OLATHE, Kan. --- With a trip to the final site in Kansas City on the line, the Pilots (20-10) fell behind in the first half and nearly completed the comeback against the Central Baptist Mustangs (27-6) by outscoring the Mustangs 37-31 in the second half but fell short 79-76.

Drew Lutz scored the Pilots two triples out of 17 attempts as a team but shot 43.3% from the floor compared to the Mustangs' 43.5% in a slight margin of shooting efficiency.

From a seven-point deficit at 3:56 in the second half, Bethel got within one point with 56 seconds to go by Drew Lutz's two-pointer, but CBC got to the free throw line to prevent the Pilots from getting ahead and secured the end of the Bethel Men's Basketball season. The Pilots will be back in action in the fall of 2024.