The basketball team wrapped up its slate of January games this past week with two MCC games in two days. The Jr. Billikens (14-4) split the pair, losing 71-55 to CBC but then rebounding with a 63-54 win over the Vianney Griffins.

The Jr. Bills hosted the Cadets last Thursday and brought a lot of energy right out of the gate. SLUH held an 11-7 lead at the conclusion of a defensively intense first quarter. 

The intensity was brought by the team’s spark plug off the bench, senior Jack Christanell, who contributed a couple steals and a couple boards.

“When I come off the bench, I want to make a positive impact on the game and play as hard as I can when given the opportunity to,” Christanell said. “That means making hustle plays, diving after loose balls and crashing the boards.”

But CBC began to settle into their offense in the second quarter, and holstered a 23-20 lead heading to halftime. 

In a high scoring third quarter, the Jr. Billikens went toe to toe with CBC for most of the quarter offensively, but a stretch of nine points in three positions for Cadet senior Larry Hughes swung the momentum toward the side of purple and gold, en route to a seven-point lead heading to the fourth. 

SLUH just couldn’t keep up with the Cadets’ offense in the final quarter and ultimately fell 71-55. 

CBC was led by senior point guard Rob Martin, who had 16 points, and senior small forward Larry Hughes, who contributed a team-leading 19 points. 

One name for the Cadets that was largely left out of the equation was 7-foot-2 sophomore John Bol. He had been averaging 11 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, and 4 blocks, but 6-foot-8 senior Kevin Hogan controlled the paint and neutralized the threat of Bol, holding him to 4 points on an 0 for 4 shooting from the field and a measly 4 rebounds. 

“I tried to always have good position on him and use my wingspan as an advantage to contest his shots,” Hogan said. 

The Jr. Billikens were led on the offensive side of the ball by senior Nick Kramer, who put up his season average of 20 points.  Juniors Zach Ortwerth and AJ Walker Jr. each added an additional 12 points to the equation. 

The following night, the Jr. Bills had a chance for immediate redemption with another home game, this time against the Griffins from Vianney. 

The Jr. Bills got out to a fast start, leading Vianney 33-18 at the halfway mark of the contest. 

SLUH came out of the break a little flat on their feet, though, and were never able to completely pull away. They had many opportunities to extend their lead, but faltered from the free throw line, shooting 11 of 21. 

Vianney was never able to claw all the way back, and SLUH closed it out in the final minutes, en route to a 63-54 win. 

The Griffins were led by senior NAIA commit Adam Sausele, who dropped 19 points, and freshman Luke Walsh, who added another 17. 

On the Jr. Bills’ side, Kramer led the charge with 18 points and Ortwerth tallied another 15. Senior Jaden McClain added 9, and sophomore Charlie Isom-McCall and junior AJ Walker Jr. each contributed 8 points. 

The win over Vianney was the fifth consecutive game that Ortwerth scored double digits. 

“Getting out in transition has got me a couple points. I have also shot the ball from 3 a little better the past few games,” Ortwerth reflected. “Against Vianney it was especially important to establish a presence in the paint.” 

SLUH will travel to Town and Country tonight for a 6:00 p.m. rematch against the CBC Cadets who will be looking to rebound from their latest game, a 45-43 nail-biting loss at Westminster.