On 'Senior Night' the Lynx came out hard defensively, but could not make enough shots to beat DePauw this Sunday, February 20th. Rhodes had a great game plan against the visiting Tigers of DePauw, but the defensive could not hide the shooting woes for a full 40 minutes. After leading for the first 35 minutes of the contest, the Tigers made three three-point field goals in a row to take their first lead of the day at 36 - 34. The Lynx fought back and battled until the buzzer, but dropped the last game of the season, 47 - 43.
Prior to the game, all players and parents were honored for their contributions to the success of the team. It was a great turnout, as 10 of the 12 families were able to attend, mainly to celebrate the four year career of Josh Arant. The announcer said it best during introductions, "Josh does all the little things to help the team win, and plays with as much passion and love for the game as anyone." We all wish Josh best of luck as he heads into law school after graduation.
Josh has passed on his passion for the game to his teammates, and it was on display on Sunday. Although the Lynx could not make a shot, much less throw a rock into the ocean, their passion and desire to win never wavered. Rhodes defensive was rock solid all game, especially in the first half as they held the Tigers to just 12 points on 25.0% shooting. The only problem was that Rhodes was struggling to score themselves and was only able to muster a five point lead at the break, 17 - 12.
In the second half, both sides made some more shots, but it was DePauw three-pointers in the last 6:00 minutes of regulation that won the game. The Lynx led by eight, 33 - 25, but a 17 to 3 run by the visiting Tigers put Rhodes on their heels. Trailing 42 - 36, Rhodes used a timeout and had a choice to make; fight or quit. The Lynx decided to fight back, led by Senior Josh Arant, who scored a quick 5 points and cut the lead to one with 1 minute and 47 seconds remaining. Arant finished the night with 7 points and 4 rebounds.
A three pointer by DePauw's Haseley pushed the Tigers lead back to four with 1:17 left, and it was the last straw for the Lynx. DePauw was able to sneak out of Memphis with a 47 to 43 victory.
On a night that the defensive holds, the offensive could not score enough points to win the game. Rhodes guards finished the night 3 for 26 on the night, while the whole team shot 34.0% in the loss. The Lynx were led by Junior Kory Kilpatrick, scoring 17 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Although it was a tough loss to sallow, Rhodes still got into the conference tournament over the University of the South in tiebreaking fashion. The Lynx will head to Jackson, MS to play the number one seed in the West, Trinity University, on Friday February 25th at 1pm. Millsaps College is hosting, however Rhodes will be playing at Belhaven University for their first round game. Click here to visit the Conference Tournament website for more information. See you in JACKSON!
