Westminster suffered a heart-wrenching 75-72 loss to Carroll College in Helena, Mont., Saturday night, ending its regular season disappointingly. The loss pushes the Griffins into a four-way stalemate for first place in the conference instead of sealing an outright championship title with a win.
Senior captain Danny Reeder was unable to fulfill one goal that has eluded him - a victory at Carroll College.
Reeder put out a solid effort, putting up 29 points in his last regular season game to match a career high. Though the team couldn't follow through, the coaches are making sure their heads don't hang low.
Assistant coach Todd Phillips said the coaches have taken it upon themselves to keep the team optimistic and confident.
"It was a real tough loss because we would've won the conference outright, but we still tied for a conference championship and we really try to get our guys to focus on that," Phillips said.
Westminster's season was successful despite its hard-to-swallow ending. The team finished with a first-place-worthy 10-4 record in conference and an impressive 20-6 record overall.
Though they're granted a share of the conference title and had the highest overall winning percentage, they'll be seeded fourth in the Frontier Conference tournament because of a combined 2-4 record against the other top three teams.
They'll first face Rocky Mountain in the tournament, a team the Griffins knocked off twice during the season. In the second-to-last game of the season, the Griffins obliterated Rocky 68-51, stifling them with effective defensive looks.
Defeating Rocky Mountain would lead to a possible rematch with Carroll College in the final. Even though a rematch is only two wins away, the Griffins' focus is on staying positive and definitely not looking past their opponent.
The Griffins have a lot to play for. They have the Frontier Conference Championship, a possible at-large bid into the national tournament, even possibly a NAIA Championship.
Regardless of how far they go in this postseason, everything is going to be a one-step-a-time process.
