Pilots drop heartbreak to Trojans, clinch MCC Tournament

The Pilots closed out the regular season with a hard fought battle on the road last Saturday, as they fell to the Taylor Trojans by a score of 77-75. Despite another close game that Bethel was unable to come out victorious, the Pilots were still able to clinch the last spot in the MCC tournament. Taylor came out very strong against the Pilots as they quickly claimed a 10 point edge that would turn into a 14 point lead midway through the first half. Nevertheless, Bethel was able to dig deep and come up with a 10-2 run to close the half and cut the lead to eight points. The Pilots then continued to have the momentum into the second half as they continued to chip away at the lead and eventually established a five point lead with two points remaining. The Trojans relied on a three-point play and good defense to give them the last shot of the game. With two seconds remaining in the game, Bethel was able to force a missed shot from the Trojans but fouled them in the process. Taylor was able to capitalize by making both free throws and the Pilots ended the game by missing a last second shot that was just off the mark. Spencer Khrin was a surprising lift off the bench as he led the Pilots in scoring with a whopping 19 points. Caleb Laideg was right behind him in his last regular season game as a Pilot with 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Kyle Ritz showed his versatility, putting up six points, seven assists, and seven rebounds. The first round of the MCC tournament will take place Wednesday and the Pilots will travel to Indiana Wesleyan as the eight seed, while the Wildcats will be playing at home as a one seed with a conference record of 13-3. The game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.