OSKALOOSA — The William Penn men’s basketball team celebrated Senior Night in style Saturday, defeating MidAmerica Nazarene 93–87 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play to secure its 20th win of the season.
The milestone marks the 17th 20-win campaign under Head Coach John Henry, who has now guided 16 previous teams to the same achievement.
William Penn (20-6, 14-4 Heart) built early momentum, opening the first half with a 17-10 lead before MidAmerica Nazarene (13-13, 8-10 Heart) responded with a 14-5 run to move in front 24-22. After the Statesmen evened the score at 24-24, the teams traded baskets until a decisive 15-2 surge by the Navy and Gold created separation. William Penn carried a 48-34 advantage into halftime.
The Statesmen were dominant offensively in the opening period, shooting 66.7% from the field and 41.7% from three-point range, while the Pioneers connected on 41.7% overall and 26.7% from deep.
Daivion Boleware (Jr., Jackson, Mich., Psychology) led all scorers at the break with 10 points, and both Foday Sheriff (Jr., Upper Darby, Pa., Business Management) and Malik Larane (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Sports Management) added nine.
William Penn maintained control throughout much of the second half, extending its lead to 58-40 following a Boleware dunk with 16:38 remaining. MidAmerica Nazarene mounted a late push, using an 11-0 run to close the gap to 82-78 with just over six minutes to play, but the Statesmen answered and held firm down the stretch to secure the Senior Night victory.
For the game, William Penn shot an impressive 61.8% from the floor and 47.4% from beyond the arc, while MidAmerica Nazarene finished at 44.3% overall and 36.7% from three. The Statesmen also earned 24 free-throw attempts, converting 66.7%, while limiting the Pioneers to just eight trips to the line.
Boleware paced William Penn with 22 points and six rebounds. Alif Bass (Jr., Newark, N.J., Sports Management) followed with 18 points, while Sheriff contributed 16 points and eight boards. Yonis Mohamud (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Sports Management) added 10 points, and Javion Belle-McCrary (Sr., Reform, Ala., Sports Management) recorded five assists and four steals.
MidAmerica Nazarene controlled the rebounding margin 40-29, including a 19-2 edge on the offensive glass that translated into a 24-2 advantage in second-chance points. Turnovers also proved costly for the Statesmen, who committed 14 that led to 20 Pioneer points while forcing 11 turnovers for 13 points.
“I thought Alif Bass was outstanding for us,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Alif controlled our tempo and led his team.”
Henry added, “Very excited for this team and the coaching staff to get a 20-win season.”
