Donte McGee said he knew TLU was in good shape for this season. TLU athletics photo by Josh Moczygemba

On Monday morning in Colorado, the Texas Lutheran men’s basketball team was gearing up for its flight back home.

The Bulldogs were less than 24 hours removed from a thrilling 61-58 overtime win over Colorado College and went into the new week poised to earn a share of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

That opportunity will come Friday when Texas Lutheran hosts Southwestern in the final game of the regular season. For now, the Bulldogs are enjoying the moment, thankful for the strides they have made during a remarkable turnaround season.

Texas Lutheran won only nine games last year, including three in conference play. Times have changed. The Bulldogs are 15-9 overall and 10-3 in the SCAC.

“It’s amazing. A complete turnaround from last year,” senior guard Donte McGee said. “This season has been everything I hoped my senior year would be. It’s been great winning games.”

McGee said he had a feeling in the preseason things would be different under new coach Jimmy Smith. Smith won 36 games in two seasons at Schreiner, which was 92-253 in the D-III era of the program prior to Smith’s arrival.

Smith was hired in April to take over at Texas Lutheran. He hasn’t lost his golden touch.

Under his direction, the Bulldogs are assured of their first winning season since 2003-04 and are in contention for their first regular-season title since the 1997-98 campaign when it tied for the Heart of Texas Conference championship.

“As soon as coach got here, we felt good about what we could do this season,” McGee said. “He has us playing really well together and always has us ready to play.”

Smith wasn’t sure what to expect when he came to Texas Lutheran but he knew what it would take to get the Bulldogs on track.

“We have come together as a team,” Smith said. “We changed the expectations and the players have worked hard in the weight room. They have all bought in and have been competitive.”

As much optimism as the Bulldogs had to start the season, it was quickly diminished by a slow start. Texas Lutheran lost its first four games.

McGee, who has been vital to the Bulldogs’ success, averaging 10.5 points per game, said no one hit the panic button despite the early struggles. They were confident they would fight through the adversity.

“Myself and the other four seniors made sure everyone stuck together,” McGee said. “We knew we would pull through it if we kept playing hard. It all worked out.”

McGee has helped fuel the Bulldogs’ success. He ranks third on the team in scoring and has knocked down 26 3-pointers. He is also grabbing 8.3 rebounds per outing and has stepped up on defense with 20 blocks.

A year ago, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

“I’ve been playing well and have been more of a leader,” McGee said. “I’ve also matured a lot since coming out of high school and have accepted my role on the team.”

Sophomore guard Jordan Kouremetis leads the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. He has knocked down a team-best 70 3-pointers while sophomore guard Sterling Holmes is averaging 12.5 points per outing. Holmes has dished out 80 assists.

Sophomore forward Zach Behr and senior guard Garrett Wilkins average 6.9 and 6.2 points per game, respectively, helping to fuel a balanced offensive attack.

“We had a tough schedule early in the year, but we changed the way we prepared and have had a lot of guys step up,” Smith said. “We have a good rotation and we have figured out a way to play that has allowed us to be successful.”

The Bulldogs are focused on Friday night and hope they can make a run at the league title and spot in the NCAA Tournament.

No matter how it all plays out, they have soared high this year. “It means everything to us to be where we are right now,” McGee said. “We’ve worked hard to get this shot and hopefully we can keep playing at a high level and have a chance to make a run in the postseason.”

Perfect at home

Louisiana College made history over the weekend, finishing off an unbeaten run at home for the first time in the D-III era of the program.

The Wildcats knocked off Sul Ross State 82-68 Saturday to improve to 10-0 at the H.O. West Fieldhouse. They also pushed their win streak to three games. Dillon Mandeville took center stage in the win as he came off the bench and hit six treys en route to scoring 22 points. He is clicking for 7.0 points per game and has made 35 3-pointers.

Louisiana College is 13-8 overall and 13-5 in the American Southwest Conference. The Wildcats have thrived off balance, with five players averaging seven or more points per outing. Anthony Gaines Jr. leads the way at 20.1 points per game. Gaines came through with a double-double Saturday, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Milestone day for Kimes

Jordan Kimes rose to the occasion once again for Ohio Northern, and along the way, the senior standout reached a scoring milestone.

Kimes scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as she reached the 1,000-point plateau of her career. Kimes reached the milestone when she hit a free throw with 2:18 remaining in the Polar Bears’ 60-50 road win over Muskingum. It was Kimes’ final point of the day.

Ohio Northern improved to 18-5 overall and 14-2 in the OAC. The Polar Bears, winners of four consecutive games,  are in first place with a one-game lead over John Carroll. They have two games left in the regular season.

Kimes is averaging 13.6 ppg  and is the lone player averaging more than nine points per outing. The two-time Academic All-OAC selection is also grabbing 8.0 rebounds per game and has recorded six  double-doubles.

Making their mark

Juamonee Byrd and Christian Ford became the 27th and 28th players in Maryville  history to reach the 1,000-point mark, reaching the milestone in Saturday’s 97-71 win over Huntingdon.

Ford drilled two 3-pointers in the final five minutes, with his second trey putting him at 1,000 for his career. He scored eight points in all.

Byrd, the reigning player of the year in the USA South Athletic Conference, got 1,000 points on a putback and also pushed his career rebounding total to 500. He is the first player since assistant head coach Greg Hernandez in 2010 to get to 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Byrd scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win.

It was also a big day for Spencer Shoffner, who nailed 10 3-pointers to break a single-game record that has stood since 1989. He finished with a career-high 34 points. The Scots nailed 17 3-pointers overall, tying a record as well. That has happened only three other times in program history.

Maryville capped the weekend with an 86-80 win over LaGrange. The Scots have won back-to-back games and are 12-11 overall and 7-5 in the conference.

Moss shines for Saints

Sydney Moss poured in a season-high 43 points and helped top-ranked Thomas More hammer Washington & Jefferson 91-70 Saturday in Presidents’ Athletic Conference action.

The Saints are 23-0 overall and 16-0 in the PAC, earning their latest win behind Moss’ impressive performance. The junior guard/forward came through with her seventh double-double of the year, grabbing 13 rebounds.

Moss is averaging 21.6 points per outing and is grabbing 6.9 rebounds per game as well. She is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and has also dished out 88 assists and racked up 43 steals for a Thomas More team that has won 67 consecutive games in the regular season.

Wait is over

Ohio Wesleyan clinched at least a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship for the first time since the 1987-88 season after beating Allegheny 80-66 Saturday.

The Bishops got a huge lift from Claude Gray, who scored 25 points and dished out six assists. Ben Simpson scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to record a double-double while Nick Felhaber and Matt Jeske came through with 14 points apiece.

Ohio Wesleyan is 19-4 overall and 14-2 in the NCAC. The Bishops have won their last six games and are a win away from their fourth consecutive 20-win season. Balance has fueled Ohio Wesleyan’s success. Four players are averaging 10 or more points per outing, including Gray, who is averaging 19.3 points per game.

Hornets back on track

After a tough loss to Hope on Wednesday, Kalamazoo got itself back on track Saturday, knocking off Albion 65-56. The Hornets, who won only 12 games last season, are now 15-8 overall and 10-5 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

The win assured Kalamazoo of a spot in the conference tournament. Kelsey Adamski paved the way as she scored 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Hannah Maness added 11 points and seven rebounds, six of them offensive boards.

Kalamazoo is assured of its first winning season since 2003-04 when it finished 14-13 overall. The Hornets are also on their way to their first winning record in league play since going 9-5 during the 2002-03 season.