KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The problem with a 64-team bracket is that 63 teams are going to go home unhappy. The Ave Maria Men's Basketball team experienced just that as the four wins leading up to Monday night made the Fab Four loss hurt all the more. The Gyrenes fell to the Langston Lions 72-69 in overtime.
The game itself was a low-scoring, physical game. With two completely different styles of play clashing in the semifinal, each team tried to impose their pace on the other. Ave Maria wanted to speed up the game while Langston wanted to slow it down. In the end, Langston was able to slow down the Gyrenes and clog up shooting lanes which led to their victory.
The first half was all Ave Maria to start. The Gyrenes raced out to a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes. Langston went 0-for-6 from the field to start the game while Ave Maria got a layup from Effertz, four free throws from Jack Watkins and a three-pointer from Marlon Bennett.
Over the next eight minutes, Ave Maria continued to grow the lead and led by as many as 12 points. Michael Klekas knocked down the second three-pointer of the half to put the Gyrenes up 20-8.
It was at this point when the pace came to a screeching halt and Langston took over the pace.
Over the final eight minutes of the half, Langston went on a 13-8 to make the score 28-21. After hitting their first two shots from downtown, Ave Maria missed four shots from behind the arc during the stretch and had to rely on layups and tip-ins to score points.
When halftime buzzer sounded, the Gyrenes went into the locker room leading by seven.
The difference maker for the game really came at the start of the second half. Langston started the frame with a 10-3 run to tie the game at 31. After a jumper from Klekas put the Gyrenes in front for a few seconds, a three-pointer from the Lions gave them their first lead of the game. A fast break dunk from Langston increased the lead to three, and the game bounced between a one and two-possession game for the rest of the second half.
The physicality also increased in the second half as Langston sent Ave Maria to the free throw line 17 times. Ave Maria hit 14 of their shots from the charity stripe, accounting for almost half their points in the frame.
Langston remained in front for seven minutes before the Gyrenes could work their way back. A layup from Watkins tied the game at 47 and then a jumper from Alex Sherwood put AMU back in front.
Ave Maria held onto the lead for a just a few moments before the Lions worked their way back in front. The lead continued to seesaw back and forth between the two. When Effertz hit a three to give the Gyrenes a lead, Langston responded with a triple of their own to get back in front. When Watkins hit two free throws, Langston drove in a layup to retake the lead. It was looking like the last team with the ball would win the game.
The last team was Ave Maria, and they had 17 seconds to make up one point. On the play, Effertz cut in towards the basket and was fouled, sending him to the line to shoot two. Effertz hit one of two shots, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
In the extra five minutes, Langston got out to a five point lead multiple times and as late as 18 seconds remaining in the frame. With the shot clock turned off and two possessions to make up, Ave Maria elected for the quick points right away and got a layup from Watkins. Out of a timeout, the Gyrenes forced a turnover on the inbound play. Langston tried to dive for the ball on the sideline, but rolled out of play, giving Ave Maria the ball on the offensive side of the floor with 5.4 seconds left.
Ave Maria had time for one more shot from downtown, and got it off, but the shot landed short from Effertz. Bennett grabbed the rebound and kicked out to Jay White for one last chance, but the clock hit zero before the ball was released ending the game, 72-69.
Watkins led the team in scoring for the second game in a row with 20 points, eight from the free throw line. Three other players hit double digits with Sherwood at 14, Effertz at 12 and Bennett at 11.
The loss brings the season to an end as the Gyrenes finish the year with a 30-5 record and a Fab Four appearance.
While Monday was a heartbreaking end to the season, this story is going to end on a positive note. It has to.
While the Gyrenes did not achieve the ultimate goal, the 2025-26 team was undoubtedly the best team in school history. For the first time, AMU won the Sun Conference regular season. They then went on to win the Sun Conference Tournament for the second year in a row. The Gyrenes then won their first two rounds, clinching the program's first ever berth to Kansas City. In the "Paris of the Plains," Ave Maria won the Duer Quadrant and advanced to the Fab Four.
Stat-wise, this year's team recorded the most points in a season, the most free throws in a season and the most rebounds in a season.
Individually, Sherwood recorded the most double-doubles in a year and the second-most doubles. Klekas recorded the third most points. Effertz hit the second-most three-pointers. White recorded the third-most assists and Watkins was right behind him with the sixth-most.
Career-wise, Klekas broke the program scoring record and rebound record. Effertz broke the three-pointer record. Watkins broke the assist record and White is right behind him in second place.
As a team over the last three years, the Gyrenes have won 77 games. They have scored over 100 points in 25 games, which makes up more than half of the 100-point games in program history.
This core left their mark on the program and left it all out on the court Monday night.
Now begins the hardest part of exiting the NAIA National Championship: waiting for October to start the journey all over again.
