By MILES SOUZA
Beloit College basketball wrapped up their season this weekend. The Bucs hosted a duo of games against Lake Forest College this last Saturday in their last Midwest Conference games of the season.
The Beloit College women’s team ended their season on a high note, picking up their second conference win of the year. The Bucs did so with great help from their four graduating seniors, who closed their Beloit College chapters on a high note.
They set the tone early, holding off the Foresters, even with a second-half push. The Bucs took the game 59-48.
Angela Donath’25, Oceanna Estrada’25, Johanna McNair’25, and Hadja Bayo’25 led the charge for the Bucs and got out to a great start, getting ahead early. Being two starters and two very key bench players, the Bucs are going to look to fill the very big shoes of these four players going forward.
McNair and Bayo commanded the game for the Bucs, both recording a double-double to conclude their careers. McNair led in scoring with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Bayo commanded the glass with 13 rebounds to go along with her 15 points.
A good sign for the future of the team came with eight different players scoring, including freshman guard Julia Kennedy’28, who had 10 points off the bench.
On the men’s side, the team looked to potentially spoil the Foresters’ season, who are sitting at fourth in the Midwest Conference standings. The men’s team also got off to a strong start, much like the women’s team in the early afternoon game. They went into the half leading 36-35.
The Foresters got the better of the Bucs in the second half, making a strong charge to cut Beloit’s second-half lead, ultimately handing Beloit the loss, 82-77.
Beloit honored their seven seniors including Azeez Ganiyu’24, Brian Rusch’24, Clayton Jenny’25, Ethan Bozzo’25, Thomas Glenn’25, Ryan Nixon’25, and Jabari Scuefield’25. This group included five players who had been in the starting lineup this season and their two bench forwards.
The Bucs were led by center Ganiyu, who controlled the paint in his send-off game. The hometown kid and Beloit Memorial alumni led the team with 24 points and 18 rebounds, ending his season with a season-high in points.
Nixon also had a standout game on the offensive end, concluding the game with 19 points on 62% shooting.
Both teams within the Beloit basketball program will look to fill the shoes of these 11 combined seniors who have been key members of these programs for four and even five years.
Featured image: Beloit College
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