Eclipsing the 20-win mark for the third straight season, the No. 1 Freed-Hardeman University Lions got back on track with a big win over the Campbellsville University Tigers 70-50. The Lions (20-3, 5-2 MSC) were off and running with a 3-pointer from Dalton Colbert to storm out to a 21-7 lead by the 11:53 mark. To get there, Blake Dean’s triple opened a 12-0 run before the Tigers tallied three straight long balls. Peyton Law and Geraldo Lane teamed up for back-to-back layups before Jordan Stephens bucketed a 3-pointer. Blake Dean joined Lane to help finish the first half with a 41-28 lead. In the final eight minutes of the half, the FHU defense allowed just two made field goals. In a low-scoring second half FHU got off to a good start with a layup from Jayson Nixon before Phil Horton slammed home a dunk. Campbellsville (10-14, 1-7 MSC) followed with a set of layups, but Law stepped up beyond the arc for a 3-pointer of his own. Horton had a big second frame where he tallied nine points to help FHU to the 70-50 victory. The Lions vacuumed up 37 rebounds to Campbellsville’s 26. Freed-Hardeman continued to dominate the paint, out-scoring the Tigers 32-16. Phil Horton led the charge with 17 points by going 6-8 from the field. Jordan Stephens connected for two 3-pointers to help him to 12 points while Peyton Law contributed 11. All nine Lions to touch the floor made at least one field goal. Geraldo Lane joined Law with a team-high seven rebounds.
The Freed-Hardeman Lions claimed a series opening victory over the No. 21 Loyola (La.) University Wolfpack 12-5. Loyola answered with a 19-5 victory in the second game of the day. The Lions (5-1) went back-to-back in the top of the first inning when Jordan Carter’s long ball was followed by one from Drake Blackwood to take an early 3-0 lead. The extra-base hits kept rolling when Trace Anderson’s double in the fourth inning pushed FHU’s lead to 6-1. After Loyola (3-2) plated a set of runs in the fourth inning, The Lions nearly hit for a team natural cycle in the top of the fifth when Dalton Bonner’s single was followed by a double from JJ Pruneau. A strikeout broke up the rally, but Brooks Jones smacked a triple before Anderson capped the big inning with a big fly to secure the 12-5 victory. The Lions were locked in at the plate with five batters: Trace Anderson, Cade Fuller, Brooks Jones, Cam Madding, and JJ Pruneau each tallying two base hits. Matthew Riley (2-0) earned the victory with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings before Jaxson Lucas tossed the last 2 1/3 with three strikeouts.
After falling to the No. 3 Campbellsville University Tigers in their only home loss of the season, the No. 8 Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions returned the favor with a 62-52 victory in Kentucky.
The Lady Lions (20-3, 4-3 MSC) got off to a hot start with Carissa Curtis bucketing a fast-break layup before Jenna Satterly tallied four unanswered points to take an 8-5 lead. Rachel Satterly and Kelsey Bender joined the fray to score five straight points before R. Satterly ended the opener with a 3-pointer to see FHU hold an 18-9 lead. The Lady Lion defense was strong, forcing the Lady Tigers to go 4-17 in the opening frame. Campbellsville’s (20-2, 6-2 MSC) defense stepped up in the early second quarter, forcing six straight misses from the Lady Lions, but R. Satterly’s triple got FHU back on the board. Lilly Kee took over in the final five minutes of the half, scoring six points to see the Lady Lions to the locker room with a 29-23 lead. Bender began the second half with a layup before a Curtis 3-ball made the Lady Lion lead 11 points. Kaylee Odom joined Bender for the remainder of the half with the forward tandem scoring the remaining 10 points of the third quarter to hold a 44-37 lead. The Lady Lions have saved their best for last and Thursday was no different with FHU tallying 18 points to tie their first-quarter total as the game high. Brooklyn Crouch tallied a 3-pointer go along with the pair netted by Curtis before the Satterly sisters closed the game at the charity stripe to finish the 62-52 victory.
FHU held the Lady Tigers - who came into the game shooting 46.6% from the floor to a 30.0% mark. Meanwhile the Lady Lions were 47.8% from the field. FHU out-rebounded CU 32-28 while dishing out 19 assists to Campbellsville’s 13. The Lady Lions were led offensively by Kelsey Bender who tallied 17 points including a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line. Carissa Curtis was the next highest scorer with 11. Lilly Kee led the rebounding with seven while Kaylee Odom swatted four blocks.
Head volleyball coach Amanda Bretherick did not have to cross the pond to pick up her latest signee, but Serbian Marija Milic has joined the Lady Lion volleyball team. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Milic spent her high school years in the States - prepping for Granbury, Texas’s North Central Academy. As a Pioneer, the 6-0 middle blocker ended her senior season with 200 kills at a .301 clip with 50 service aces. At the net, she recorded 117 blocks to help her to both the All-Region and the All-State team in addition to being named to the All-Star team. Milic’s excitement to join the Lady Lions was palpable, saying, “I can’t even begin to express how incredibly thankful and grateful I am for this opportunity. It feels like a dream come true to be able to start this new chapter of my journey with such an amazing team—the Lions. I’m beyond excited to bring my passion and skills to the field and continue to grow as both a player and a person. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way—this is only the beginning! Get ready for the journey ahead, because we’re about to make something special happen.” “Marija comes to us with high level experience from her high school and club programs as well as her experience in Serbia,” said Coach Bretherick. “She is a passionate player who runs a varied, quick tempo attack in the middle. We are excited to add her to our front row next season.”
