Schmidt Hits 1,000 in Win Over Wilmington

Senior center Brian Schmidt (Hinckley, Ohio / Brunswick) of the Heidelberg College men’s basketball team inked his named permanently into the Berg record book today in a 82-72 victory over visiting Wilmington College. Schmidt became the 26th player in the history of the men’s basketball program to score 1,000 points. A put back in the lane with 13:25 on the clock in the opening half gave Schmidt his 999 and 1,000th points of his four-year career.

The win improves Heidelberg’s overall record to 14-3 and 8-2 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Quakers fell to 10-7 overall and 5-5 in league play. Heidelberg avenged an earlier setback to the Quakers in December. The 14 wins on the year tops Heidelberg’s win total from a season ago

Schmidt is the second player this season and third in two years, under the guidance of Duane Sheldon, to reach the 1,000 point plateau. Earlier this season fellow classmate Shawn Shriver (Bellevue, Ohio / Western Reserve) moved into the record book, while current assistant coach Ron Higgins reached the scoring mark a year ago. Schmidt finished the game with 12 points to stand at 1,008 career points, which ranks him 23rd all-time. Shriver boasts 1,116 career points, good enough for 13th, while Higgins finished his career with 1,033 which ranks 21st all-time.

Heidelberg held a 34-33 advantage at halftime despite hitting only one field goal over the final 11 minutes of the first half. Jake Hessey (Crestline, Ohio / Colonel Crawford) scored the lone bucket, a three-pointer, down the stretch of the first period with 1:35 left before halftime. Keeping the Berg in the contest in the opening half was its presence at the foul line. The Berg shot 12-of-13 from the charity stripe over the last 11 minutes to hold a slim advantage at the break.

The second half saw Wilmington take two leads in the early minutes, including 39-37 just under two minutes into the half. Heidelberg responded with a 5-0 run to take control of the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest. A Jim Smalley (Middleburg Heights, Ohio / Midpark) jumper with 9:22 on the clock pushed Heidelberg’s lead to double digits, 55-45, for the first time in the contest. The closest Wilmington could get was eight points, while the Berg extended its lead to as many as 17 points.

Pacing five players in double figures for Heidelberg was Greg Tyson Jr. (Lima, Ohio / Lima Senior) with 17 points off the bench. Backing Tyson was Schmidt, along with Hessey with 12 points and Andrew Lemmon (Port Clinton, Ohio / Port Clinton) and Chad Szalay (Lorain, Ohio / Clearview) with 11 points apiece. Lemmon led the way on the glass with nine rebounds.

Leading the Quakers was Justin Gaines with 18 points, while Brandon Rogers hauled in eight boards.

Heidelberg returns to action at Ohio Northern University Jan. 30 for a 7:30 p.m. contest. The road trip is short lived as the Berg returns to Seiberling Gymnasium Feb. 2 for a 3:00 p.m. meeting with Mount Union College.