Sterling Sinks Warriors in Final Seconds; Hand Midland First Loss

FREMONT, Neb. – Midland University hosted Sterling College on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference matchup at Wikert Event Center. In a thrilling contest featuring six ties and nine lead changes, Sterling narrowly edged out Midland, 82-81, handing the Warriors their first loss of the season. A late free throw by Sterling with less than a second remaining sealed the victory.

Jeff Rozelle III opened the scoring with a jump shot, igniting a 16-5 run for Midland early in the game. Sterling responded after a scoring drought with a 9-1 rally. Jake Orr then sparked Midland with a 14-5 stretch, scoring 8 points, while Luke Gdowski added 5, and Ryan Larsen contributed two free throws. Sterling quickly answered with three consecutive three-pointers and a jump shot, mounting an 11-0 run to take a 36-35 lead with under three minutes left in the half. Midland called a timeout to regroup.

Out of the timeout, Sterling added another basket to extend its lead, but Noah Sandbothe's dunk brought Midland back within one as the half neared its end. In the final seconds, Rozelle III drained a jump shot, giving Midland a 39-38 lead heading into halftime.

Orr and Rozelle started the second half strong, leading an 8-0 run for Midland. Both teams continued trading baskets, and a dunk from Orr pushed the run to 6-0 before Sterling called a timeout with Midland ahead, 58-51, as the game approached the final 10 minutes.

After the timeout, Sterling responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 58. The teams traded points again, keeping the score knotted at 69 with four minutes remaining. As the clock wound down, Sterling gained a slight edge with a layup and free throw, but Orr led Midland with a 7-0 run, giving the Warriors a 76-75 lead with under two minutes to play.

Sterling quickly regained the lead with a basket, prompting a Midland timeout. Out of the break, Orr hit three free throws to put the Warriors up, 79-77. Sterling tied it at 79 with a quick layup. Following another timeout, Orr nailed a jump shot to give Midland an 81-79 advantage, but Sterling responded once more with a layup, tying the game at 81.

With seconds left, a foul on Midland sent Sterling to the line. Sterling made the front end of a one-and-one with 0.4 seconds on the clock, clinching the 82-81 win and handing Midland its first loss of the season.

Jake Orr led Midland with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Rozelle III added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Gdowski contributed 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Ryan Larsen scored 11 points.

Despite the loss, Midland shot an impressive 52.7% (29-of-55) from the field, compared to Sterling's 46.4% (32-of-69). The Warriors hit 78% of their free throws and 41.7% of their three-pointers. Sterling, however, capitalized on Midland's 16 turnovers, scoring 20 points off them.

"We knew it would come down to defense, and we didn't defend the ball well," said head coach Tyler Erwin. "They had some bench players who made a big impact, especially in the paint, which gave us trouble. Three areas stood out: they took 14 more shots, we had more turnovers, and they outrebounded us on the offensive glass. Credit to Sterling—they're long, athletic, and made key shots down the stretch. We couldn't get the stops when we needed them. We put the outcome in the officials' hands, and it shouldn't have come to that."

Erwin continued, "Any team can be beaten on any given night. We need a strong practice Monday to prepare for Tuesday. We have to improve on the ball, in transition, and on the boards. There were costly mistakes, and we missed that one timely stop."

Midland (3-1) will have a quick turnaround as they host Saint Mary (2-2) in a non-conference game on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Wikert Event Center in Fremont.