With leading scorer Brady Sisk out for Wednesday’s game with a sprained ankle, the Bods could have rolled over against the Griffons from Missouri Western. However, senior guard Kris Milburn put on his superhero uniform and led the Ichabods to a 67-61 victory.

Milburn led the Bods in scoring with 18 points and added three rebounds, four assists and a steal. Fellow backcourt mates Kyle Fisher and Andrew Meile chipped in 13 points apiece to help offset the loss, Sisk.

In a game where the largest margin was six points and the lead changed hands 13 times, the Bods’ hot shooting in the first half kept them in the game early. The Ichabods started out slow before Milburn exploded for nine of Washburn’s first 12 points in the first eight minutes of the half. Fisher’s three-for-three shooting beyond the arc helped boost the Bods’ shooting percentages to 54 percent from the field and 67 percent from 3-point range.

As the Bods headed into the locker room with a 34-30 lead, Bob Chipman, head coach, realized the Ichabods had been in this position before and didn’t capitalize.

“[Coach] emphasized we have to play for 40 minutes and not be satisfied with a 20-minute lead,” said Fisher.

The Bods responded by picking up their intensity on the defensive end. Both teams endured a three-minute scoreless stretch early in the second half as both defenses took it up a notch.

After the Griffons took the lead halfway through the second half, the usually stoic Chipman became visibly agitated at calls going against the Bods. An offensive foul called on forward Dylan Channel prompted Chipman to throw his jacket at the bench. The ensuing Griffon possession resulted in a foul on Paul Byers, which caused the coach to run and jump away from the court in disbelief. Chipman’s passion rubbed off on the Bods late in the game. The next Griffon possession lasted for over three minutes – an eternity in basketball.

Five offensive rebounds and two loose balls against Washburn gave the Griffons a chance to up their lead to five. However, the Bods refused to give in and held Missouri Western scoreless. The Bods then put forth a 12-3 run that iced up the game. The win puts the Ichabods in a tie for the last spot in the MIAA tourney with Pittsburg State.

The Bods are hopeful for the future.

“This win is huge coming off of these losses. Coach thinks we’re turning the corner, so we need to make a run this last half of the schedule and get into the tourney. The tournament is our goal right now,” said Channel.