Heartbreaker in Kenosha

That one hurt. The Titans were oh so close to securing a great road victory in the CCIW, but they just couldn't quite close it out.

An amazing flurry led by freshmen put the Titans in position to win the game. In the 2nd half, Sean Johnson had 14 points (include a 26-foot bomb), Doug Sexauer 10, and Travis Rosenkranz 5. The run was capped off by a Rosenkranz 3-pointer at the 2:59 mark to make it 68-65 Titans.

The Titans had 3 offensive possessions in regulation after that with Carthage switching to a zone:

2:31 (up 3 pts) - turnover (travel) by Darius Gant
1:39 (up 2 pts) - missed jumpshot by Travis Rosenkranz with the shot clock running out
0:28 (up 1 pt) - turnover (pass attempt) by Matt Schick with the shot clock running out

The Titans had 3 chances to hit the dagger, but only came away with one shot attempt - a fall away 12 footer from Rosenkranz. This stretch is ultimately where the game was lost. I sensed hesitancy from the young players on the floor to take the big shot.

General thoughts on the game...

* Overall, this was an impressive performance by the Titans. I'm sure it really stung the guys to lose this one, but I do think they gained valuable experience, and most importantly confidence, in the first ever CCIW road game for many of these players.

* Darius Gant was just a horse on the boards - 17 rebounds. Darius has had a good season so far and the Titans need him to be a low post force in the final 12 CCIW games.

* Watching Sean Johnson, Doug Sexauer, Travis Rosenkranz, Matt Schick, and Sean Dwyer play makes me realize that the future of llinois Wesleyan basketball is very bright.

The game at Millikin Wednesday is an absolute must-win if the Titans want to make a legitimate push for a conference tournament spot...and the Big Blue are pretty good.