Men's Basketball drops overtime match against Defiance

(Defiance, OH) - The Rochester Christian men's basketball team rounded out 2025, traveling down to Defiance, Ohio, for one final WHAC contest of 2025. The Warriors would take on the Defiance Yellow Jackets in a thrilling game that wound up going into overtime. A tale of two halves defined the game, with the only difference being a putback basket with under one second from the Yellow Jackets, putting them ahead. 

FIRST HALF

The first half would see the Yellow Jackets jump out to a 16-point lead in the game, holding RCU to 28% from the field. James Fisher recorded the first bucket for the Warriors on the first possession, as DC was able to start the game on a 19-6 run, with Ashton Goul making four free throws as well. 

Following a couple of points from Lucas Brannen and James Fisher, coming out of the under-10 timeout, the Warriors would nail multiple free throws that would keep them within 15 points for the majority of the remaining time. 

SECOND HALF

The second half was a different story, although the Warriors would not get on the board until nearly two minutes into the half on a Tyler Allen layup. Linden Holder and Tymias Williams added layups as well on the ensuing two possessions to bring the lead down to 12 points. A Mason Parker three-pointer would jump-start a 15-4 run for RCU, which had them decrease the lead from 18 down to seven points.

Following the under-five timeout, Tymias Williams would convert on an "and-1" to bring the score to 66-63. The Warriors kept battling and were able to grab their first lead of the game after Linden Holder hit a three to make it 73-72 with 1:41 left. A Yellow Jacket layup and a Darnell Turner Jr. free throw would end regulation at a 74-74 tie. 

OVERTIME

James Fisher opened the extra period with a layup and a dunk, with Mason Parker following up with a layup to give RCU an early six-point lead. DC wasn't done, though, as they were able to respond, scoring the next seven points to take a one-point lead. Fisher would take back the RCU lead with his second dunk of the period. A couple of points would travel back and forth with Darnell Turner Jr. ultimately making a fast-break layup to tie the game back up, before the Yellow Jackets were able to tip in the final shot of the game to earn the conference win. 

TOP PERFORMERS

James Fisher led the way offensively with a season-high 25 points on 73% shooting, with Mason Parker, Tymias Williams, and Darnell Turner Jr. all scoring 15, 14, and 10 points, respectively. Williams led the way with seven assists while Linden Holder recorded five on the day. 

Tymias Williams was the top rebounder on the team, pulling down seven, with James Fisher right behind him with six. Linden Holder, Darnell Turner Jr., and Williams each recorded a pair of steals as well. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, January 3, when they head to Lansing, Michigan, to take on the Cleary Cougars at 3 PM.