Locals Playing In NAIA National Tournament
March 7, 2017 at 5:04 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Four teams from the always-tough 10-team league will compete in the 32-team, single-elimination tournament, which is again being held at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks.
The tournament begins with eight games Wednesday and eight more first-round games on Thursday.
Among the Crossroads League teams, 15th-ranked St. Francis (22-10) will play No. 18 Oregon Tech (24-9) Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern.
At 5 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, No. 8 Warner University (26-4) will play 25th-ranked Taylor University (20-11).
On Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern, No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (26-7) plays unranked Corban University (18-15).
At 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, third-ranked Bethel College (29-4) squares off with unranked Calumet College (17-13).
Second-round games will be played on Friday, with teams advancing to play again on Saturday.
The Final Four of the tournament will be played Monday, with the national championship game slated for March 14.
Bethel College won the Crossroads League regular season title with a 16-2 record, and then backed it up by winning the conference tournament with wins over Grace College, Spring Arbor and Indiana Wesleyan.
The Pilots, who have won 18 of their last 19 games, have five Times-Union area players on their roster.
Senior Clay Yeo, a former Triton High School star who concluded his prep career as an Indiana All-Star, averages 14.1 points per game this season for the Pilots and has scored 1,745 points in his three seasons at Bethel. Yeo played his freshman season at NCAA Div. I Valparaiso University.
Senior Jordyn Coon, a Warsaw product who started in the Class 4A state finals as a sophomore, has started all 33 games this season and averages 11.4 points. Coon has scored 846 points in his college career.
Senior Nick Kindig, a Tippecanoe Valley product, has started 33 games for the Pilots this season and averages 11.3 points. Kindig has scored 422 points in his Bethel career, including 372 this season.
Bethel’s roster also includes junior Tanner Shepherd (Triton) and freshman Chase Fierstos (Manchester).
Shepherd has played in 29 games this season and averages 3.3 points per game, while Fierstos has played in eight games and averages 1.4 points per game.
Four teams from the always-tough 10-team league will compete in the 32-team, single-elimination tournament, which is again being held at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks.
The tournament begins with eight games Wednesday and eight more first-round games on Thursday.
Among the Crossroads League teams, 15th-ranked St. Francis (22-10) will play No. 18 Oregon Tech (24-9) Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern.
At 5 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, No. 8 Warner University (26-4) will play 25th-ranked Taylor University (20-11).
On Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern, No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (26-7) plays unranked Corban University (18-15).
At 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, third-ranked Bethel College (29-4) squares off with unranked Calumet College (17-13).
Second-round games will be played on Friday, with teams advancing to play again on Saturday.
The Final Four of the tournament will be played Monday, with the national championship game slated for March 14.
Bethel College won the Crossroads League regular season title with a 16-2 record, and then backed it up by winning the conference tournament with wins over Grace College, Spring Arbor and Indiana Wesleyan.
The Pilots, who have won 18 of their last 19 games, have five Times-Union area players on their roster.
Senior Clay Yeo, a former Triton High School star who concluded his prep career as an Indiana All-Star, averages 14.1 points per game this season for the Pilots and has scored 1,745 points in his three seasons at Bethel. Yeo played his freshman season at NCAA Div. I Valparaiso University.
Senior Jordyn Coon, a Warsaw product who started in the Class 4A state finals as a sophomore, has started all 33 games this season and averages 11.4 points. Coon has scored 846 points in his college career.
Senior Nick Kindig, a Tippecanoe Valley product, has started 33 games for the Pilots this season and averages 11.3 points. Kindig has scored 422 points in his Bethel career, including 372 this season.
Bethel’s roster also includes junior Tanner Shepherd (Triton) and freshman Chase Fierstos (Manchester).
Shepherd has played in 29 games this season and averages 3.3 points per game, while Fierstos has played in eight games and averages 1.4 points per game.
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