) who then smashed it home. With five seconds to go, Clarke threw the ball away, and after the Statesmen called a timeout, the inbounds play found Cruesoe, who dropped in the layup. The sophomore, who was fouled on the play, made the free shot as WPU took a 42-37 lead into the locker room.

William Penn shot 50% from the field at the break and had a slim 19-18 lead in rebounds. Blaylock was off to a strong start, leading the team with 12 points and six rebounds.

The expectation entering the second stanza might have been for more of a tug-of-war between the two teams, but the navy and gold decided that they would put the game out of reach quickly. Cager drove the lane to start the second and got fouled, putting the team up six. After a Clarke basket, Eddie Daley (Sr., DeWitt, Mich., Business Management) fired a three from deep, putting the team back ahead by seven.

The Pride brought the lead back to four, but after that the Statesmen began to inch away the rest of the game. Blaylock made a great move to score on a pass from Cruesoe and after a technical against the Clarke’s head coach, the senior gave WPU a seven-point edge from the charity stripe. Daley nailed his second three to turn it into a 10-point margin, a Newman jumper extended it to 12, and Daley put down a layup to push the lead to 14.
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Over the next few minutes, the Pride were able to bring the advantage back down to nine, but free throws from Watkins and a triple from Newman had William Penn up 13 with 13 minutes to go. There was never a true run from the Statesmen as the game progressed, but consistent scoring and good defense kept them a step ahead. The Pride also had no answer for Blaylock, who pounded away for another double-double on the night. The lead reached 17 points on free throws from Gehring, with WPU up 78-61.

The Statesmen outscored Clarke 22-16 over the final three-plus minutes, reaching the century mark on a three from Thomas Stanley (Fr., Henderson, Nev., Undecided) with 11 seconds to go. It is the fifth game in a row (11th total) that WPU has scored at least 100 points. The horn sounded and the team charged the court to celebrate together, clinching the regular season title, its 13th in program history and fifth in six years since joining the Heart. The net-cutting ceremony afterwards marked the 16th time the Statesmen have enjoyed such spoils in the 20-year career of Head Coach John Henry (nine regular season, seven tournament).

The team was hot from the field, shooting 55% for the game, while also making 44% of its outside shots. The team made 16 of its 22 free throws and won the rebounding battle 41-36. The Statesmen also held Clarke to 36% from the field and locked down its deep-shot attack as the Pride went 9-for-31 (29%) from downtown.

Blaylock led the field with 24 points and 13 rebounds in a dominant 32 minutes of action. Both Newman and Cager finished with 15 points, while Daley continued his hot streak by ending the night with 12 points. Cruesoe also continued his run of good form with eight points and a team-high four assists. Watkins and Gehring finished with seven points apiece. Newman paced the defense with three thefts, while Watkins notched a pair of blocked shots.

“Cutting down nets never gets old and is always a celebration,” Henry said. “The past two years have been an amazing run and journey. The players and coaching staff have been through a lot. This night is just awesome!”

Next Up: Only three games remain for the Statesmen, and they will play their final regular-season road game this Saturday, traveling to Marshall, Mo. to meet Missouri Valley at 4 p.m.