59 The Bethel Pilots men’s basketball team is in the midst of a fierce Mid-Central Conference title chase. The Pilots are currently in third place after a lackluster performance at Marian that caused them to fall a half game behind Indiana Wesleyan University and St. Francis University. The Pilots traveled down to Indianapolis to face off against Marian. Things started off well as Bethel jumped out to a quick 15-6 lead, but it was all down hill from there. Marian fought back and grabbed a three point lead at the half. The second half only got worse. The Pilots couldn’t get anything going offensively and was frustrated with the amount of whistles by the refs at both ends of the floor. The Pilots suffered a 14 point defeat with the score being 83-69. The only bright spot was Tyler Brown who had a double double for his second game in a row. He finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Before the disappointing Marian loss, Bethel was playing great as they were riding a five game winning streak. The Pilots had impressive victories over Spring Arbor, Huntington, Indiana Wesleyan, Goshen, and Grace. During this win streak the Pilots moved up to eigth in the country and were in position to move to the top of the MCC. Before the Marian game, Bethel scored at least 70 points in every game in 2010. In that stretch the Pilots had a record of 9-2. Leading the way for the Pilots this year has been seniors Ryne Lightfoot, Tyler Brown, Wes Laidig and Tony Benford. Each player is averaging at least 12 points per game on the season. Ryne is leading the team averaging over 18 points. Ryne is also shooting over 80 percent from the charity stripe and around 45 percent from three point distance. Tyler is averaging 14 points and over 7 rebounds per game. Wes and Tony are both around 12 points. The Pilots have two regular season games remaining. They host Taylor at home and then finish off on the road in what looks to be a crucial MCC game for both teams.
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