2000 Championship

2000 NCCAA National Championship

Oakland City, IN

Bethel 83, Christian Heritage 82

No Bethel championship would be complete without last-second heroics and a few strange twists.

In that respect, the Pilots sixth national title in nine years followed the script. In terms of a normal basketball game, this was a story that even Hollywood wouldn?t buy.

First, lets set the stage. Christian Heritage entered the eight-team tournament as the second seed. The Hawks won back-to-back NCCAA National titles in 1997 and 1998, and were a three-point first-round loss in the 1999 tournament from attempting a four-peat. Bethel had won its last eight games at NCCAA nationals, and rode an NCCAA post-game winning streak of 13. CHC had won 10 of its last 11 games in the NCCAA nationals, and with a roster stocked with several Division I transfers, seemed likely to lock up their third national title in four years.

At least thats the way the game started.

Four times in the first half, CHC opened a 10-point lead, the final time with 1:28 left before intermission. Mike Kings layup put the Eagles on top, 46-36, with those 88 seconds before intermission.

But Bethel freshman Sam Gensic came off the bench to score his only five points of the game to cut the margin in half, 46-31.

The Eagles were ferocious in the opening stanza. Brad Nicholson canned 6-of-9 three-point attempts and had 20 at half-time. Christian Heritage was out rebounding Bethel, 27-19, and out shooting the Pilots, 44 percent to 31 percent. No Pilot had more than eight points at the half.

But in Act II, Bethel began to claw its way back into contention. As if some cosmic synergy was beckoned from champions of the past, shots began to fall. Foul trouble pecked at the Hawks.

Eric Brand’s lay-up knotted the game at 50 with 16:16 to go in the game. Brand, who scored 17 of his team-high 21 after intermission, capped a 10-run with a pair of free throws that put the Pilots up, 57-50. Josh Layton’s 3-point play for CHC stopped a 16-4 Bethel spurt over 6:57.

Layton scored seven straight as the Hawks drew to within two, 59-57. But then Joel Grindle hit two straight 3-pointers and Brand hit a bucket to run the Bethel margin back to 10. Three more times the Pilots would enjoy a 10-point bulge, the final on Grindle’s bucket with 7:54 to go, 73-63.

With Swartz, Luke Zartman and Andy Ganger chasing Nicholson the second half, the CHC sharp-shooter hit just one triple after intermission. But it started a Hawks hot-streak and nearly doomed the Pilots.

Slowly CHC chipped away at the Bethel lead. Rich Griffin’s lay-up with 2:13 left cut the lead to four, 77-73. A pair of Jamal Henry free throws with 2:08 left pushed it back to six, 79-73.

Then this championship game began to look like so many in the Pilots’ past.

Griffin banged in his only triple of the night. A Bethel turnover resulted in another Hawks bucket. The Pilots missed a pair of lay-ups and the Hawks missed on three offensive put-backs.

Josh Layton’s layup with 41 seconds left drew CHC to within one, 79-78. Griffin stole the ball from Henry near half-court. His lay-up with just over 20 seconds left gave the Hawks their first lead since early in the second half, 80-79.

Like those who had hit big shots in national tournaments, players like Dave Troyer, Von Gilbert, Brian Bechtel, Mark Galloway, David Haverstick, Rico Swanson and Ryan Bales to name a few, this was a time for new Pilots to earn their wings.

Henry, in an attempt to atone for his turnover, drove the lane. He was fouled. His two free throws with 0:19.5 left gave Bethel the tenuous lead, 81-80, a lead that it wouldn’t relinquish.

The Hawks inbounded the ball and Griffin got a shot off. The attempt missed, and after a mad scramble, one of Bethel’s guards, 6-foot-1 inch Jon Swartz came up with the rebound. He was fouled with :04.6 to go, and calmly canned both free throws.

83-80. A CHC lay-up at the buzzer sealed the game, and the Pilots cut down the nets as national champions for the sixth time in nine years.

Brand, named the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, capped his career with 21 points. Grindle finished with 13, 11 in the second half. Swartz scored 12, including 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

Nicholson ended with 23, but was just 1-for-6 on triples after intermission. Ryan Fellows scored 18, Layton 13 and Griffin 11 for the Hawks.

The Pilots shot 48 percent after intermission, compared to 34 percent for CHC.

Bethel 83, Christian Heritage (CA) 82 March 18, 2000 at the Johnson Center Oakland City, IN

BETHEL (83): Eric Brand 7 7-9 21; Joel Grindle 4 2-4 13; Jon Swartz 3 4-4 12; David Haverstick 2 4-6 8; Luke Zartman 2 2-2 8; Tim Ritter 2 0-0 6; Jamal Henry 0 5-6 5; Andy Ganger 1 3-4 5; Sam Gensic 2 0-0 5; Barak Coolman 0 0-0 0; . TOTALS: 23 27-35 83.

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE (82): Josh Layton 6 1-1 13; Brad Nicholson 8 0-0 23; Rich Reinbach 2 0-2 4; Ben Warner 2 2-2 6; Rich Griffin 5 0-2 11; Thomas Lowery 0 1-2 1; Mike King 1 2-2 4; Rodick Watson 0 0-0 0; Matt Krause 0 0-0 0; Dave Craven 1 0-0 2; Ryan Fellows 4 8-9 18. TOTALS: 29 14-20 82.

Half-time: CHC 46, Bethel 41 3-pointers: CHC 41.7% (10-24) Nicholson 7, Fellows 2, Griffin. Bethel 34.5% (10-29) Grindle 3, Swartz 2, Zartman 2, Ritter 2, Gensic. Shooting: CHC 39.2% (29-74); Bethel 37.7% (23-61) Rebounds: CHC 47 (Layton 9, Warner 6); Bethel 42 (Brand 10, Grindle 7, Zartman 5). Turnovers: CHC 14, Bethel 14 Assists: CHC 17 (Watson 6, Griffin 5); Bethel 17 (Brand 3, Grindle 3, Swartz 3, Ganger 3). Fouls (fouled out): CHC 26 (Layton, Nicholson, Reinbach); Bethel 23 (none).Records: CHC 21-15, Bethel 30-8.

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