Waldorf's Strong Defense Secures a 74-64 Win Over Graceland

FOREST CITY, IA – In their fifth straight home game, the Waldorf men's basketball team hosted the Graceland Yellowjackets on Wednesday evening. After a big second half, the Warriors secured their second straight win, winning 74-64 over the Yellowjackets.

"Tonight was a good win for us. This is the most complete game we have played so far," stated Head Coach Nigel Jenkins. "Both halves were solid defensively. Offensively we were aggressive and played well."

Noah Miller (JR/Forest City, IA) forced a Yellowjacket turnover to start the game and Gabriel Sorensen (JR/West Haven, UT) made a jump shot. Graceland went up by six with a three after Justin Wiggins (JR/West Palm Beach, FL) drained a three of his own.

With 12 minutes left in the first half, Miller and Noah Gwinn (JR/Liberty, SC) each make a pair of threes to take the lead 19-17. The Yellowjackets got their biggest lead of the game with five minutes remaining at 32-22.

Back-to-back threes from Gene Noble (JR/Roy, UT) and Kaelon Harkema (JR/Louisville, KY) and a steal with a fast break layup by Miller gave the Warriors an eight point run. The Yellowjackets were on top at half, 39-35.

Harkema opened the second half with a steal and fast break layup. Ugo Ejiofor (JR/Dallas, TX) grabbed an offensive rebound with a put back to tie the game. The Warriors hit three 3-pointers to take the lead at 50-46.

The Yellowjackets tied the game at 55 and then took the lead from off of an offensive rebound and put back with 7 minutes left in the game.

Waldorf forced two turnovers with steals and Harkema scored off both turnovers to start an 11-point run. Miller closed out the game to secure the win for the Warriors by going 4-4 from the free-throw line. Waldorf won 74-64.

Coming into tonight's game, Graceland was averaging 84.5 points per game and the Waldorf defense held them to 64.

Jenkins added, "We have finals coming up, so we have to take care of business in the classroom and staying sharp on the court. This was quite a stretch for us, and we are a little banged up. We have to get healthy and prepare for a very good team for our first road game at Central College."

Khalil Grayson (JR/Milwaukee, WI) finished with a team-high of 23 points off the bench. Harkema had 19 points, going 2-2 from three-point and 8-9 overall, with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Miller added 12 points with four rebounds, Ejiofor tallied 10 rebounds, and Wiggins had four assists and eight points.

Next up, the Warriors will be on the road for a matchup against NCAA DIII Central College on Saturday, November 18^th. Tipoff is at 3 pm.