Waldorf Men's Basketball Protects Home Floor Against Concordia (Neb.)

FOREST CITY, Iowa — Waldorf closed out January with an overtime thriller, using a late surge and a career-type night from Nick Graves to outlast Concordia (Neb.) 96-89 on Saturday afternoon.

Tied 81-81 at the end of regulation, the Warriors dominated the extra five minutes, outscoring the Bulldogs 15-8. A driving layup by Krys Watley with 36 seconds remaining in overtime pushed the lead to 90-87, and Waldorf sealed it at the free-throw line. Cornelius Porter Jr. knocked down two foul shots with five seconds left to stretch the margin to 96-89 and remove any doubt in a game that featured multiple swings in momentum.

Graves led all scorers with 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting, including 6-for-16 from 3-point range, spearheading an efficient Waldorf offense that shot 50 percent from the field (36-for-72) and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc (12-for-33). He got plenty of support from Conner Aldridge, who added 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting and hit two 3-pointers as the Warriors consistently answered Concordia's runs.

Waldorf built early separation late in the first half. Trailing 8-4 after an early 3-pointer from Concordia's Jaxon Stueve, the Warriors responded and eventually put together a burst that included a jumper from Graves to go up 36-28 with 2:39 left before halftime. Waldorf carried a 38-33 advantage into the break behind balanced scoring and a defense that forced 15 Concordia turnovers on the day, converting those miscues into transition opportunities.

Concordia battled back after halftime, riding the play of guards Brooks Kissinger and Dane Jacobsen. Early in the second half, Kissinger converted a layup and the ensuing free throw at the 14:07 mark to give the Bulldogs a 48-44 lead, part of a larger push that flipped the scoreboard. Later, with Waldorf ahead 75-61, the Bulldogs again climbed back as Zac Kulus drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 75-64 with 6:28 to play, helping set the stage for the 81-81 tie at the end of regulation.

Defensively, the Warriors did enough in overtime to make their offensive execution stand up. Waldorf finished with nine steals and four blocks, edging Concordia 30-29 on the glass and holding the Bulldogs to 45.8 percent shooting from the field. The Warriors also shared the ball effectively, recording 20 assists on 36 made field goals while committing only 12 turnovers in a high-possession contest.

Kissinger paced Concordia with 28 points on 8-for-18 shooting and 10-for-17 at the line, adding five rebounds and three assists. Jacobsen contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists while going 6-for-6 from the stripe, and Logan Wilson matched Jacobsen with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. With this win, the Warriors now sit at 6-17 for the season, while holding a 2-13 mark in GPAC play.