Shadow

Hesston College men’s basketball guards Mahlon Jones (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Pierre Zook (McMinnville, Ore.) are in the midst of monster seasons for the Larks. Each is ranked nationally in scoring, with Jones averaging more than 25 points per game, the top among all NJCAA Region VI players and fourth overall.

Zook isn’t far behind. The freshman Oregonian is 23rd nationally at just shy of 20 points per game. Combined, the two have been the driving force behind the Hesston offense all season.

Jones’ ability to get to the rim was never more evident than in the Larks’ latest win, a 95-91 overtime thriller on Jan. 18 when the sophomore guard poured in 42 points, seven short of the all-time single-game mark for Hesston men’s basketball. Zook has twice connected on eight three-pointers in a single game, one short of the record books for Larks’ hoops.

The duo has come up huge time after time. In Hesston’s biggest win of the year to date, a 83-75 victory over Region VI foe Highland (Kan.) Community College, Jones and Zook combined for 48 points on 17-of-31 shooting (54.8 percent). In a home contest versus Barton Community College (Great Bend, Kan.), who at the time was undefeated and ranked in the top-10 in NJCAA Division I, Jones and Zook scored 33 and 21 points respectively, which accounted for 54 of the Larks’ 83 points.

“Mahlon and Pierre are two of the most talented guards in the country,” said Hesston coach Dustin Galyon. “They continue to score night in and night out and their best performances have come against our greatest competition. They have been tremendous leaders and that has been the foundation for their success.”

Hesston sports a 9-9 record with an upcoming game at Rhema Bible College (Broken Arrow, Okla.) on Friday, Jan. 20.