MBB: Lasers Fall in GNAC Title Game, 79-72 at SJC

Standish, ME - The Lasell University Lasers and Monks of Saint Joseph College met on Saturday afternoon to conclude the GNAC Tournament. The top two seeds came into the game each having had historic seasons, with the Lasers having a 12-2 conference record (21-6 overall) and the Monks having a 13-1 record (23-4 overall). 

Saturday's championship match saw the Lasers capture the momentum first as Che Hanks and Karim Belhouchet combined for 15 of the first 17 Laser points in an early 17-8 lead. Hanks, who was coming off a season-best 27 points against the Blue Jays of Saint Joseph (CT) in the semi-finals, certainly saw the confidence continue in this one as his three pointer at the 15:02 mark forced the Monks to call timeout and gave him 8 points over just the first five minutes. Over the next couple minutes of game time, however, the Monks' 8-2 run made it just a one-score game, 19-16 at the 12:43 mark. The Lasers would shortly thereafter push the lead back to 9, with Esmer Madesko finding his way to a few baskets inside, but the Monks began to heat up from the outside. The Monks would hit four threes on a 14-2 sprint from the 9:20 to 6:36 mark, which raced them in front 30-27, giving them their first lead of the game. Not wanting to see the Monks run away with the momentum at home, the Lasers responded with an 8-0 run capped by a Cameron Foster-Martez three with 4:29 remaining in the half, putting the Lasers back up 35-30. The Lasers tried to hold onto this lead going into the half but a late 9-1 surge gave the Monks a narrow 41-40 halftime edge. 

Opening the second half, Andy Madesko's layup broke the ice and started a back and forth affair between the teams. There were 6 lead changes and 5 ties throughout the second half, with the game being held within just two possessions until the final minute. Matching buckets and keeping pace with the Monks for much of the second half, the Lasers were down 69-73 with 2:53 left. Coming out of the timeout, they were able to get three defensive stops in a row and gave themselves an opportunity offensively to even the score. Unfortunately, the Lasers couldn't convert on their looks and after coming up empty on another trip, a Monks and-one layup with 0:42 seconds left put them up 77-69. This would be too much for the Lasers to recover from late and would result in a 79-72 final. 

Che Hanks was the team leader in scoring on the day, totaling 20 points and hitting 4 threes. Andy Madesko added 15 points and 7 rebounds while his brother Esmer added 14 points and 7 assists. Karim Belhouchet had 11 points, and despite a tough scoring day for Senior Marcus Lewis, he impacted the game with 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals which were team highs in those categories. 

Both Che Hanks and Esmer Madesko were recognized with All-Tournament Team Honors. Hanks in three tournament games averaged 21.7 points and shot 41.5% from the field. Madesko averaged 18.3 points with 5.7 rebounds across the three games. 

Up Next - While this marks the end of the season for the Lasers, they look to retain several young pieces such as the pair of Madesko brothers and Che Hanks, and build upon one of the best seasons in program history heading into the 2025-26 campaign.