Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Parker Frahning and Coach Matt Johnson. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Zavier Hayes' player spotlight interview.

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill.---The Bay College men's basketball team completed a 3-0 road trip Saturday evening with a wild 115-92 win over the McHenry College Scots in a long game that included 46 personal fouls and 67 free throw attempts.

The Norse were able to improve to 8-2 on the season and preserve their No. 19 national ranking as they head into a home tournament next weekend that will be the last games before Christmas.

“That was not fun,” said Norse Coach Matt Johnson, who received his first technical foul of the season. “The officiating just made it clunky and it just didn't flow well, and it just didn't feel good. And we have to figure some things out. I mean, we're winning games. We scored 115 points. I don't want to make it sound like it's doom and gloom."

"But I just don't feel like we are clicking. It's fun to score 115 points, and it was really fun to get some of these guys some extended minutes, but defensively, we were really poor. At the end of the day, we just need to keep getting better.”

Parker Fahning, who hasn't played much this season due to a knee injury, had a career-high 18 points, including a basket in the paint and a spot-up triple from the wing to make it a 23-13 Norse lead.

“I felt good tonight, and I enjoyed it (getting more playing time than usual),” Fahning said. “It was a little rough because got kneed early in the game, but in the second half, it felt strong. I finally got out there and hit a few shots right away. It felt great. I want to keep that momentum. I've got to knock down some more free throws, though (he was 3-of-6 at the line).”

And he agreed with his coach about how the game flowed, or...didn't.
 

“Haven't played like this since maybe AAU,” Fahning said. “It doesn't happen too much in competitive collegiate basketball. That's how it felt.”

The Norse led from wire-to-wire in the contest, which was the first-ever regular season meeting between the two teams. Josh Williams, fresh off a 32-point performance the night before, nailed a triple early to give Bay an 18-7 lead. He didn't have to do much more scoring, though, as eight other guys scored at least nine points in this choppy basketball game.

The Scots hung around throughout the first half behind the play of Malachai Barrett, who scored eleven points in the half, and Appleton West High School graduate Caeden Myers,who scored 13 first half points.

Myers' driving layup cut the Norse lead to 41-38 just before halftime, but Tre Sangiar and Connor Coduti both nailed triples as part of a 15-2 run that gave Bay a 55-40 lead at halftime.

Florence High School graduate Will Kelley matched his career high from the night before by scoring another 15 points on Saturday, including a big sequence in the second half. He sank a three-pointer from the top of the key, then at the other end, got literally run over by the very large 6-8, 300-pound center Miles Graham.
 

Then on the next play, Kelley made another three, got fouled, and made the free throw, for the four-point play. Seven points, one painful charge, all in less than a minute.

By that time, Bay was building its lead to as high as 38 points, before the Scots got a bunch from Myers, Barrett, and Noah Campbell in the final five minutes that took 20 minutes to play.

For the Norse, Joe Ofori led the way with 22 points, including a perfect 6-of-6 at the foul line. Frahning had a career-high of 18 points that included three triples.

Kelley was next with 15 points, and Mykel Lindsey, Coduti, and Williams all contributed nine points. Gladstone High School graduate, and the coach's son, Drake Johnson, scored a career-high seven points, and Kaine Fort added four points.

The Scots (0-11 overall) got 34 points from Myers, while Barrett and Campbell each added 18 points.

Bay went 18-of-26 from the foul line while McHenry was 29-of-41.

“We need to get healthy,” Coach Johnson said, noting that guards Ryan Sweeney and Nic Williams didn't play the whole trip, and Zavier Williams was limited by illness as well. “That will help, so we can get some guys back in and get our rotations firmed up to where they're going to be. Ultimately, we just need to get a little more mentally tough.”

“We struggled a lot with guys being out, and I know I was out for the first game of this road trip,” Fahning added. “But guys stepped up when they had to, and we were able to gut it out and get three wins on the road. That's what we needed and came here to do.”

The Norse (8-2 overall) continues non-conference play with home games next Friday and Saturday against Glen Oaks Community College, and Milwaukee Area Technical College. The games will start at 8:00 Friday night and 4:00 Saturday afternoon.