Senior guard Garrett Gibbons was the leader of the hot shooting Britons, canning 11 of 15 attempts from the field for a career-high 26 points. His previous high-water mark was set last February when he connected on 5 of 6 shots from three-point range en route to a 19-point performance in a MIAA Tournament first round victory over Alma College.
Not to be outdone, senior guard Mike Thomas netted 17 points and slipped into fifth place on Albion’s all-time scoring list with 1,257 career points. Thomas, who knocked down 7 of 11 shots from the field against Tri-State, moved past Steve Sheckell’s (1988-92) total of 1.247. Next on the list for Thomas is the fourth-place mark of 1,264 set by Dwayne Johnson in the early ‘80s.
Gibbons and Thomas received support from sophomore guard Zak Silas, who made 4 of 6 shots from the field and 4 of 5 attempts from the free throw line for 12 points, and junior center Brandon Crawford and first-year forward Brian Champine, who contributed 10 points apiece.
“We talked to our guys about being on a mission and playing with passion,” veteran Albion head coach Mike Turner said. “Overall, we did a tremendous job of attacking the basket. We did a much better job on defense in the second half, but our offense was very similar both halves.”
Albion held the lead for all but 18 seconds; but the Britons were never able to pull away in the first half. With the score tied at 13, Albion went on a 4-0 run with baskets by Silas and sophomore forward Evan Way and never trailed again. Albion took its biggest lead of the first half when Thomas sank a three-point basket to make the score 52-44 with 2 ˝ minutes left on the clock. Albion took a 57-52 advantage to the locker room at halftime.
The Britons went on a 14-7 run in the first four minutes of the second half to extend the lead to double digits. Gibbons scored Albion’s first seven points coming out of the locker room before sophomore guard Lonny Fulse added a basket and Thomas contributed five points.
Albion took its biggest lead of the night when Gibbons sank a pair of free throws to give the Britons an 18-point cushion, 105-87, with two minutes remaining.
With 15 points, Brandon O’Leary was the top scorer for Tri-State (5-17 overall, 2-9 MIAA). Brandon Appleton contributed 14 points and six assists.
Albion, 19-2 overall, 9-2 in the MIAA, and ranked eighth in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25, returns to Kresge Gymnasium Saturday, Feb. 12, for a league contest against Adrian College. The junior varsity game is set for a 12:45 p.m. tip, with the varsity to follow at 3 o’clock. The audio from the varsity game can be found online at http://media.albion.edu/sports .
ALBION COLLEGE (19-2,9-2) Garrett Gibbons 11-15 2-2 26; Mike Thomas 7-11 0-0 17; Zak Silas 4-6 4-5 12; Brian Champine 5-6 0-1 10; Brandon Crawford 5-10 0-0 10; Evan Way 4-6 0-0 8; Lonny Fulse 4-8 0-0 8; Mike Bailey 2-3 2-2 7; Rick Palmer 2-3 1-2 5; Travis DePree 2-3 0-0 4; Will Braaksma 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 47-72 9-12 109. TRI-STATE (5-17,2-9) Brandon O'Leary 7-11 1-3 15; Brandon Appleton 6-9 0-0 14; Micah Williams 3-7 4-4 13; John Moore 4-9 0-0 11; Andre Patrick 4-6 0-0 9; Adam Harkiewicz 3-10 0-0 9; Mo Brookins 3-9 0-0 8; Aaron Rehrer 2-5 2-3 8; David Hutter 3-5 0-0 6; John Taylor 0-0 0-0 0; Mike Cowper 0-0 0-0 0; Greg Ripple 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 35-74 7-10 93. Albion College................ 57 52 - 109 Tri-State..................... 52 41 - 93 3-point goals-Albion College 6-11 (Mike Thomas 3-5; Garrett Gibbons 2-3; Mike Bailey 1-2; Zak Silas 0-1), Tri-State 16-44 (Micah Williams 3-7; John Moore 3-7; Adam Harkiewicz 3-10; Mo Brookins 2-8; Brandon Appleton 2-5; Aaron Rehrer 2-5; Andre Patrick 1-1; Greg Ripple 0-1). Fouled out--Albion College-None, Tri-State-None. Rebounds-Albion College 45 (Travis DePree 13), Tri-State 23 (Brandon O'Leary 4). Assists-Albion College 29 (Travis DePree 9), Tri-State 22 (Brandon Appleton 6). Total fouls-Albion College 13, Tri-State 15. A-200