A regulation sized basketball rim is 19 inches, but to sophomore forward Brady Sisk it had to look enormous. Sisk and the Ichabods (7-9, 1-5) snapped their six-game losing streak with a 71-58 victory over MIAA opponent Pittsburg State (6-11, 2-4).

Sisk led the Bods, pouring in a career high 32 points, by shooting 14-17 from the field and 4-4 from the line. Sophomore transfer Dylan Channel produced another solid effort, scoring 15 points and seven boards for the Ichabods. Leading scorer for the Gorillas and second in the conference, Eddie Jackson, was held to 11 points despite coming into the game averaging more than 20 points a contest.

Sisk started strong early for the Bods, scoring all seven of the team’s points by the first media timeout. Sisk’s total was to 14 at the half, and the Bods jumped out to 34-26 lead.

Despite an early deficit, the Bods went on an 18-11 run in the first half and never relinquished the lead. The game was officially slammed shut when freshman Paul Byers threw down a two-handed dunk with just a few seconds left in the game. Despite injuries and early season troubles of getting the ball into the low post, the Bods made a conscientious effort to get it in down low early and often.

“The guys did a great job of getting the ball inside tonight. Tonight was definitely a team effort and it feels great to get a win. I was able to get some easy baskets tonight because my teammates were making some great passes,” said Sisk.

The effort and execution paid off as the Ichabods dominated the paint with a 42-20 point advantage down low. Against Pittsburg State, this is the ninth straight win and 26 of the last 27 games.

Some changes were made over break in regard to injury and personal conduct. Guards J.B. Murray and Peter McDonald were released from the team due to basketball related issues, and forward Kyle Snyder was red-shirted due to a recurring shoulder injury. These three departures allowed football standout Fletcher Terrell and fellow football teammate Mike Odupitan to join the team. Both have seen limited action as they still find their roles within the team.

“Right now I’m just here to play some tough, solid defense and grab some rebounds. It’s like football because you want to compete but everything else is pretty different,” said Terrell.

Odupitan agreed with Terrell that there are few similarities between the sports, but they are there to help motivate the team and bring some much-needed energy.