Johnnies fall short against Carleton in MIAC championship
The Johnnie basketball team came up just short of an NCAA tournament bid this past weekend as they lost to Carleton in the MIAC Championship
The Johnnie basketball team came up just short of an NCAA tournament bid this past weekend as they lost to Carleton in the MIAC Championship game 86-76. Carleton is ranked No. 21 in Division III. Carleton outshot the Johnnies as they shot 53.2% from the field and 54.5% from 3-point range. St. John’s shot 46.2% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point range. Carleton also outshot St. John’s at the free throw line as they shot 81.1% compared to St. John’s 66.7%. Junior Ryan Thissen led the Johnnies with 24 points as he played all 40 minutes in the game. Sophomores Zach Longueville and Kooper Vaughn both had 15 points in the game.
“[We] found a rhythm as we were winding down and made a nice run to the conference championship…but then obviously disappointing to come up short,” head coach Pat McKenzie said.
Thissen echoed him, saying the team was finding their groove near the end of the season, so it was tough to lose in the championship. The Johnnies were on a roll to end the season, winning four straight games before dropping the conference championship game. However, the entire season didn’t go that way. From Dec. 20 to Feb. 8, St. John’s didn’t win or lose more than two games in a row.
“[It was] definitely an up and down season for us. [It] didn’t end the way we wanted to. [We] just couldn’t string together enough wins to host the last playoff game, and [we] lost to a really good Carleton team,” Longueville said.
Thissen agreed with Longueville, saying that the team played a solid season but wouldn’t always perform to their fullest capability, resulting in some losses in games they should have won. The Johnnies missed out on a bid for the DIII NCAA tournament as they were left out after the selection process earlier this week. Despite this, they still had a successful season. St. John’s finished the season with a conference record of 13-7 and an overall record of 17-10, finding particular success at home with a record of 11-2. McKenzie also talked about how the familiarity and routine of playing on their home court played the biggest part in their success at home.
“As we got closer to the end of the year, our student section was wild, and that matters. I thought they were just fantastic. That offers a little bit of a home-court advantage as well,” McKenzie said.
Thissen and Longueville also talked about the excitement of playing in front of a home crowd, especially when they get so many supporters at games. The students, parents, alumni and other fans all contribute to this advantage for the Johnnies. Looking at next season, St. John’s will lose two seniors, posts Mitchell Plombon and Carson Schoeller. Plombon, an All-MIAC selection, averaged 27.7 minutes, 11 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season. Schoeller averaged 20.2 minutes, 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The Johnnies will look to fill the void left by Plombon and Schoeller moving into next year. The Johnnies look to continue their success from this season as they set goals for the 2023-2024 season.
“Our goals remain the same for next year as they were for this year: winning the MIAC regular season and tournament,” Thissen said. “Everyone has something they can work on, so now is the time to start making those improvements in the weight room and on the court.”
