On Senior Day at Johnson State College, the men’s basketball team fell short 66-64, to fellow North Atlantic Conference foe, Colby-Sawyer College, Saturday, Feb. 22, at Johnson’s Carter Gymnasium.

Senior captain Bryan Hickey didn’t disappoint, amassing a double-double, 14 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Lester Alexander chipped in 13 points and three assists off the bench in the losing effort. Ron Adrian led all Badgers with 18 points and 5 rebounds.

The Chargers had four players score in double figures but were carried by Zach Bean’s 19 points and five rebounds, Jake Maynard’s 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, and Koang Thok’s 13 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. The Chargers used a balanced effort to edge out the home team in the final home contest of the regular season.

The Senior Day celebration started off on the right foot as the Badgers jumped out to an early 15 to 7 advantage after Hickey hit a short corner jump shot with 13:22 remaining in the first half. The Chargers roared back with a 12-5 run that was capped off by a Wol Majong layup with 7:11 left in the first half which cut the Badger lead to within one at 20-19. The teams played relatively even over the final seven minutes of the half. However, after a Koang Thok made free throw the visiting Chargers led 35 to 30 heading into the intermission.

After the break, a Hickey jumper brought the game tally to 35-32 with 18 minutes remaining in the contest. Over the next two minutes the teams would trade buckets leaving the score close. The Chargers amped up the defensive pressure over the next four minutes and the Badgers began to wilt, after a Zach Bean made jump shot the Chargers led by 16 with 13:10 remaining in the game. The Chargers would extend the lead by as many as 17 in the half but the Badgers wouldn’t quit. The lead was cut to 11 with 11:07 remaining after Hickey scored on an assisted basket from Mason Phillips. The Badgers continued to chip away at the Charger lead. A pair of Cory Chase free throws the lead had been whittled down to seven with 4:35 seconds remaining in the game. A pair of Lester Alexander free throws cut the lead to five with 1:14 remaining. The Badgers continued to push the action as Asim Khan completed a reverse lay-up with: 29 seconds remaining and the Badgers only trailing by 3.

Unfortunately, the senior day magic fell short, and the Badgers couldn’t overcome the deficit as the Chargers edged the Badgers 66-64 in the final home contest of the year.