Sagehens soar past Poets in emphatic 40 point victory

HAROLD FUSON a perfect 9-9 from the field, including four made 3-pointers.

With first place in the SCIAC up in the air following Redlands’ loss to Cal Lutheran, the PomonaPitzer men’s basketball team made easy work of the Poets, sending a resounding message throughout the conference: the Sagehens are the SCIAC’s top team.

The Sagehens hosted the Poets of Whittier College on Saturday night at 7 in the teams’ second meeting of the season. The Sagehens soared past the Poets en route to a 115-70 point win, P-P’s most significant win margin of the season.

In a game that saw 14 Sagehens get time on the court, P-P took control early and never looked back. Opening the game with a 7-0 run, including five points in the first 1:30 of play from Ty Bergman PO ’25, the Hens looked calm and collected, in complete control of the Whittier squad. P-P could not miss to open the game, shooting

Bergman, playing in his first game back after being sidelined with a suspected heart condition which put his basketball career in jeopardy, looked as if he had missed no time at all. The 6-foot7-inch guard had 13 points and seven rebounds, making an immediate impact in his return.

“I was really out of shape, but it was a blast to be back,” Bergman said.

Bergman’s teammates shared his enthusiasm for being back on the court. Owen Avdalovic PZ ’25 spoke of the Hens’ excitement at having Bergman back.

“Everyone is super excited to have Ty back. He’s a great player and a great dude. We’re just happy for our teammate to be back,” Avdalovic said.

Bergman had a strong presence on the court on Saturday, but that was expected of him.

He reached double-digit points and rebounds multiple times this season, including a doubledouble against Haverford College in December. Guards Brendan Mora PO ’23 and Joe Cookson PO ’25 continued to run the offense for the Sagehens in the first half, scoring 18 and 12 points respectively. With 13:39 left in the opening half, Cookson sank a two-point jump shot to put the Hens up by 13, one of their largest leads of the half. The two refused to let up on offense, with each scoring multiple more baskets before time expired in the first. Mora would finish with 22 points and five rebounds, his fifth time surpassing 20 points this season. Cookson would end with an equally impressive stat line, finishing with 20 points and a rebound shy of a double-double.

The Sagehens entered the locker room at the half with a 58-39 point lead, a season-best in