Freshman guard Taylor Euler attacks the Maverick defense early in the first half Saturday night in Kansas City. The Hornets lost the UNO 67-91.

Coming off a strong upset game against Ft. Hays State, the Emporia State men’s basketball team couldn’t keep the momentum going as they fell to Nebraska-Omaha Saturday night, 67-91.

Emporia State Coach David Moe attributed a lackluster defense to the blowout victory for UNO.

“We played defense late,” Moe said. “We were in foul trouble because we didn’t get back in transition so we had to foul. We didn’t box out so we had to foul. Everything we did defensively was late, and everything we did offensively was hurried.”

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a three-pointer from the left corner to give the Hornets their first points of the contest. However, the Mavericks went on a 7-0 run to give them a 7-3 advantage with just under 18 minutes to play.

The first timeout on the floor stopped the action with ESU trailing UNO 7-9. With Nebraska-Omaha leading, senior guard Jeremiah Box went down hard with an injury – the injury timeout lasted several minutes, giving both teams a breather with 14:16 left in the half.

A timeout on the floor stopped play at the 11:45 mark with the Mavericks leading 26-19 – at that time Emporia State had 10 fouls to UNO’s four.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern fights for a lay up Saturday night in Kansas City.

Another media timeout saw Nebraska-Omaha up by double-digits on the Hornets, 31-21, with 7:54 to play in the opening period.

Thanks to a traditional three-point play from junior guard Matt Boswell, the Hornets found themselves only down by six at 36-30 with just over five minutes remaining in the half. The Mavericks, however, would extend the lead to 13 by going on a 9-2 run, putting the score at 45-32 with just over three minutes to play in the first half.

UNO led by as much as 14 until four consecutive Hornets points forced the Mavericks to call timeout with ESU trailing 37-47.

Emporia State went into the locker room trailing Nebraska-Omaha 40-49.

After a slow start, the Hornets finally scored from a dunk by junior forward Adam Holthaus.

A timeout on the floor gave a break in the action with Emporia State still trailing 46-58 with 15:17 remaining in the contest. The Mavericks extended their lead to 13 at 64-51 with 11:29 left before a media timeout stopped play.

ESU went down by 19 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game, 51-70. Emporia State called timeout with 8:39 left to play with the score at 75-55 in favor of UNO.

The final media timeout of the game came at the 3:24 mark with the Hornets behind Nebraska-Omaha 66-86.

Junior guard Matt Boswell drives the lane Saturday night in Kansas City.

The large deficit could not be overcome as the Hornets eventually lost to the game, 67-91.

Boswell thought that it was the team’s lack of defensive effectiveness that led to the collapse.

“I don’t think we came out defensively the way we did the other game (vs. FHSU),” Boswell said. “I looked up and I think we had given up 20 (points) within the first five minutes. On a team like that that gets out and runs, we needed to slow it down a little bit…effort wise I thought we were there, but maybe mentally on defense we had a lot of mistakes that hurt us.”

Wilbern credited the Mavericks’ playmaking abilities as to how the score got to where it did.

“They made plays,” Wilbern said. “They just wore us down, wore us out. They continued to make plays. We continued to make mistakes. You get a lead when that happens.”

Boswell scored 17 points to lead the Hornets in scoring, while also pulling down eight rebounds, six of them being on the offensive end. Wilbern chipped in 13 assists and four assists in his last game as a Hornet.

The Hornets ended the season with a record of 14-15.

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Senior guard Lamar Wilbern attacks the basket Friday night in the first round of the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City. The Hornets upset the #2 seed Tigers walking away with a 65-61 victory.

It took the entire 40 minutes to decide the fate of the Emporia State men’s basketball team as they wound up upsetting the Tigers of Ft. Hays State Friday night, 65-61.

Emporia State Coach David Moe thought that the team responded well to the third outing against the Tigers.

“Obviously from the last time we played them we had to make some changes,” Moe said. “I thought all week we did a great job adjusting to things we had to do.”

A three-pointer from Ft. Hays to start the game put the Hornets behind 0-3 early. After an easy basket on the low block from the Tigers, senior guard Matt Boswell scored two points for ESU on a close jump shot. Off of two consecutive steals, senior guard Lamar Wilbern struck twice for the Hornets, giving the team a 6-5 edge with just under 17 minutes to play in the opening half.

After the teams traded points back and forth for several minutes, a media timeout stopped the action with Emporia State leading Ft. Hays 15-14 with 13:54 remaining. The Hornets went up by four at 20-16 on when Wilbern struck gold on a 15 foot jump shot.

With 8:21 left to play in the half, senior guard Jeremiah Box hit a three-pointer to give the Hornets a 23-16 advantage – FHSU Coach Mark Johnson called timeout to regroup his team’s efforts.

Following a media timeout, the Tigers made a small run, getting to within three points of the Hornets lead at 23-20. However, ESU utilized quickness and turnovers on the defensive side of the ball to extend the lead back to seven, 27-20, which forced Johnson to call another timeout.

Senior guard Tim Niles fights against the FHSU defense Friday night in Kansas City.

The final timeout on the floor of the half saw the Hornets commanding a 31-23 lead over the Tigers with 3:53 remaining in the half. Emporia State went into the locker room at halftime ahead of Ft. Hays, 33-27.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus scored the first four points of the second half for the Hornets, one set coming on a basket on the low block and the other on the free throw line.

The Hornets extended their lead to 12 points with just under 15 minutes to play thanks to a shot in the paint by junior guard Matt Boswell.

A timeout on the floor stopped the game with 14:02 remaining and the Hornets ahead of the Tigers 41-31.

In an effort to make a comeback, FHSU went on a 10-3 run, which led to a timeout by Moe with 9:03 left in the contest. The Hornets, however, would do their best to fend off the run, going on a small run of their own to set the score at 49-41 before a media timeout stopped the action with 7:20 left to play. Ft. Hays State then went on a 6-0 run to get back within two of the Hornets lead, 49-47, before Moe called timeout with 5:01 to play.

With 3:35 remaining in the contest, the final media timeout of the game gave the action a break with the Hornets still leading the Tigers, 53-49.

Junior guard Matt Boswell takes a 3 point shot agains FHSU Friday night in Kansas City.

A big three-pointer from FHSU cut the Hornets lead to three at 59-56 with 30.2 seconds left in the game.

However, Emporia State would hit key free throws down the stretch and upset the #2 seed Tigers 65-61.

Boswell said that the team had used the close losses from earlier on in the season as a learning tool to help them in this game.

“I think from the beginning of the year, we’ve learned a lot from our losses, especially down the stretch,” Boswell said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games…we might have folded earlier in the year…we fought together and kept playing defense and made free throws down the stretch.”

According to Wilbern, the experience gained from the close losses was invaluable.

“It’s huge,” Wilbern said. “Because a lot of them (close games), we lost. The biggest thing now is that it’s in the tournament. We got it together at the right moment.”

The Hornets are set to play Nebraska-Omaha next. The semifinal game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on March 6 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

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Senior guard Lamar Wilbern looks for an opening in the UNO defense Saturday night at White Auditorium. Wilbern's career high of 31 points wasn't enough to shut out the Mavericks who walked away 94-88 victory. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

A late 7-0 run put too much distance between Nebraska-Omaha and Emporia State as the Mavericks left White Auditorium with a victory last Saturday, 94-88.

The team was without senior guard Dustin Andrews for most of the contest due to an ankle injury sustained in the first half.

To start the first half, senior guard Lamar Wilbern hit a 12-foot jumper to give the Hornets the early 2-0 lead. Junior guard Matt Boswell followed Wilbern’s basket with one of his own, giving ESU a 4-0 lead.

After giving up five straight points, Wilbern stepped up and hit a three-pointer from the top of the key. Off of a steal, senior guard Jeremiah Box drove to the hole, missed the shot but was fouled in the act – Box made both free throws, giving the Hornets a 12-7 lead with over 16 minutes to play in the half.

The first media timeout of the contest saw the Hornets hanging on to a 15-13 lead with 14:16 left to play in the half.

A dunk by junior forward Adam Holthaus with just over 10:30 to play in the half gave the Hornets a 23-19 advantage. A timeout was called by Emporia State Coach David Moe after the Mavericks took the lead with a three-pointer, 24-26.

Senior guard Tim Niles fights off a UNO defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. Niles finished the night with 13 points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Following the timeout, Tim Niles stepped up and hit a three-pointer of his own, reclaiming the lead for the Hornets, 27-26, with just over eight minutes to play in the first half.

UNO started knocking down shots, pulling away from the Hornets until Niles threw up a long three-pointer and made it, tying the game at 36-all.

The half ended with a missed half court buzzer beat from Box as the Hornets went to the locker room tied with the Mavericks, 40-40.

The Hornets started the second half with a 5-0 run, giving them a 45-40 lead early. However, a traditional three-point play by UNO cut the lead to two.

A barrage of three-pointers from both teams led the score to 50-50 with just over 16 minutes remaining.

Timeout was called by Moe because of several defensive lapses that led to Nebraska-Omaha to take a three-point lead, 57-60.

Senior forward Jeremiah Box jumps over a UNO defender Saturdaynight at White Auditorium. Box got 2 steals for the night and 14 points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

After an empty Mavericks possession following the timeout, Box hit a shot from beyond the arc, tying the game at 60-all.

UNO went on a 12-4 run which forced another timeout by Moe at the 9:59 mark, with the Hornets trailing the Mavericks 64-72. The Hornets battled back from the deficit and made it a two-point game at 73-75 after a technical foul was called on UNO forward Eugene Bain.

UNO called a timeout with 4:46 left in the contest with the Hornets only trailing by two, 78-80.

With 2:03 remaining in the half, Moe called a timeout with the Hornets trailing the Mavericks by six, 82-88.

Emporia State could not come back from the deficit and would leave with a loss, 88-94.

According to Holthaus, points on the low block were hard to come by.

“They’re really athletic,” Holthaus said. “They were making plays on defense coming inside, so it was just really hard to score, for everyone, inside. They were just doing their job and making it hard for us to score in the paint.”

Junior guard Jordan Stout puts in a lay up Saturday night at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Wilbern scored a career-high 31 points to lead all scorers. Holthaus chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds, while Box added 14 points.

Wilbern talked about how the absence of Andrews affected the team’s performance.

“We were without D.A. (Dustin Andrews), which probably hurt us down the stretch because he’s a senior leader,” Wilbern said.

Moe talked at length about the team’s late breakdown which ultimately led to the loss.

“Overall, we didn’t make the plays in the last four minutes,” Moe said. “We made mistakes. You’ve got to be solid those last four minutes, regardless of what happened throughout the game, when you’ve got a chance to win.”

The Hornets next game is at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 10 at White Auditorium against MIAA-foe Southwest Baptist.

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A late 16-point lead wasn’t enough for the Emporia State men’s basketball team to capture a win as Northwest Missouri used a 13-0 run late in the second half to pull away from the Hornets and take home the victory, 84-79.

The loss marked the Hornets’ eleventh of the season and the 8^th loss to an MIAA opponent.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern started the game out well for the Hornets, hitting a long jump shot to give the team an early two point lead. Wilbern hit again on the next Hornets possession, this time from three point land.

After two points from the Bearcats, senior guard Dustin Andrews hit a big three-pointer to give the Hornets a four point advantage with a little over 17 minutes remaining in the half. Wilbern continued to be hot on the floor, hitting another shot from beyond the arc which extended ESU’s lead to nine.

The first timeout on the floor came with 14:05 left in the half, the Hornets still leading NWMSU by nine, 15-6. At the time, the Hornets were shooting 6-7 from the field.

Junior guard Matt Boswell extended ESU’s lead to 11 with a touch shot near the basket. Another media timeout paused the action with the Hornets on top, 22-11.

A mid-range jumper by junior forward Adam Holthaus and an offensive rebound put-back by senior guard Jeremiah Box put the Hornets in a more favorable position, leading the Bearcats 26-13. Senior guard Jordan Stout chipped in a three-pointer with just over eight minutes to play, giving the Hornets a 16-point lead.

The Bearcats battled back from their double-digit deficit to come within eight points of the Hornets before ESU Coach David Moe called timeout to refocus his team’s efforts.

Holthaus put up two points in the paint on consecutive possessions to give the Hornets back their double-digit lead, 36-24. Thanks to free throw shooting, Northwest Missouri cut into the Hornets lead and only trailed by three heading into the locker room, 36-33

Senior guard Tim Niles struck gold first for the Hornets with a two-point basket and a 15-foot jumper in consecutive possessions. Andrews followed up the points from Niles with a conventional three-point play, giving the Hornets a five point lead, 43-38, with 17:16 remaining in the half.

The Hornets picked up six fouls in less than four minutes, which allowed for repeated second chances for the Bearcats as they finally took the lead with about 15:30 minutes to play, 44-43. Niles would answer with a three-pointer on the Hornets’ first possession trailing Northwest Missouri, giving the Hornets back the lead, 46-44.

Following a media timeout, Stout hit a big time three-pointer that extended the Hornets’ lead to five – the Bearcats committed a turnover on their next possession in their own backcourt as Niles stole the ball, shot and missed from beyond the arc but made three free throws as he was fouled in the act of shooting.

After trading points, Stout stepped up again and hit the same three-pointer as he did earlier. A timeout by Northwest Missouri followed a three-pointer from the Bearcats, with the Hornets still leading, 55-49, with 13:04 left in the contest.

Another trey by the Bearcats cut ESU’s lead to three, 55-52, before Boswell connected with a three of his own, bringing the Hornets’ lead back up to six, 58-52. A media timeout with 9:50 left in the half saw the Hornets holding onto a narrow lead, 58-56.

Two consecutive treys from Northwest Missouri led the Hornets to trail by four with 8:53 left in the half, which forced Moe to call a timeout. Another three-pointer from NWMSU extended their lead to seven, but was quickly cut back down to four by a trey from Andrews.

An empty Northwest Missouri possession quickly turned into a long outlet pass to Holthaus, who in turn made a flashy dunk to swing the momentum to the Hornets. Holthaus duplicated the same move on the next Hornets possession, cutting the Bearcats’ lead to one over the Hornets, 66-65. The last timeout on the floor of the half saw the Bearcats leading the Hornets, 68-66, with 4:35 left to play.

With less than two minutes to play, the Bearcats started pulling away, leading by 10 points thanks to easy plays on the low post due to less than inspiring defense by the Hornets.

In the final minute of the game the Bearcats pulled away from the Hornets indefinitely, defeating ESU 84-79.

The Hornets had five players who scored in double figures, highlighted by Niles with 15 points and Wilbern and Boswell with 14 points apiece. Box had a career-high 11 rebounds to lead the team.

A frustrated Andrews talked after the game about the deficiencies in the Hornets’ game as of late.

“We don’t value possessions,” Andrews said. “We turn the ball over, and that doesn’t matter to us. We just don’t make good decisions in every part of the game.”

Holthaus said that the team’s lack of focus was the cause of the late collapse.

“When we were up 16, it was a great high, and then just started losing our concentration,” Holthaus said. “They were making a few plays that we need to fight through. When they got back even with us, we needed to come through and play harder, and we just kind of eased up and they just took over.”

Moe cited a variety of reasons why the team has not found success.

“It’s the same way every game,” Moe said. “The other team has more will to win, generally, than we do. We’re usually just noncompetitive, non aware – basically we’re not well coached. We don’t do the things that we need to do to win.”

The Hornets will try and rebound from the loss against Missouri Western this Wednesday at White Auditorium. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

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Senior guard Jeremiah Box drives against the FHSU defenses Wednesday night at White Auditorium. Box has been out for most of the season due to sickness and injury. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Emporia State men’s basketball team fought hard but couldn’t overcome 11 made three-pointers against #5 Ft. Hays State last night as the team fell by four points, 69-65.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern was the first to strike gold in the first half for the Hornets off of a 12-foot jump shot that gave the Hornets a one point advantage early, 2-1. After a FHSU free throw tied the score, Wilbern struck again, this time off of two successful free throws, increasing the Hornets lead to two, 4-2, with just over 17 minutes remaining.

An empty Tigers possession led to a three-pointer by senior guard Tim Niles. Another made free throw by FHSU led to a nice move on the low block by junior forward Adam Holthaus which resulted in a made basket.

A media timeout gave a break in the action with the Hornets leading the Tigers 10-6 with 14:20 left to play in the half.

Junior forward Adam Holthaus shoots over FHSU’s Dijon Smith Monday night at White Auditorium. Holthaus was the high scorer for the Hornets with 20 of their 65 total points. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Tigers went on a 9-0 run following the timeout, capitalizing on poor execution by the Hornets. Another timeout on the floor at the 9:55 mark saw Ft. Hays leading the Hornets, 15-10.

Two made free throws came the Hornets way courtesy of senior forward Jeremiah Box after the timeout, cutting the Tigers’ lead to three, 15-12. FHSU went on a 7-2 run before Holthaus cut into it with two made free throws – the Hornets trailed the Tigers with just over six minutes to play, 16-22.

An easy Ft. Hays layup led to another two successful free throws from Holthaus. A broken play after a timeout on the floor led to a jumper from the low block by Holthaus, which cut the Tigers’ lead to seven. Wilbern chipped in a three-pointer to bring the Ft. Hays lead down to three, 27-24, with over two minutes to play in the half.

FHSU Coach Mark Johnson called timeout with 29 seconds remaining to set up the final play of the half, as his Tigers still led the Hornets by four, 32-28. The play was unsuccessful as the ball was turned over and Box’s shot from beyond the half court line was no good.

The Hornets came back to within one point to start the second half, thanks to a made free throw from Box and a basket on the low block by senior forward Doug Moore. Wilbern’s drive to the basket and make gave the Hornets the lead, 33-32 with over 16 minutes to play in the game.

Emporia State’s lead extended to four due to a three-pointer from Wilbern – FHSU was forced to call timeout with 16:34 remaining.

The first media timeout of the half saw the Hornets still hanging onto a narrow lead, 38-36, with 13:52 left in the contest.

Senior guard Lamar Wilbern works to get past the Tiger’s Dominique Jones Monday night at White Auditorium. Wilbern ended the night with 4 rebounds and 12 points for the Hornets. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Two straight turnovers by freshman guard Taylor Euler led the Tigers to regain the lead, 39-38, which was followed by a timeout by ESU Coach David Moe. After a missed shot by Niles, Ft. Hays turned the ball over underneath the Emporia State basket to Box, who quickly scored and gave the Hornets the one point lead with 11:53 to play in the half.

A pair of FHSU free throws later, Box popped a three-pointer to give the Hornets a two point lead. A media timeout stopped the action with the Hornets trailing the Tigers, 45-49, with 9:07 remaining in the contest.

The Hornets battled back to take a one point lead, thanks largely in part to a traditional three point play from Holthaus. Following a 30-second timeout by ESU, an unsuccessful low block shot by Holthaus led to a three-pointer by FHSU’s Dominique Jones. Jones hit another trey on the ensuing Ft. Hays possession, which brought their lead to eight at the 4:27 mark.

Following a media timeout, Holthaus hit a pair of free throws to cut Ft. Hays lead to six, which was followed by another Jones three-pointer. Once again it would be Holthaus who answered on the low block, cutting the Tigers’ lead to seven, 63-56.

On the next Ft. Hays possession, Wilbern stole the ball and passed to senior guard Dustin Andrews, who was fouled on the way to the hole and made one of two free throws. After a missed one-and-one opportunity by Jones, Andrews was fouled and made both free throws, cutting the Tigers’ lead to four.

Senior guard Dustin Andrews attacks the basket late in the second half against the Tigers Monday night at White Auditorium. Andrews totaled 6 points and 4 assists for the evening. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Following a 30-second timeout from FHSU, Ft. Hays guard Corbin Kuntzsch made an easy basket on the low block, which was followed by a layup by Andrews. A jump ball was awarded to ESU, and Andrews once again found himself at the free throw line, making one out of the two and taking the score to 66-62 in favor of FHSU. Jones would hit both free throws on a foul on the inbounds, which led to a three-pointer from Box.

The Hornets could not overcome the deficit and lost the contest, 65-69.

Second half adjustments were integral to the Hornets comeback effort. Wilbern cited aggressiveness as a point of emphasis.

“We just wanted to continue to be aggressive – that was our game plan,” Wilbern said. “A lot of times we were too soft.”

Holthaus led the Hornets in scoring with 20, followed by Box and Wilbern with 12 points apiece.

After being out for several games due to illness, Box said he knew what he had to do to successfully contribute to the team.

“I only got to practice two times in the last month…I just knew I had to come out and play hard,” Box said.

Moe said that, after the embarrassing loss to Washburn, pride was a key point in the Hornets efforts this game.

“One thing athletes have [is] pride, and pride carried us through this game…we could have been a little more determined,” Moe said. “We didn’t have many turnovers and we forced a lot of turnovers, that’s what kept us in the game. We’ve got room to improve, but what we’ve got to do is play with pride like this all the time.”

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The Emporia State men’s basketball team fell just short once again to the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos last Monday, this time losing by three points in regulation, 76-73.

The first two points of the contest were scored by senior guard Lamar Wilbern on an assist from senior guard/forward Jeremiah Box off of a recovered turnover. After a UCO field goal, senior guard Dustin Andrews answered with a three-point shot off an assist from junior forward Adam Holthaus.

The Hornets got into foul trouble early, as senior point guard Tim Niles had to take a seat because of two fouls in the first six minutes of play.

After a media timeout at 14:14, ESU shot right out of the gate with a Wilbern FG and subsequent UCO turnover. A pivotal trey by junior guard Jordan Stout forced the Bronchos to call a timeout with 13:18 left in the half. Stout would hit another three-pointer with less than 12:00 remaining, putting the Hornets up by five at 20-15.

Several defensive breakdowns on the Hornets’ part would lead the score to become tied at 22-22 with 9:44 left – timeout on the court led to a break in the action.

ESU scored the next five points, causing another UCO timeout with just under eight minutes to play in the opening half. Right out of the timeout, Box hit a three-pointer from the corner and then on the ensuing UCO possession, Niles forced a turnover which resulted in a breakaway layup. UCO led at halftime, 46-43.

Box started the second half with a nice slashing move to the basket for two. Andrews again answered with the first three-pointer for the Hornets in the half. The ensuing UCO possession saw an air ball, and then countered with a three-point shot from Niles.

A timeout on the floor at 14:19 would see the game tied at 52-52. The Bronchos would attack the Hornets on the low block for the most part of the second half, creating a minimal lead for UCO. Another floor timeout provided another pause in the game at 9:41 with Central Oklahoma leading by four, 64-60.

Wilbern would hit a jumper right out of the timeout. At 4:55 the Bronchos would extend their lead to 10, followed by a slashing move by Stout that cut the lead to eight, 74-66.

Following a timeout by UCO, Wilbern hit an unassisted three pointer to cut the Bronchos lead to five. After a missed field goal by Central Oklahoma, Holthaus would chip in two points with a layup, followed by a Wilbern layup that brought the score to 75-73 in favor of UCO.

“We went stagnant there for awhile, but it was one of those things where we had to fight through it,” Holthaus said. “There at the end we did what we needed to make it a close game, we just have to get it to where we can finish it off.”

Andrews would note the Hornets’ final run to cut down the Bronchos’ lead.

“We’re a great team – we’re going to make runs…we just need to worry about making stops on the defensive end,” Andrews said. “That was a great run. That’s what you want, and that’s what the game’s composed of, it’s a game of runs so we just have to keep feeding off that towards the end.”

Andrews would drive to the basket and make a layup, only to have the call reversed on a charging violation, which brought Andrews out of the game due to fouling out.

“It’s a tough call in that situation,” Andrews said. “You just have to go with whatever he calls. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way.”

Junior guard Matt Boswell would be forced to foul with 16.6 seconds left, causing a one-and-one at the free throw line. The first shot would rim out, giving the Hornets an opportunity to have the final possession of the game at 75-73, UCO lead. Moe would call timeout with 6.1 seconds left.

Niles would receive the inbounds, only to lose the ball on an errant dribble. UCO would recover the ball and be fouled with 1.2 seconds left – the first of two shots was made, and the second rimmed out and fell to no one as time expired.

Free throw shooting was suspect for the Hornets, as the team only shot 61.9 percent from the charity stripe. It was something Head Coach David Moe thought was a major factor that determined the final score.

“In both games we’ve missed key free throws,” Moe said. “Free throw shooting makes a difference – it wins and loses you games. You have to make free throws when two good teams are playing…I think they missed a free throw or two down the stretch to give us a chance and we didn’t capitalize on it.”

The Hornets’ offense was clicking in the first half until the Bronchos unleashed a zone defense that seemed to stifle ESU’s offensive attempts.

“I think neither one of us felt like we could guard the other man to man, and they came out and found an answer quicker than we did and got the lead and got things going…I think it (zone defense) definitely shook us up,” Moe said.

Wilbern had a double-double for the Hornets with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Two other Hornets were in double figures for scoring – Holthaus had 13 and Andrews had 12. Boswell led the team in assists with four.

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Jeremiah Box is not just a basketball player, he is also a songwriter. He wrote a song for a small record company in Chicago became one of their top songs.

“I love to write music and it is one of my favorite things to do,” Box said. “If I was not playing basketball I would be writing songs.”

Box is a 21-year-old junior recreation major.

“I want to eventually coach or open up a recreation facility,” Box said. “I love working with kids and I want to help kids get involved in sports.”

He grew up in Rockford, Ill. which is approximately an hour and a half away from Chicago.

“It was really nice growing up close to a big city,” Box said. “The people were pretty friendly.”

Box started developing his love for basketball at a very young age.

“My dad used to throw little bouncy balls in the crib and I would hold them and throw them around,” Box said. “Ever since I could crawl I was always chasing a basketball and I would try to grab it and play with it.”

Box said that the basketball court has been a therapeutic place for him.

“I have just always loved basketball and I feel at home on the court,” Box said. “Whenever I need to get away and clear my mind I go and play basketball.”

Box graduated from Christian Life High School where he has had his share of embarrassing moments.

“It was during a championship game my junior year and I forgot my jersey but luckily they had another jersey with the same number that I wore,” Box said. “I drove through the lane and I dunked it over a guy, but as he fell he pulled down my pants and I hung on the rim with my pants down and my boxers showing, which happened to be sponge bob boxers, so the fans were laughing at me.”

There were also some good moments that offset the bad.

“It was my senior year during a championship game,” he said. “In double overtime with two seconds left my teammate threw the ball to half court and I shot a fade away three to win the game.”

Before coming to Emporia State, Box attended Sauk Valley Community College where he averaged 18 points, nine rebounds and five steals per game. For Box, ESU was a natural choice.

“When I came on my visit everybody was nice to me,” Box said. “When I was watching the senior night basketball game I just feel in love with the school and the program.”

Box has been impressed by the coaching staff at ESU.

“I really like the coaches here and I am glad that Moe is my coach,” Box said. “They really care about us as players and people.”

Box is third on the team in scoring, averaging 15 points per game. He is ranked third in the MIAA in three pointers made per game and fourth in the league in three point percentage shooting a .500 from behind the three point line.

“He is a pretty good player,” said junior guard Lamar Wilbern. “It definitely helps having him on the team.”

The fans are encouraging and have had a positive impact on Box.

“We have a lot of fans who travel with us and a lot of those fans are parents,” Box said. “It really does help when you’re three hours away and there is someone in the other team’s stadium cheering for you.”

Box said that through his devotion to God and church, he has become a better person.

“I live my life for God and I want to help people,” Box said. “I feel that I care about others more than I do about myself.”

Wilbern feels that Box is the type of person who works hard and appreciates everything he has.

“Jeremiah Box is a reserved and disciplined individual,” Wilbern said. “He does his best to treat others as he would want to be treated.”

Matt Pierce/The Bulletin

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