Jordyn Coon comes out fired up during starting lineups before Tuesday’s championship bout with Indiana Wesleyan. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

MISHAWAKA — Spring cleaning came a little early for the Bethel College men’s basketball team. The Pilots kept the glass clean on their way to breaking out the brooms for a season sweep over defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday night. No. 3 Bethel topped the No. 5 Wildcats for the third time this season with an 83-75 win in the Crossroads League Tournament championship game, head coach Mike Lightfoot’s final game at Gates Gymnasium.

Caleb Oetjen shoots a three over an IWU defender.

Lightfoot’s final home game was a microcosm of his 30 years at the helm for the Pilots. It was about a team working as one unit, playing solid defense and cutting down the nets. Many Bethel faithful wore shirts that donned the phrase, “A History of Victory” which was fitting as such a historical night would end in victory for Indiana’s all-time collegiate wins leader.

“That’s what we are, we’ve prided ourselves on that the past 30 years, we’re going to run, rebound and defend,” Lightfoot said after being told Tuesday’s final rebounding numbers. The Pilots won the battle of the boards 46-26. “I thought we did a really nice job of keeping them off the glass, not letting them get started with offensive put-backs and making them earn things.”

Wesleyan had just six offensive rebounds in the entire game. The Wildcats did not get their first offensive board of the second half until Ben Carlson finally pulled one down with just 2:40 to play in the contest.

Bethel was intense on defense all night and led by as many as 12 in the first half at 36-24. But Wesleyan closed the gap and trailed just 42-39 at the break. The Wildcats got the ball to start the second half in hopes of building on their momentum, but that was denied immediately by Caleb Oetjen.

“Huge, that was huge,” Lightfoot said of Oetjen’s quick pick. “They (IWU) had made a really good run the last four minutes of the first half and it had us back on our heels a little bit. Then, with them getting the first possession, it was critical for us to get out to a good start. It’s hard to do that when you’re on defense, but it was a great pick and that’s why he’s an all-conference player.”

Oetjen turned the steal into two points and put the Pilots up 44-39 to give just a little more breathing room. Bethel forced 11 turnovers on the night and converted those into 13 points. Oetjen was one of four Pilots to score double figures as he finished his night with 16 points and led the team with six assists.

Paul Forman throws down a dunk in the final minutes of the championship game.

Oetjen’s biggest assists came during crunch time. The senior assisted a go-ahead three from Jordyn Coon at the 7:10 mark to put the Pilots up 65-62. That started a run from Coon as he came back to sink another three around the six minute mark and then beat the shot clock on a jumper with 5:10 left to play, lifting the Pilots to a 70-66 lead. Coon tied for a game-high 18 points on 6-9 shooting. Coon entered the night averaging just over 11 points per game. But he, like the rest of the roster, had some extra motivation.

“Since we found out this would be coach’s last year, we’ve been playing for him,” Coon, a Warsaw graduate, explained. “Clay (Yeo) came back from a season-ending, career-ending injury to play for coach. We’ve been battling for coach all year and battling for each other.”

Yeo, a Triton product, scored eight points before fouling out with 2:59 to play. Yeo’s departure, coincidence or not, led to a huge performance out of Paul Forman after he subbed back in at the 2:18 mark. Forman hit two free throws, pulled in a big rebound and threw down a ferocious dunk, assisted by Oetjen, all in the final 90 seconds to help the Pilots close-out their title chase.

“He’s just a load down low, he’s relentless,” Lightfoot said of his 6-8 sophomore. “Paul has just been really strong all season, he’s one of the top free throw shooters in the country. That makes him tough to defend. You have to screen him out, if you don’t, he’s going to be around that basket. It’s great to see how he has matured this year.”

Tippecanoe Valley grad Nick Kindig got the start in Tuesday’s championship game and finished with five points, three of which were the team’s final three points as the senior was cold-blooded from the foul line in the closing seconds.

“I just wanted to knock them down and help us seal the deal,” Kindig said, wearing a big smile. “I really wanted to get this win for coach in his last home game. It’s a huge deal, I’m never going to forget this. I’m sure he’ll never forget it. It’s a good night for him and the program.”

Nick Kindig, a Tippecanoe Valley grad, takes a shot early on in Tuesday’s game.

Bethel (29-4) and Wesleyan (26-7) will await the results of Wednesday night’s draw for the 28th Annual NAIA Div. II Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament where Bethel is expected to receive a top seed.

As for Lightfoot, his final game at Gates Gymnasium was not as hard to handle as he was expecting.

“It really wasn’t as emotional as I thought it would be, until it got over,” the coach admitted. “I think I was so focused in on the present and the game, I really didn’t have a chance to think. I walked around the gym a little bit before everyone got in here and reflected back on great memories, but other than that I was just thinking about IWU and the next opportunity.”

With all of his players laying it all on the line for him this season, Lightfoot was not entirely sure how to explain his feelings.

“I’m thankful. I think that’s probably the biggest thing. I’m so thankful for these guys,” Lightfoot said. “I knew they were a special group as the season continued, I knew there was an incredible chemistry with these guys. We talk about how defense wins and love of teammates wins, they have both of those.

“That’s a great formula when you have hard working guys that care for one another. They weren’t going to be denied tonight. They just were not going to be denied tonight, you could sense it from the very beginning.”