By Jeff Yoder
The Taylor men's basketball team got its fifth straight win on Saturday with an 85-79 victory over the No. 12 Bethel Pilots in Odle Arena.
The Trojans got the job done in the backcourt with junior Ben Raichel scoring 26 on 9-for-12 shooting and senior Casey Coons scoring 24.
Tailing by five at the break, the Trojans played like a team on a mission in the first ten minutes of the second stanza. They outscored the Pilots 23-8 to grab a ten point lead heading the stretch.
Bethel managed to create one more run at the Trojans by cutting the lead to 81-76 with little time left but Taylor's clutch free throws sealed the deal in Odle on Saturday.
Along with Raichel and Coons combined 50 points, forward Tommy Peller added 17 while Nate Kasper added ten on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting.
With the win, the Trojans have won five in a row and are tied with Bethel for third in Crossroads League play. Taylor will travel to Fort Wayne, Ind. on Tuesday to take on Saint Francis at 7:00 pm.
