The Thunder men's basketball team played their final game of 2024 on Monday afternoon, an exhibition contest with the Rockhurst University Hawks. The Thunder would jump out to a 9-5 lead just before the under-16 media timeout. With the score 24-19, a 14-0 run by the Hawks would push the lead to 19 with 4:27 left in the half. A late push would put the Thunder down 42-27 at the break. An 8-0 run to start the second half would give the Thunder momentum to keep the game close. The Thunder would cut the lead down to six with 14:25 left to play, but the Hawks would go on another run to bolster their lead to 24 with 9:15 left. The Thunder would battle the final nine minutes and outscore the Hawks 26-18, but it would be too little in the end and the Thunder would fall short, 88-72.

The Thunder were lead by sophomore, Davis Rokey who had 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, four rebounds, and two steals. Senior, Cody Mericle had an efficient afternoon going 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from distance to score 12 points, while also collecting three boards. Fellow senior, Micah Lovett would chip in with 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while freshman, Tatum Pierce had nine points. The Thunder would shoot 39.1% from the field, 27.3% from the three-point line, and 80.0% from the free throw line.

The Thunder finish 2024 with a record of 5-7 and a 2-0 mark in Midwest Christian College Conference play. The Thunder will be back in action on January 4th when they host the Welch College Flames at Howie's Activity Center at 2:00 PM.

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