1993 Championship

1993 NCCAA National Championship Game at Indiana Wesleyan Marion, Indiana

Bethel 100, Lee (TN) 87

Bethel’s first back-to-back national championship set was capped with its largest margin of victory in a national championship game and settled an old score.

Lee College knocked off top-seeded Masters to advance to the finals. The Flames, who were the last team to beat Bethel in NCCAA action in 1991, featured a strong inside-outside attack.

In a reoccurring theme in national championship games, the Pilots again finished strong to claim their title. Trailing, 80-79, with 5:20 left, Bethel went on a 16-2 run over the next 3:40. Tourney MVP Jody Goralski and Von Gilbert scored six points each during the run. Brian Bechtel, who hit six triples in last year’s win over The Masters, scored 15 of his 26 before intermission. He again hit a half-dozen trifectas. The “G-Men” came up huge: Mark Galloway 24 points, Goralski 18 and Gilbert 18. Senior Ron Chrobot grabbed 12 rebounds.

Coach Mike Lightfoot’s squad entered the eight-team tourney as the second seed, and beat Roberts Wesleyan (NY), 100-91, in the first round.

NCAA D-II Oakland City loomed in the second round. The Pilots had never felled the Oaks in 10 previous meetings. For the first 38 minutes, it looked as if that jinx would continue.

Freshman Von Gilbert jumped started the Pilots. With Bethel trailing by six, 66-60, with just over 2:00 left, the Clay High graduate canned a jumper. Ron Chrobot added a lay-up, and Brian Bechtel drained a triple as the Pilots scored seven points in about a minute to take the lead, 67-66. After the teams exchanged free throws, the score was knotted at 68. With time winding down, Bechtel missed a trey. But Gilbert came up big again with his 17th rebound of the game. He was fouled, and after a time-out, canned the second of two free throws to make the final, 69-68. Galloway led the Pilots with 19, while Gilbert and Goralski each scored 16. Bechtel added 12.

BETHEL (100): Bechtel 26, Galloway 24, Goralski 18, Gilbert 18, Fish 6, Chrobot 6, Perlich 2, Obermeyer 0, Skaggs 0, Kerns 0.

LEE (87): Meilstrup 14, Richardson 3, Mears 13, Brown 29, Sammons 0,Towe 0, Amburgy 4, Knox 8, Darko 2, Fenlon 14.

Half-time Bethel 45, Lee 42. 3-Point Goals: Lee 9, Bethel 9.

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