From the E-town College Website:
11/29/2008
Church's career high leads Etown over Neumann, 82-75
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Elizabethtown 82, Neumann 75
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored a career-high 27 points as Elizabethtown College downed Neumann College 82-75 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 19 points for the Blue Jays (4-2 overall), who erased an eight-point second half deficit by outscoring the Knights (1-3 overall) 33-15 over an eight-minute span midway through the half.
Church went 8-for-15 from the field and 11-for-12 from the foul line to surpass his previous best scoring output of 22 points set on Feb. 16 of last season at Lebanon Valley College. He scored nine of his points during a 12-2 Elizabethtown run that turned a 55-51 deficit with 11:28 to play into a 63-57 advantage with 8:36 to go.
Mike Walukiewicz scored 22 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Neumann, but the Knights shot just 40.6 percent (13-for-32) from the field after intermission following a first half in which they shot 63.2 percent (12-for-19). Overall, the Knights finished at 49.0 percent (25-for-51) but committed 24 turnovers.
Despite the hot shooting from Neumann in the first half, it was Elizabethtown that scored the final six points of the period to go into halftime with a 38-34 lead. Church netted 12 points to lead the Blue Jays while Flanagan added nine, and Eli Hitchens paced the Knights with a game-high 13 points.
Neumann opened the second half with a 14-2 run to take its largest lead of the day at 48-40 on a three-point play by Walukiewicz with 15:21 to go. However, the Blue Jays stormed back to take a 56-55 lead on a layup by Church with 10:34 remaining.
Down by six, the Knights made a final push to cut the Etown lead to 63-61 with 7:51 left. The Blue Jays answered with a quick 10-2 run to move on top 73-63 with 5:45 left, but Neumann again rallied to trim the deficit to 73-70 with 3:45 to go.
From there, baskets by Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken), Keith Fogel (Mifllinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) and Church gave Elizabethtown a 79-70 advantage at the 2:09 mark, and the Blue Jays hit three foul shots in the final 64 seconds to seal the win.
Fogel joined Church and Flanagan in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) had a season-high nine assists. Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) finished with a team-high seven rebounds for the Blue Jays, who held a 36-32 edge on the glass over the Knights.
Eli Hitchens tallied 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Knights, with Michael Hitchens and Na'Sheed Linton adding 12 points apiece.
From the Neumann College Website:
Men's Basketball Falls at Elizabethtown
11/29/2008 6:24:16 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – The Neumann College men’s basketball team lost to Elizabethtown College, 82-75, Saturday afternoon in a non-conference match-up.
Mike Walukiewicz (fr. Elmer, N.J. / Cumberland Regional) led four Knights in double figures with 22 points, including five three-pointers. Eli Hitchens (sr. Abington, Pa. / Abington) netted 15 points. Na’Sheed Linton and Mike Hitchens (sr. Abington, Pa. / Abington) each scored 12.
Mike Church led the Blue Jays with 27 points. Joe Flanagan netted 19 points and Keith Fogel added 12.
The first half featured 11 lead changes and two ties. Elizabethtown netted the final four points of the half to take a four point lead, 38-34, into the locker room.
Sean Armstrong and Mike Hitchens scored two points a piece to begin the second half and tie the game at 38-all. After the teams traded buckets, the Knights netted the next eight points for its largest lead of the game at 48-40. Elizabethtown responded with the next six points to cut the Knights lead to two.
Again the team would trade baskets, but the Blue Jays would take a one point lead on a Church lay-up and Flanagan sank and three-pointer to make the score 59-55. Elizabethtown would build its lead to 10 points with 5:45 remaining. The Knights got within three points with 3:45 left, but the Blue Jays held on for the 82-75 win.
Neumann is now 1-3 on the season. Elizabethtown is 4-2. The Knights will open Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) play on Monday night at Immaculata. The men will tip-off at 8 p.m. which follows the women at 6 p.m.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Blue Jays make their run last
E-town men beat Neumann College 82-75, thanks to a second-half spurt.
By GREG CALDWELL, Correspondent
Basketball is a game of spurts, and Elizabethtown College used a big one in the second half to turn a deficit into a secure lead in a 82-75 victory over Neumann College Saturday in men's action at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Blue Jays (4-2) trailed 48-42 five minutes into the second half when the team caught fire, going on a 31-16 run over the next ten minutes to take the lead for good. E-town was led by the inside and foul shooting of junior center Mike Church (Solanco) who finished with a career-high 27 points to pace the attack.
"We had less spells of ineptness today than in any other game," Blue Jays' coach Bob Schlosser said. "We picked it up defensively when we needed to, hit our foul shots and got strong play from the bench. We do let up some easy baskets, but the opponents are turning the ball over and I like to think we are wearing teams down."
Church was helped on offense by the outside shooting of Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite), who hit three of five three-point tries and scored 19 points, and Keith Fogel, who chipped in 12.
E-town and Neumann (1-3) exchanged the lead in the early part of the first half, before the Blue Jays used a 16-8 run to go up by six, 21-15. Flanagan scored seven points during this time, including a lay-up where he spun past the last defender and hit the easy basket. The Knights, who had lost two close games against their two previous opponents, bounced back to take its first lead since early in the game, 25-23. The teams exchanged the lead five more times, and the Blue Jays went into the locker room up 38-34.
The intermission seemed to take something out of the Blue Jays, as the team came out flat and failed to make a field goal the first five minutes. Church sank two free throws for the team's only points during this time. Neumann took advantage of this lapse to score 14 of the first 16 points of the half and lead 48-40.
"Basketball is a game of spurts at this level and it is the team that can limit those down runs that wins," Schlosser said. "They went ahead, but we did not let it last long and got back into the game."
Flanagan started the Blue Jays' recovery, scoring an easy basket off the inbounds to cut the lead to six. Mike Walukiewicz, who paced the Knights with 22 points, hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 55-51 lead. Church drove the lane on the next possession, and sank an inside jumper as he was fouled. He hit the foul shot and scored again after a Knights' turnover to put the Blue Jays back on top, 56-55. Neumann missed a shot on the other end, and Flanagan then sank a wide open shot from long range to give E-town a 59-55 lead.
"The spurt was huge," Church said. "We try every game to limit their runs and make our runs last longer. Our comeback shows the character of the team. We are not going to quit ever."
The Knights used strong foul shooting and hustle to cut the lead down to a basket on two different occasions, but were never able to pull even. A subsequent three-point play by Phil Schaffer, who excelled on defense and dished out nine assists, pushed the lead to eight. Fogel scored off a perfect assist from Church for 73-63 lead. Church sank a late field goal and two foul shots to finish up his great game and secure the win for the Blue Jays.
"We feel better about how we are playing, as we are playing like a team now," said Schlosser.
E-town travels to Division II Millersville at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, before returning home next Saturday to face Gwynedd-Mercy.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Blue Jays to Host Neumann
The game program is now ready for today's game against Neumann. Also, if you can't make it to the game, you can check out the live stats here.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Blue Jays outlast Marymount in OT, 88-78
From the E-town College Website:
11/25/2008
Men's basketball outlasts Marymount in OT, 88-78
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Elizabethtown 88, Marymount 78 (OT)
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) and Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) combined to score 11 of Elizabethtown's 14 points in overtime as the Blue Jays claimed a wild 88-78 victory over Marymount University in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Schaffer scored six of his career-high 12 points in the overtime period while Fogel added five of his career-best 21 points in the extra frame as the Blue Jays (3-2 overall) bounced back after seeing the Saints (3-2 overall) rally from a 13-point second-half deficit.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) led all players with a career-high 22 points while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) also reached double figures with 14 points to go with five rebounds, five steals and four blocked shots.
Mike Gray led Marymount (3-2 overall) with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Chapmen Canady hit two key shots at the end of regulation en route to 14 points for the Saints.
The game, already scheduled for an unusually late 9:00 p.m. tipoff as the second half of a doubleheader with the Blue Jay women, was twice delayed - for 30 minutes at the start as the Marymount team bus was late arriving after being caught in a traffic jam, and again for 13 minutes with 3:10 left in the second half when the gym lights automatically shut off at 11:00 p.m.
Despite the distractions, the Blue Jays outscored the Saints 14-4 in the overtime period and shot 5-for-8 from the floor in the period after hitting 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the second half.
Elizabethtown never trailed in the overtime, as Schaffer twice converted steals into layups and Fogel drilled a key three-pointer with 3:16 left to give the Blue Jays an 80-76 lead. After a layup by Gray trimmed the Blue Jay advantage to 80-78 with 2:16 to go, buckets by Schaffer and Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) kicked off a game-ending 8-0 run for Etown.
The Blue Jays looked to have the game in hand early in the second half, taking their largest lead of the night at 58-45 on a three-pointer by Flanagan with 11:17 to play. Marymount answered with nine consecutive points to pull within 58-54 with 9:12 left.
Trailing 72-66 with 2:18 to go, the Saints' Chapmen Canady single-handledly brought his team back as he hit a jumper and a three-pointer to cut the Elizabethtown margin to one at 72-71 with 1:11 left. After Fogel hit two foul shots with 53 seconds left, Canady hit another three to tie the game at 74-74 with 32 seconds to go.
Church was unable to connect on a potential winning shot with 19 seconds to go, and Gray's baseline jumper in the closing seconds caught rim to send the game to overtime.
Elizabethtown led 33-32 at halftime despite allowing Marymount to shoot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field. The Saints were plagued by turnovers throughout the contest, committing 15 of their 29 miscues in the opening half.
In addition to his 12 points, Schaffer added six assists and four steals for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) had a team-high seven rebounds to go with five points.
11/25/2008
Men's basketball outlasts Marymount in OT, 88-78
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Elizabethtown 88, Marymount 78 (OT)
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) and Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) combined to score 11 of Elizabethtown's 14 points in overtime as the Blue Jays claimed a wild 88-78 victory over Marymount University in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Schaffer scored six of his career-high 12 points in the overtime period while Fogel added five of his career-best 21 points in the extra frame as the Blue Jays (3-2 overall) bounced back after seeing the Saints (3-2 overall) rally from a 13-point second-half deficit.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) led all players with a career-high 22 points while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) also reached double figures with 14 points to go with five rebounds, five steals and four blocked shots.
Mike Gray led Marymount (3-2 overall) with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Chapmen Canady hit two key shots at the end of regulation en route to 14 points for the Saints.
The game, already scheduled for an unusually late 9:00 p.m. tipoff as the second half of a doubleheader with the Blue Jay women, was twice delayed - for 30 minutes at the start as the Marymount team bus was late arriving after being caught in a traffic jam, and again for 13 minutes with 3:10 left in the second half when the gym lights automatically shut off at 11:00 p.m.
Despite the distractions, the Blue Jays outscored the Saints 14-4 in the overtime period and shot 5-for-8 from the floor in the period after hitting 54.2 percent (13-for-24) in the second half.
Elizabethtown never trailed in the overtime, as Schaffer twice converted steals into layups and Fogel drilled a key three-pointer with 3:16 left to give the Blue Jays an 80-76 lead. After a layup by Gray trimmed the Blue Jay advantage to 80-78 with 2:16 to go, buckets by Schaffer and Brady Haughney (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) kicked off a game-ending 8-0 run for Etown.
The Blue Jays looked to have the game in hand early in the second half, taking their largest lead of the night at 58-45 on a three-pointer by Flanagan with 11:17 to play. Marymount answered with nine consecutive points to pull within 58-54 with 9:12 left.
Trailing 72-66 with 2:18 to go, the Saints' Chapmen Canady single-handledly brought his team back as he hit a jumper and a three-pointer to cut the Elizabethtown margin to one at 72-71 with 1:11 left. After Fogel hit two foul shots with 53 seconds left, Canady hit another three to tie the game at 74-74 with 32 seconds to go.
Church was unable to connect on a potential winning shot with 19 seconds to go, and Gray's baseline jumper in the closing seconds caught rim to send the game to overtime.
Elizabethtown led 33-32 at halftime despite allowing Marymount to shoot 60 percent (15-for-25) from the field. The Saints were plagued by turnovers throughout the contest, committing 15 of their 29 miscues in the opening half.
In addition to his 12 points, Schaffer added six assists and four steals for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) had a team-high seven rebounds to go with five points.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday Night Hoops
The Blue Jays entertain Marymount University this evening in E-town! Be sure to check out the Game Program. If you can't make it to the game you can follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tourney Recap
Back home after a weekend in Gettysburg. The following posts recap the Blue Jays 2 tourney games.
The following articles were taken from the E-town College Website:
11/21/2008
#11 Gettysburg downs Etown, 71-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gettysburg 71, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. --- Dan Capkin poured home 28 points while three other players scored in double figures as 11th-ranked Gettysburg College defeated Elizabethtown College 71-56 in the opening round of the Gettysburg Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
Capkin went 10-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, as the Bullets (1-0 overall) shot 60 percent (27-for-45) from the field as a team and led from start to finish by as many as 24 points.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) led the Blue Jays (2-1 overall) with 17 points and five rebounds while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures off the bench with 11 points, but Elizabethtown connected on just 31.7 percent (19-for-60) from the field as a team and was unable to capitalize on 22 Gettysburg turnovers.
The Bullets dashed to a 12-4 lead after just five minutes of play, but the Blue Jays pulled within 14-13 on a three-pointer by Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 11:33 left in the first half. Six straight points by Capkin, who scored 15 in the half, fueled a surge that sent Gettysburg to halftime with a 35-22 lead.
A 13-point deficit was the closest that Elizabethtown would come in the second half, as the Bullets followed up a 58.3 percent shooting effort in the first half by hitting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field in the second half.
Joining Capkin in double figures for Gettysburg were Corey Dorsey (15 points), Kevin Kennedy (13 points) and Andrew Powers (11 points). Powers and Dorsey each finished with six rebounds to tie for the team lead, while Powers also handed out five assists.
In Friday's other game, SUNY Geneseo defeated Rowan University 62-55, meaning the Blue Jays will play Rowan in Saturday's consolation game at 2:00 p.m. followed by SUNY Geneseo against Gettysburg in the championship game at 4:00 p.m.
11/22/2008
Men's basketball defeated by Rowan, 63-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Rowan 63, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. ---Rowan University outscored Elizabethtown College 17-6 over the final nine minutes to rally for a 63-56 victory in the consolation game of the Gettysburg College Days Inn Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Profs (1-3 overall) trailed 50-46 following a three-pointer by Etown's Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 9:48 to play, but held the Blue Jays (2-2 overall) to just two field goals the rest of the way to cap a comeback from a 14-point first-half deficit.
Tyson Hartnett led Rowan with 15 points while Billy Care posted 13 points and nine rebounds for the Profs, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field as a team.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) was the lone Blue Jay to finish in double figures as he tallied 15 points in his first career start and was named to the All-Tournament Team, but Elizabethtown connected on just 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field and committed 23 turnovers.
The Blue Jays held their largest lead of the game at 30-16 on a basket by Flanagan with 4:08 left in the first half, but the Profs took advantage of six Etown turnovers to close the half on a 15-0 run, taking a 31-30 lead to intermission.
Neither team led by more than four points for most of the second half, but the Profs took control in the final five minutes as a 13-1 run gave Rowan a 59-51 lead with 1:26 to go.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) tallied nine points for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted four points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
In the championship game, the host Bullets held on for a 58-56 win over SUNY Geneseo, with Gettysburg's Dan Capkin earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
The following articles were taken from the E-town College Website:
11/21/2008
#11 Gettysburg downs Etown, 71-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gettysburg 71, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. --- Dan Capkin poured home 28 points while three other players scored in double figures as 11th-ranked Gettysburg College defeated Elizabethtown College 71-56 in the opening round of the Gettysburg Days Inn Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
Capkin went 10-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, as the Bullets (1-0 overall) shot 60 percent (27-for-45) from the field as a team and led from start to finish by as many as 24 points.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) led the Blue Jays (2-1 overall) with 17 points and five rebounds while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) reached double figures off the bench with 11 points, but Elizabethtown connected on just 31.7 percent (19-for-60) from the field as a team and was unable to capitalize on 22 Gettysburg turnovers.
The Bullets dashed to a 12-4 lead after just five minutes of play, but the Blue Jays pulled within 14-13 on a three-pointer by Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 11:33 left in the first half. Six straight points by Capkin, who scored 15 in the half, fueled a surge that sent Gettysburg to halftime with a 35-22 lead.
A 13-point deficit was the closest that Elizabethtown would come in the second half, as the Bullets followed up a 58.3 percent shooting effort in the first half by hitting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field in the second half.
Joining Capkin in double figures for Gettysburg were Corey Dorsey (15 points), Kevin Kennedy (13 points) and Andrew Powers (11 points). Powers and Dorsey each finished with six rebounds to tie for the team lead, while Powers also handed out five assists.
In Friday's other game, SUNY Geneseo defeated Rowan University 62-55, meaning the Blue Jays will play Rowan in Saturday's consolation game at 2:00 p.m. followed by SUNY Geneseo against Gettysburg in the championship game at 4:00 p.m.
11/22/2008
Men's basketball defeated by Rowan, 63-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Rowan 63, Elizabethtown 56
Click here for the box score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. ---Rowan University outscored Elizabethtown College 17-6 over the final nine minutes to rally for a 63-56 victory in the consolation game of the Gettysburg College Days Inn Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Profs (1-3 overall) trailed 50-46 following a three-pointer by Etown's Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) with 9:48 to play, but held the Blue Jays (2-2 overall) to just two field goals the rest of the way to cap a comeback from a 14-point first-half deficit.
Tyson Hartnett led Rowan with 15 points while Billy Care posted 13 points and nine rebounds for the Profs, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field as a team.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) was the lone Blue Jay to finish in double figures as he tallied 15 points in his first career start and was named to the All-Tournament Team, but Elizabethtown connected on just 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field and committed 23 turnovers.
The Blue Jays held their largest lead of the game at 30-16 on a basket by Flanagan with 4:08 left in the first half, but the Profs took advantage of six Etown turnovers to close the half on a 15-0 run, taking a 31-30 lead to intermission.
Neither team led by more than four points for most of the second half, but the Profs took control in the final five minutes as a 13-1 run gave Rowan a 59-51 lead with 1:26 to go.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) tallied nine points for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) posted four points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
In the championship game, the host Bullets held on for a 58-56 win over SUNY Geneseo, with Gettysburg's Dan Capkin earning tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
18th Annual Gettysburg Days Inn Men's Basketball Tip-Off Tournament
There's updated info. on the Gettysburg College Website regarding this weekend's tournament.
Included in the information on the Website is the tournament program.
Good luck this weekend Blue Jays!
Included in the information on the Website is the tournament program.
Good luck this weekend Blue Jays!
Blue Jays rally for 73-62 win over Lancaster Bible
From the E-town College Website:
11/18/2008
Men's basketball rallies for 73-62 win over Lancaster Bible
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Elizabethtown 73, Lancaster Bible 62
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Elizabethtown College rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat Lancaster Bible College 73-62 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with team highs of 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Blue Jays (2-0 overall) used runs of 15-0 spanning the halves and 10-2 midway through the second half to dispatch of the pesky Chargers, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field and 8-for-16 from three-point range.
Kevin Keltner and Billy Harrison scored 18 points apiece to lead Lancaster Bible (1-1 overall), with Keltner hitting all three of his three-point attempts and Harrison finishing 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. However, the Chargers committed 29 turnovers which led to 34 Blue Jay points.
Lancaster Bible used a 13-0 run to turn an early 10-9 deficit into a 22-10 lead on a layup by Carl Edwards with 8:08 left in the first half, and took its largest lead at 27-16 following a three-pointer by Harrison with 4:27 left in the half.
Trailing 30-20 with one minute left in the first half, the Blue Jays halved the Charger lead to 30-25 at halftime, then scored the first 10 points of the second half to take a 35-30 lead on two foul shots by Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) with 16:41 to go.
A three-pointer by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) gave Elizabethtown a 42-33 lead with 14:39 to go, but the Chargers climbed back to a 44-44 tie on back-to-back three-pointers by Harrison and Keltner, the latter with 12:00 to play.
However, Flanagan and Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) answered with three-pointers to give Elizabethtown a 50-44 lead with 10:53 left, and after two foul shots by Keltner, Jones hit another three to extend the Blue Jay advantage to 53-46 with 10:03 remaining.
Harrison hit his fourth three-pointer of the night with 8:29 to play to bring the Chargers to within 54-52 at the 8:29 mark, but Lancaster Bible would score just one point over the next four minutes as Elizabethtown built a 60-53 lead with 4:56 to go.
Flanagan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes off the Blue Jay bench, while Fogel added 13 points and a career-high five steals. Edwards finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for the Chargers.
From the Lancaster Bible College Website:
Elizabethtown, PA- The Chargers faced off against highly favored Elizabethtown Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Last season’s match-up ended with a 50 point blow out in favor of the Blue Jays. It was uncertain, coming into Tuesday, if history would repeat itself. With a 5 point lead at the break it was clear the Chargers had come to play. Despite the early strong play, Lancaster fell 73-62.
Chargers started off well and jumped out to early lead 22-10, with 8:08 left in the first half. The key to Lancaster’s success in the beginning stanza was excellent shot selection, shooting 59 percent, and a good defensive scheme holding the Blue Jays to 34 percent from the field. The Chargers were lead by junior big man Carl Edward’s (Baltimore, MD) 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first half, Edwards finished with 12 and 11 his first double- double of the season. To end the half Etown went on an 11-3 run to cut the Chargers halftime lead to 5, 30-25.
The second half belonged to the Blue Jays, they opened the half with 8 unanswered points to take the lead for the first time since early in the first half. In the ensuing minutes Lancaster would fall behind by 8. Just when the Blue Jays seemed to take control the Chargers tied the game at 44 all at the 12 minute mark. That would be as close as Lancaster would come, as E-town was able to hit back to back three’s to regain control.
Guards Kevin Keltner (Menomonee Falls, WI) and Billy Harrison (Douglassville, PA) tied for the game high with 18 points. Carl Edwards (Baltimore, MD) left an impact in the paint with 12 points and 11 boards. Etown’s Mike Church was a presence inside with 17 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks.
The Chargers host Washington Bible this Friday for their home opener at 7:00 pm.
11/18/2008
Men's basketball rallies for 73-62 win over Lancaster Bible
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Elizabethtown 73, Lancaster Bible 62
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Elizabethtown College rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat Lancaster Bible College 73-62 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with team highs of 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Blue Jays (2-0 overall) used runs of 15-0 spanning the halves and 10-2 midway through the second half to dispatch of the pesky Chargers, who shot 53.7 percent (22-for-41) from the field and 8-for-16 from three-point range.
Kevin Keltner and Billy Harrison scored 18 points apiece to lead Lancaster Bible (1-1 overall), with Keltner hitting all three of his three-point attempts and Harrison finishing 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. However, the Chargers committed 29 turnovers which led to 34 Blue Jay points.
Lancaster Bible used a 13-0 run to turn an early 10-9 deficit into a 22-10 lead on a layup by Carl Edwards with 8:08 left in the first half, and took its largest lead at 27-16 following a three-pointer by Harrison with 4:27 left in the half.
Trailing 30-20 with one minute left in the first half, the Blue Jays halved the Charger lead to 30-25 at halftime, then scored the first 10 points of the second half to take a 35-30 lead on two foul shots by Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) with 16:41 to go.
A three-pointer by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) gave Elizabethtown a 42-33 lead with 14:39 to go, but the Chargers climbed back to a 44-44 tie on back-to-back three-pointers by Harrison and Keltner, the latter with 12:00 to play.
However, Flanagan and Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) answered with three-pointers to give Elizabethtown a 50-44 lead with 10:53 left, and after two foul shots by Keltner, Jones hit another three to extend the Blue Jay advantage to 53-46 with 10:03 remaining.
Harrison hit his fourth three-pointer of the night with 8:29 to play to bring the Chargers to within 54-52 at the 8:29 mark, but Lancaster Bible would score just one point over the next four minutes as Elizabethtown built a 60-53 lead with 4:56 to go.
Flanagan finished with 13 points in 23 minutes off the Blue Jay bench, while Fogel added 13 points and a career-high five steals. Edwards finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for the Chargers.
From the Lancaster Bible College Website:
Elizabethtown, PA- The Chargers faced off against highly favored Elizabethtown Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Last season’s match-up ended with a 50 point blow out in favor of the Blue Jays. It was uncertain, coming into Tuesday, if history would repeat itself. With a 5 point lead at the break it was clear the Chargers had come to play. Despite the early strong play, Lancaster fell 73-62.
Chargers started off well and jumped out to early lead 22-10, with 8:08 left in the first half. The key to Lancaster’s success in the beginning stanza was excellent shot selection, shooting 59 percent, and a good defensive scheme holding the Blue Jays to 34 percent from the field. The Chargers were lead by junior big man Carl Edward’s (Baltimore, MD) 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first half, Edwards finished with 12 and 11 his first double- double of the season. To end the half Etown went on an 11-3 run to cut the Chargers halftime lead to 5, 30-25.
The second half belonged to the Blue Jays, they opened the half with 8 unanswered points to take the lead for the first time since early in the first half. In the ensuing minutes Lancaster would fall behind by 8. Just when the Blue Jays seemed to take control the Chargers tied the game at 44 all at the 12 minute mark. That would be as close as Lancaster would come, as E-town was able to hit back to back three’s to regain control.
Guards Kevin Keltner (Menomonee Falls, WI) and Billy Harrison (Douglassville, PA) tied for the game high with 18 points. Carl Edwards (Baltimore, MD) left an impact in the paint with 12 points and 11 boards. Etown’s Mike Church was a presence inside with 17 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks.
The Chargers host Washington Bible this Friday for their home opener at 7:00 pm.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday Night Basketball
The Blue Jays entertain Lancaster Bible College this eveing in E-town! Be sure to check out the Game Program. If you can't make it to the game you can follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Blue Jays down Alvernia in season opener
From the E-town College Website:
11/15/2008
Men's basketball downs Alvernia in season opener
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points as Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 victory over Alvernia University in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Flanagan, whose previous high was 10 points against Penn State Berks in last year's opener, went 7-for-10 from the field for the Blue Jays (1-0 overall), who led by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Crusaders (0-1 overall) rallied to within four in the final minute.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds before fouling out with 3:40 remaining, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also reached double figures for the Blue Jays with 10 points and six boards.
Tyrone Bradley led Alvernia with a game-high 19 points along with nine rebounds, and Jeff Amponseh chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench for the Crusaders.
Elizabethtown led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and took a 31-21 lead to halftime as Flanagan connected for 11 points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays took their largest lead of the game at 37-23 on a basket by Houseal with 16:38 remaining, but the Crusaders fought back to within 46-43 on a layup by Marcel Roane with 8:16 left.
Etown answered with baskets on each of their next five possessions, capped by a driving layup by Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) that gave the Jays a 56-46 lead with 6:11 left.
Trailing 65-55 with 2:43 to play, the Crusaders reeled off six straight points to trim the Blue Jay lead to 65-61 with 1:33 left on a basket by Bradley off an Elizabethtown turnover. Alvernia would have five shots to make it a one-possession game, but could not connect and Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) drilled three free throws in the final 24 seconds to put the game away.
Fairbanks, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, started for the Blue Jays and scored eight points - all from the foul line - in 21 minutes of action. Schaffer and Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) each finished with six assists at the point for Elizabethtown, while Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) tallied five points and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Elizabethtown shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field, but held Alvernia to 42.1 percent (24-for-57) on the afternoon. The Crusaders were also plagued by 24 turnovers and went just 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) from the foul line.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 68, ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY 63
ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY (0-1)
Tyrone Bradley 9-13 1-1 19; Jeff Amponsah 4-9 3-3 11; Tim Walters 3-10 2-28; Charlie Hughes 3-7 0-0 8; Eric Barefield 3-5 0-2 6; Marcel Roane 1-7 3-55; David Washington 0-2 4-8 4; Nick Rivera 1-1 0-0 2; Derek Dubbs 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals 24-57 13-21 63.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE (1-0)
Joe Flanagan 7-10 2-2 17; Mike Church 5-14 1-2 11; Josh Houseal 4-9 2-3 10;Keith Fogel 4-7 0-0 8; Chris Fairbanks 0-5 8-9 8; Brady Haughney 2-2 0-2 6;Brian Allport 2-5 0-0 5; Phil Schaffer 1-2 1-2 3; Bryan Harrity 0-1 0-0 0;Kyle McConnell 0-0 0-0 0; Andrew Corrigan 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Jones 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 25-56 14-20 68.
Alvernia University........... 21 42 - 63
Elizabethtown College......... 31 37 - 68
3-point goals--Alvernia University 2-11 (Charlie Hughes 2-4; Tim Walters0-3; David Washington 0-2; Derek Dubbs 0-2), Elizabethtown College 4-13(Brady Haughney 2-2; Brian Allport 1-1; Joe Flanagan 1-3; Keith Fogel 0-3;Chris Jones 0-1; Josh Houseal 0-2; Mike Church 0-1). Fouled out--AlverniaUniversity-None, Elizabethtown College-Mike Church. Rebounds--AlverniaUniversity 38 (Tyrone Bradley 9), Elizabethtown College 33 (Mike Church 10).Assists--Alvernia University 15 (Eric Barefield 5), Elizabethtown College 19(Phil Schaffer 6; Kyle McConnell 6). Total fouls--Alvernia University 19,Elizabethtown College 20. Technical fouls--Alvernia University-None,Elizabethtown College-None. A-400
From the Alvernia Website:
Comeback Falls Short At Etown
Bradley Scores 19 On 9-of-13 Shooting
11/15/2008 8:16:40 PM
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2008) - Senior forward Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester) scored four of his game-high 19 points in a 6-0 run as Alvernia University trimmed a 10-point deficit to four with 1:33 to play, but the Crusaders missed five straight shots over the next 60 seconds and Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 win Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action at Etown.
Bradley ran into foul trouble and only played 25 minutes, but still finished just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine caroms. Senior Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Academy) threw in 11 points and four rebounds, but was one of three playaers with five or more turnovers as the Crusaders finished with 24 on the day. Etown got a team-high 17 points from reserve Joe Flanagan.
Etown responded to an 11-11 tie, the third of the day, with an 11-0 run and took a commanding 11-point lead with just better than four minutes left in the half. That lead grew to 13 points on three separate occasions, but Alvernia scored the final three points of the half to enter the break down 31-21.
The host Blue Jays pushed the lead to 14 points early in the second half, but Alvernia pieced together a 10-0 run midway through the frame to cut a 13-point deficit down to three points, 46-43 with 8:16 to play. Junior guard Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) paced the Crusaders' efforts over the four-minute run with five points including one of his two 3-point field goals.
Etown answered with a 7-1 run to build the lead back to 10 and held the same spread with 2:43 to play before Alvernia's final push.
The Crusaders return to Reading to play at Albright in a women's and men's doubleheader on Tuesday.
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
11/15/2008
Men's basketball downs Alvernia in season opener
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points as Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 victory over Alvernia University in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Flanagan, whose previous high was 10 points against Penn State Berks in last year's opener, went 7-for-10 from the field for the Blue Jays (1-0 overall), who led by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Crusaders (0-1 overall) rallied to within four in the final minute.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) added 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds before fouling out with 3:40 remaining, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also reached double figures for the Blue Jays with 10 points and six boards.
Tyrone Bradley led Alvernia with a game-high 19 points along with nine rebounds, and Jeff Amponseh chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench for the Crusaders.
Elizabethtown led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and took a 31-21 lead to halftime as Flanagan connected for 11 points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays took their largest lead of the game at 37-23 on a basket by Houseal with 16:38 remaining, but the Crusaders fought back to within 46-43 on a layup by Marcel Roane with 8:16 left.
Etown answered with baskets on each of their next five possessions, capped by a driving layup by Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) that gave the Jays a 56-46 lead with 6:11 left.
Trailing 65-55 with 2:43 to play, the Crusaders reeled off six straight points to trim the Blue Jay lead to 65-61 with 1:33 left on a basket by Bradley off an Elizabethtown turnover. Alvernia would have five shots to make it a one-possession game, but could not connect and Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick) drilled three free throws in the final 24 seconds to put the game away.
Fairbanks, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, started for the Blue Jays and scored eight points - all from the foul line - in 21 minutes of action. Schaffer and Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) each finished with six assists at the point for Elizabethtown, while Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) tallied five points and two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Elizabethtown shot 44.6 percent (25-for-56) from the field, but held Alvernia to 42.1 percent (24-for-57) on the afternoon. The Crusaders were also plagued by 24 turnovers and went just 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) from the foul line.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE 68, ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY 63
ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY (0-1)
Tyrone Bradley 9-13 1-1 19; Jeff Amponsah 4-9 3-3 11; Tim Walters 3-10 2-28; Charlie Hughes 3-7 0-0 8; Eric Barefield 3-5 0-2 6; Marcel Roane 1-7 3-55; David Washington 0-2 4-8 4; Nick Rivera 1-1 0-0 2; Derek Dubbs 0-3 0-0 0.
Totals 24-57 13-21 63.
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE (1-0)
Joe Flanagan 7-10 2-2 17; Mike Church 5-14 1-2 11; Josh Houseal 4-9 2-3 10;Keith Fogel 4-7 0-0 8; Chris Fairbanks 0-5 8-9 8; Brady Haughney 2-2 0-2 6;Brian Allport 2-5 0-0 5; Phil Schaffer 1-2 1-2 3; Bryan Harrity 0-1 0-0 0;Kyle McConnell 0-0 0-0 0; Andrew Corrigan 0-0 0-0 0; Chris Jones 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 25-56 14-20 68.
Alvernia University........... 21 42 - 63
Elizabethtown College......... 31 37 - 68
3-point goals--Alvernia University 2-11 (Charlie Hughes 2-4; Tim Walters0-3; David Washington 0-2; Derek Dubbs 0-2), Elizabethtown College 4-13(Brady Haughney 2-2; Brian Allport 1-1; Joe Flanagan 1-3; Keith Fogel 0-3;Chris Jones 0-1; Josh Houseal 0-2; Mike Church 0-1). Fouled out--AlverniaUniversity-None, Elizabethtown College-Mike Church. Rebounds--AlverniaUniversity 38 (Tyrone Bradley 9), Elizabethtown College 33 (Mike Church 10).Assists--Alvernia University 15 (Eric Barefield 5), Elizabethtown College 19(Phil Schaffer 6; Kyle McConnell 6). Total fouls--Alvernia University 19,Elizabethtown College 20. Technical fouls--Alvernia University-None,Elizabethtown College-None. A-400
From the Alvernia Website:
Comeback Falls Short At Etown
Bradley Scores 19 On 9-of-13 Shooting
11/15/2008 8:16:40 PM
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Nov. 15, 2008) - Senior forward Tyrone Bradley (Chester, Pa./Chester) scored four of his game-high 19 points in a 6-0 run as Alvernia University trimmed a 10-point deficit to four with 1:33 to play, but the Crusaders missed five straight shots over the next 60 seconds and Elizabethtown College held on for a 68-63 win Saturday afternoon in non-conference men's basketball action at Etown.
Bradley ran into foul trouble and only played 25 minutes, but still finished just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine caroms. Senior Jeff Amponsah (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Carson Long Military Academy) threw in 11 points and four rebounds, but was one of three playaers with five or more turnovers as the Crusaders finished with 24 on the day. Etown got a team-high 17 points from reserve Joe Flanagan.
Etown responded to an 11-11 tie, the third of the day, with an 11-0 run and took a commanding 11-point lead with just better than four minutes left in the half. That lead grew to 13 points on three separate occasions, but Alvernia scored the final three points of the half to enter the break down 31-21.
The host Blue Jays pushed the lead to 14 points early in the second half, but Alvernia pieced together a 10-0 run midway through the frame to cut a 13-point deficit down to three points, 46-43 with 8:16 to play. Junior guard Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) paced the Crusaders' efforts over the four-minute run with five points including one of his two 3-point field goals.
Etown answered with a 7-1 run to build the lead back to 10 and held the same spread with 2:43 to play before Alvernia's final push.
The Crusaders return to Reading to play at Albright in a women's and men's doubleheader on Tuesday.
Elizabethtown 68, Alvernia 63
Friday, November 14, 2008
Saturday Game Program and Live Stats
It's time for the season opener against Alvernia University. Be sure to check out the Game Program. If you can't make it to the game you can follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Go Blue Jays!
Blue Jays eye turnaround after last season
From today's Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Blue Jays eye turnaround after last season
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Nov 14, 2008
02:34 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON FULGINITI, Sports Writer
Each one of them has likely been asked the question 100 times by this point.
What in the name of James Naismith happened?
As of Jan. 19, Elizabethtown College's men's basketball team was cruising along with a 13-1 overall record — a stretch that included wins over Millersville, an eventual NCAA Division II playoff team, and nationally-ranked DeSales. Results which helped put the Blue Jays in the NCAA Division III Top 25.
But then, the Commonwealth Conference season started. And the wheels came flying off.
Perhaps, literally.
By the time E-town dropped an 84-68 season-ending decision to Widener on Feb. 23, the Jays were a dismal 2-8 in 10 straight conference games, 15-9 overall, and missed the Commonwealth playoffs for the second straight year.
So what exactly did happen?
The answers vary depending on whom you ask, but there is one common theme.
Seems that E-town just got, well, tired.
"We had a good start and then we kind of wore down in the second semester," said coach Bob Schlosser, whose program made 11 straight appearances in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs prior to the 2006-07 season. "We were a little worn down, and not as deep as we normally are, and it hurt us.
"But it's not like the bottom fell out," he continued, having watched his guys lose seven of their last eight games by an average of 5.4 points, including two in overtime. "It's not like we were getting blown out. It's just that earlier in the year we won a lot of those close games."
One person who had a tough time watching the carnage unfold was Warwick graduate Chris Fairbanks, who was relegated to the role of fan while sitting out the season with a knee injury.
"It was awful," said Fairbanks, a 6-foot-3 junior swingman who will start this winter. "I wanted so bad to get out there and help them and be a part of it. From a fan's point of view it definitely seemed like the level of intensity and reliance on (last year's leading scorers) Chad (Piersol) and Mike (Schatzmann) was definitely evident.
"We play a pressing game," Fairbanks added, "and it was hard for Chad and Mike to have to do all the scoring and then play full-court defense. Definitely conditioning had something to do with it. And Coach has definitely taken care of that so far this year."
Mainly because when the Blue Jays open their season with a home game against Alvernia Saturday at 3 p.m., Schlosser — as usual — will expect baseline-to-baseline defense from his troops and high-tempo offense that likes to feed on the turnovers that defense so often creates.
Again, Schlosser is wondering just how deep his bench is at this point.
"We feel pretty confident with the first five or six guys we put out there," he said. "But for us, it's a matter of how deep we are. And for us, that's a concern because of the up-tempo way we play."
Another concern appears to be replacing the offensive punch provided by Schatzmann and Piersol. The reason, perhaps, why E-town was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in a preseason Commonwealth Conference coaches poll.
Schatzmann, a Pequea Valley alum, averaged a team-best 20.2 points, including a team-high 55 3-pointers. Piersol averaged 17.3 points with 42 treys.
Still, Schlosser doesn't appear to be overly worried. He's confident starting junior center and Solanco grad Mike Church — who averaged 11.7 pts. and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game last year, while leading the conference in blocked shots with 36 — along with Fairbanks and sophomore Keith Fogel (5.9 ppg, 14 3-pointers), who will start at No. 2 guard, will pick up that slack.
Factor in the return of starting point guard Phil Schaffer (4.5 ppg, conference-best 114 assists in 2007-08) — the only senior on the roster — and starting power forward Josh Houseal (5.1 ppg), a 6-foot-4 junior from Hempfield who played in all 24 of E-town's games last year, and Schlosser is hopeful the Jays can compete for one of the conference's four playoff spots come February.
The question again, though, is depth. And how quickly E-town develops it.
"Practices have been very competitive," Schaffer said, "and that's good because we've got a lot of guys competing for spots."
First off the bench, according to Schlosser, figures to be sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, a Lancaster Mennonite product, and freshman guard Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest). Bryan Harrity, a 6-foot-5 freshman center who transferred to E-town from Widener, is another potential weapon, Schlosser said.
Still, the biggest weapon of all could be the motivation stemming from a 2007-08 season that went from elation to devastation in a matter of three weeks.
"When we reached the Top 25 poll … going from there to not making the conference playoffs … " Houseal said. "It puts something in you, it's always in your mind that you don't want that to happen again."
"Getting ranked in the Top 25 doesn't do anything for you when it comes to March and trying to make the playoffs," Church said.
Lesson learned.
And with that, they start over.
E-mail: jfulginiti@lnpnews.com
Blue Jays eye turnaround after last season
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Nov 14, 2008
02:34 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON FULGINITI, Sports Writer
Each one of them has likely been asked the question 100 times by this point.
What in the name of James Naismith happened?
As of Jan. 19, Elizabethtown College's men's basketball team was cruising along with a 13-1 overall record — a stretch that included wins over Millersville, an eventual NCAA Division II playoff team, and nationally-ranked DeSales. Results which helped put the Blue Jays in the NCAA Division III Top 25.
But then, the Commonwealth Conference season started. And the wheels came flying off.
Perhaps, literally.
By the time E-town dropped an 84-68 season-ending decision to Widener on Feb. 23, the Jays were a dismal 2-8 in 10 straight conference games, 15-9 overall, and missed the Commonwealth playoffs for the second straight year.
So what exactly did happen?
The answers vary depending on whom you ask, but there is one common theme.
Seems that E-town just got, well, tired.
"We had a good start and then we kind of wore down in the second semester," said coach Bob Schlosser, whose program made 11 straight appearances in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs prior to the 2006-07 season. "We were a little worn down, and not as deep as we normally are, and it hurt us.
"But it's not like the bottom fell out," he continued, having watched his guys lose seven of their last eight games by an average of 5.4 points, including two in overtime. "It's not like we were getting blown out. It's just that earlier in the year we won a lot of those close games."
One person who had a tough time watching the carnage unfold was Warwick graduate Chris Fairbanks, who was relegated to the role of fan while sitting out the season with a knee injury.
"It was awful," said Fairbanks, a 6-foot-3 junior swingman who will start this winter. "I wanted so bad to get out there and help them and be a part of it. From a fan's point of view it definitely seemed like the level of intensity and reliance on (last year's leading scorers) Chad (Piersol) and Mike (Schatzmann) was definitely evident.
"We play a pressing game," Fairbanks added, "and it was hard for Chad and Mike to have to do all the scoring and then play full-court defense. Definitely conditioning had something to do with it. And Coach has definitely taken care of that so far this year."
Mainly because when the Blue Jays open their season with a home game against Alvernia Saturday at 3 p.m., Schlosser — as usual — will expect baseline-to-baseline defense from his troops and high-tempo offense that likes to feed on the turnovers that defense so often creates.
Again, Schlosser is wondering just how deep his bench is at this point.
"We feel pretty confident with the first five or six guys we put out there," he said. "But for us, it's a matter of how deep we are. And for us, that's a concern because of the up-tempo way we play."
Another concern appears to be replacing the offensive punch provided by Schatzmann and Piersol. The reason, perhaps, why E-town was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in a preseason Commonwealth Conference coaches poll.
Schatzmann, a Pequea Valley alum, averaged a team-best 20.2 points, including a team-high 55 3-pointers. Piersol averaged 17.3 points with 42 treys.
Still, Schlosser doesn't appear to be overly worried. He's confident starting junior center and Solanco grad Mike Church — who averaged 11.7 pts. and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game last year, while leading the conference in blocked shots with 36 — along with Fairbanks and sophomore Keith Fogel (5.9 ppg, 14 3-pointers), who will start at No. 2 guard, will pick up that slack.
Factor in the return of starting point guard Phil Schaffer (4.5 ppg, conference-best 114 assists in 2007-08) — the only senior on the roster — and starting power forward Josh Houseal (5.1 ppg), a 6-foot-4 junior from Hempfield who played in all 24 of E-town's games last year, and Schlosser is hopeful the Jays can compete for one of the conference's four playoff spots come February.
The question again, though, is depth. And how quickly E-town develops it.
"Practices have been very competitive," Schaffer said, "and that's good because we've got a lot of guys competing for spots."
First off the bench, according to Schlosser, figures to be sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, a Lancaster Mennonite product, and freshman guard Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest). Bryan Harrity, a 6-foot-5 freshman center who transferred to E-town from Widener, is another potential weapon, Schlosser said.
Still, the biggest weapon of all could be the motivation stemming from a 2007-08 season that went from elation to devastation in a matter of three weeks.
"When we reached the Top 25 poll … going from there to not making the conference playoffs … " Houseal said. "It puts something in you, it's always in your mind that you don't want that to happen again."
"Getting ranked in the Top 25 doesn't do anything for you when it comes to March and trying to make the playoffs," Church said.
Lesson learned.
And with that, they start over.
E-mail: jfulginiti@lnpnews.com
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Alvernia Preview
The following preview of Saturday's opponent Alvernia was taken from The Reading Eagle:
11/13/2008
Miller, Crusaders have their work cut out for them
By Jerry Reimenschneider
Reading Eagle
He has coached basketball for 27 seasons and has probably held a similar number of positions within his profession's prism.
Whether he's directed the high school freshman team or the college varsity, Mike Miller has done one thing consistently: win.
He's never, as in ever, had a losing season.
Which is remarkable, given the range of potential pratfalls in any particular season. Injury. Ineligibility. Poor judgment off the court. Poor play on it.
Through it all, and on every stair along his coaching ascent, Miller has avoided a single sub-.500 season.
He did it again last season, his fourth heading the Alvernia University men. Despite a sluggish 4-7 start, the Crusaders finished 16-11, including a first-place, 13-3 regular season during their final go-round in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
Miller's impressive history might be the only reason to refrain from sounding the warning siren entering this season. Because there are few other reasons, at least from an outsider's perspective.
"Yeah," Miller quipped. "I'm gonna have to coach for once."
He was only half-kidding.
Alvernia has lost 2007-08 PAC Player of the Year Terrence Shawell and his 20.9 points per game. Shawell is not enrolled at the university.
It has lost, for at least another month and maybe more, All-PAC forward Matt King to a foot injury. It's anyone's guess when the Crusaders will reclaim the junior's 15 points and seven rebounds per night.
Alvernia has lost point guard Zach Westmoreland, a would-be junior who started 18 games last season and was the team's No. 2 assist man. Westmoreland is not enrolled.
Add to that murky mix this season's switch to the far-more-physical MAC Freedom Conference, and this winter could be something of a continental drift for the Crusaders.
"I think it makes you better as a program and as a coaching staff when you have to do new things," Miller said. "And this certainly is making us do new things."
Chief among those is a shift Alvernia would likely have made, sooner or later, to annually compete in the MAC. The Crusaders will move from Miller's preferred, uptempo style to more of a halfcourt offense.
"Usually our offense is very spread out, (and we) shoot 3s," Miller said. "We may not shoot that many 3s. We're going to be very different."
Whereas Miller rarely had more than one traditional post player on the court in years past, this year's lineup will often feature two or three big guys on the floor at any given time.
Foremost among them will be 6-6 senior center Tyrone Bradley, a returning starter who averaged a team-high 7.7 boards in 2007-08. With the personnel losses prompting a points hemorrhage, Miller would also like to see Bradley supplement last season's 8.8 scoring average.
Benefiting from the more-big-men approach will be Holy Name grad and 6-6 junior center Nick Rivera, as well as 6-5 transfer Marcel Roane, a junior from Philadelphia.
"Those three are going to play a lot," Miller said. "You've got to go with what you've got, and we do have some big people."
But the Crusaders have even more small people.
Sophomore Eric Barefield will start at the point. That will free senior David Washington, last year's assists leader at 3.7 per game, to shoot more from his off-guard spot.
Gov. Mifflin grad Charlie Hughes will be more involved in the backcourt rotation as a junior, and Muhlenberg grad Derek Zeller could see the court as a freshman.
Seniors Derek Dubbs and Tim Walters will start at forward, followed by classmate Jeff Amponsah.
Despite the myriad changes, Miller holds out hope that a defensive focus and fresh attitude will improve the Crusaders into contenders by season's end
"I know there could be some lows at the beginning," he said, "but I think our defense will carry us along until our offense catches up."
Spoken like a career winner.
•Contact Jerry Reimenschneider at 610-371-5079 or jreimenschneider@readingeagle.com.
11/13/2008
Miller, Crusaders have their work cut out for them
By Jerry Reimenschneider
Reading Eagle
He has coached basketball for 27 seasons and has probably held a similar number of positions within his profession's prism.
Whether he's directed the high school freshman team or the college varsity, Mike Miller has done one thing consistently: win.
He's never, as in ever, had a losing season.
Which is remarkable, given the range of potential pratfalls in any particular season. Injury. Ineligibility. Poor judgment off the court. Poor play on it.
Through it all, and on every stair along his coaching ascent, Miller has avoided a single sub-.500 season.
He did it again last season, his fourth heading the Alvernia University men. Despite a sluggish 4-7 start, the Crusaders finished 16-11, including a first-place, 13-3 regular season during their final go-round in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.
Miller's impressive history might be the only reason to refrain from sounding the warning siren entering this season. Because there are few other reasons, at least from an outsider's perspective.
"Yeah," Miller quipped. "I'm gonna have to coach for once."
He was only half-kidding.
Alvernia has lost 2007-08 PAC Player of the Year Terrence Shawell and his 20.9 points per game. Shawell is not enrolled at the university.
It has lost, for at least another month and maybe more, All-PAC forward Matt King to a foot injury. It's anyone's guess when the Crusaders will reclaim the junior's 15 points and seven rebounds per night.
Alvernia has lost point guard Zach Westmoreland, a would-be junior who started 18 games last season and was the team's No. 2 assist man. Westmoreland is not enrolled.
Add to that murky mix this season's switch to the far-more-physical MAC Freedom Conference, and this winter could be something of a continental drift for the Crusaders.
"I think it makes you better as a program and as a coaching staff when you have to do new things," Miller said. "And this certainly is making us do new things."
Chief among those is a shift Alvernia would likely have made, sooner or later, to annually compete in the MAC. The Crusaders will move from Miller's preferred, uptempo style to more of a halfcourt offense.
"Usually our offense is very spread out, (and we) shoot 3s," Miller said. "We may not shoot that many 3s. We're going to be very different."
Whereas Miller rarely had more than one traditional post player on the court in years past, this year's lineup will often feature two or three big guys on the floor at any given time.
Foremost among them will be 6-6 senior center Tyrone Bradley, a returning starter who averaged a team-high 7.7 boards in 2007-08. With the personnel losses prompting a points hemorrhage, Miller would also like to see Bradley supplement last season's 8.8 scoring average.
Benefiting from the more-big-men approach will be Holy Name grad and 6-6 junior center Nick Rivera, as well as 6-5 transfer Marcel Roane, a junior from Philadelphia.
"Those three are going to play a lot," Miller said. "You've got to go with what you've got, and we do have some big people."
But the Crusaders have even more small people.
Sophomore Eric Barefield will start at the point. That will free senior David Washington, last year's assists leader at 3.7 per game, to shoot more from his off-guard spot.
Gov. Mifflin grad Charlie Hughes will be more involved in the backcourt rotation as a junior, and Muhlenberg grad Derek Zeller could see the court as a freshman.
Seniors Derek Dubbs and Tim Walters will start at forward, followed by classmate Jeff Amponsah.
Despite the myriad changes, Miller holds out hope that a defensive focus and fresh attitude will improve the Crusaders into contenders by season's end
"I know there could be some lows at the beginning," he said, "but I think our defense will carry us along until our offense catches up."
Spoken like a career winner.
•Contact Jerry Reimenschneider at 610-371-5079 or jreimenschneider@readingeagle.com.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
2008-09 Men's Basketball Preview
The following preview is taken from the E-town College Website:
2008-09 Men's Basketball Preview
It was a tale of two seasons for the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team in 2007-08, as the Blue Jays roared through non-conference play with a 13-1 record and a national ranking, before a series of tight losses led the team to a 2-8 mark in Commonwealth Conference play.
With the loss of the conference's two top scorers to graduation, 19th-year head coach Bob Schlosser will need the rest of the squad to step up if the Blue Jays are to win the scramble for one of four conference playoff spots.
Spearheading the Blue Jay offense will be junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco), who averaged 11.7 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game last season while leading the Commonwealth Conference with 36 blocked shots.
The other returning starter is senior point guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City), who dished out a league-best 114 assists in 24 games (4.75 per game) and was second on the team in steals with 49 while averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Junior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) will move into the starting lineup full-time after averaging 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game last season.
Sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) led the Etown bench in scoring last season at 5.9 points per game, while shooting 36.8 percent (14-for-38) from three-point range and coming up with 36 steals.
The fifth member of the starting lineup is junior swingman Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick), who missed all of last season with a knee injury but is back to full strength and expected to play a key role in the Etown attack.
Key bench roles will be played by junior guard Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale), sophomore guard Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) and sophomore center Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty).
Newcomers who could make an impact include guard Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) and centers and Bryan Harrity (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) and Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco).
Elizabethtown opens its 2008 season on Saturday, Nov. 15 hosting Alvernia University in Thompson Gymnasium. Commonwealth Conference action gets underway on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Lycoming College.
2008-09 Men's Basketball Preview
It was a tale of two seasons for the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team in 2007-08, as the Blue Jays roared through non-conference play with a 13-1 record and a national ranking, before a series of tight losses led the team to a 2-8 mark in Commonwealth Conference play.
With the loss of the conference's two top scorers to graduation, 19th-year head coach Bob Schlosser will need the rest of the squad to step up if the Blue Jays are to win the scramble for one of four conference playoff spots.
Spearheading the Blue Jay offense will be junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco), who averaged 11.7 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game last season while leading the Commonwealth Conference with 36 blocked shots.
The other returning starter is senior point guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City), who dished out a league-best 114 assists in 24 games (4.75 per game) and was second on the team in steals with 49 while averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Junior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) will move into the starting lineup full-time after averaging 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game last season.
Sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) led the Etown bench in scoring last season at 5.9 points per game, while shooting 36.8 percent (14-for-38) from three-point range and coming up with 36 steals.
The fifth member of the starting lineup is junior swingman Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick), who missed all of last season with a knee injury but is back to full strength and expected to play a key role in the Etown attack.
Key bench roles will be played by junior guard Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale), sophomore guard Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) and sophomore center Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty).
Newcomers who could make an impact include guard Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) and centers and Bryan Harrity (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) and Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco).
Elizabethtown opens its 2008 season on Saturday, Nov. 15 hosting Alvernia University in Thompson Gymnasium. Commonwealth Conference action gets underway on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Lycoming College.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Men's hoops picked sixth in conference poll
From the E-town College Website:
11/10/2008
Men's hoops picked sixth in conference poll
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 10, 2008
Men's Basketball Picked Sixth in Commonwealth Conference Poll
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Conference preseason coaches' poll, released Monday.
The Blue Jays, who finished 15-9 overall and 2-8 in the conference last season, return two starters and seven letterwinners for head coach Bob Schlosser, who enters his 19th season on the Etown bench with 279 career victories.
Junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) is Elizabethtown's top returning scorer after averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds, while leading the Commonwealth Conference in blocked shots with 36.
Senior point guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) added 4.5 points per game and led the conference in assists with 114 in 24 games (4.75 per game).
Expected to round out the starting lineup are junior swingman Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick), who returns to action after missing last season with a knee injury, junior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) and sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg).
Defending conference champion Widener University earned six of the seven first-place votes and 43 points to take the top spot in the poll, followed by Lycoming College (34 points), Lebanon Valley College and Albright College (32 points each), Messiah College (21 points), Elizabethtown (19 points) and newcomer Arcadia University (15 points).
Elizabethtown opens its 2008-09 season on Saturday, Nov. 15 hosting Alvernia University at 3:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.
11/10/2008
Men's hoops picked sixth in conference poll
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 10, 2008
Men's Basketball Picked Sixth in Commonwealth Conference Poll
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Conference preseason coaches' poll, released Monday.
The Blue Jays, who finished 15-9 overall and 2-8 in the conference last season, return two starters and seven letterwinners for head coach Bob Schlosser, who enters his 19th season on the Etown bench with 279 career victories.
Junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) is Elizabethtown's top returning scorer after averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds, while leading the Commonwealth Conference in blocked shots with 36.
Senior point guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) added 4.5 points per game and led the conference in assists with 114 in 24 games (4.75 per game).
Expected to round out the starting lineup are junior swingman Chris Fairbanks (Lititz, PA/Warwick), who returns to action after missing last season with a knee injury, junior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) and sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg).
Defending conference champion Widener University earned six of the seven first-place votes and 43 points to take the top spot in the poll, followed by Lycoming College (34 points), Lebanon Valley College and Albright College (32 points each), Messiah College (21 points), Elizabethtown (19 points) and newcomer Arcadia University (15 points).
Elizabethtown opens its 2008-09 season on Saturday, Nov. 15 hosting Alvernia University at 3:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
E-town hopes for stronger finishes
From today's Lancaster Sunday News:
E-town hopes for stronger finishes
Last year, the Blue Jays' men's and women's teams faded after fast starts.
Sunday News
Published: Nov 09, 200800:13 EST
Elizabethtown
By MIKE GROSS, Assistant Sports Editor
Last season did not end happily for Elizabethtown College's men's and women's basketball teams.
Usually if the Blue Jays perform well in the non-conference portion of their schedule, they can handle most of what they face in the Commonwealth Conference.
Last year the men started 13-1, the last of those an 80-69 not-that-close flogging of then-nationally ranked DeSales. The Jays also handled local Division II rival Millersville.
Then they dropped, over the course of six days, overtime decisions at Lycoming and Albright, and the roof caved.
E-town finished 15-9 overall, but an incredible 2-8 in the Commonwealth.
It wasn't quite so dramatic for the women, but they were 6-2 at one point, and 8-4 as late as Jan. 19, before falling to 11-14 overall and, again, 2-8 in the Commonwealth.
"If we had it to do over, we'd emphasize conditioning and developing the bench a little more," men's coach Bob Schlosser said Wednesday. "I'm not totally sure, though, that we'd do a whole lot differently."
Schlosser's club loses its two leading scorers, Mike Schatzmann and Chad Piersol, who combined to average nearly 38 per game.
It's probably not as gloomy as all this sounds. Schlosser appears to have enough talent to play his beloved, tempo-pushing style. The Jays scrimmaged Dickinson, which should be pretty good, last week and fared well.
"I liked what I saw," Schlosser said. "We don't change the way we play, and I think we'll be able to pressure the ball more effectively and maybe be better defensively."
Point guard Phil Schaffer, chief provider of energy and grit, returns. Local kids Mike Church (Solanco) and Josh Houseal (Hempfield), both 6-5, are back, as is Keith Fogel, a combo-guard contributor last year as a freshman. Now he'll start at 2-guard.
Chris Fairbanks, a 6-3 junior who missed last year with a torn knee ligament, will be the fifth starter.
That's a workable first five. Church (11.7 ppg last year), Vogel and Fairbanks should be able to replace the Schatzmann/Piersol points, while Schaffer and Houseal take care of the blue-collar stuff.
The bench includes two kids Schlosser is sure can help: Sophomore Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite), who played some last year, and freshman point guard Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest), an energetic, athletic, strong little guy who seems like Schlosser's type of player.
The E-town women will miss guard Erin Walton, who graduated with 1,702 career points, making her the second-leading scorer in the history of the program.
And this program has some history. Coach Yvonne Kauffman, in her 39th season, is 640-279, and has won two national championships.
It hasn't been like that lately, though.
These Jays might be oriented toward three-point arc. Senior guard Megan Quinn, the leading returning scorer with 12.2 points per game, made 33 3-pointers last year.
Soph guard Megan Strohman (Lebanon High School), a transfer from Lebanon Valley College who'll be available the second semester, is also a 3-point bomber.
The Jays also have some size. Senior forward Jenn Montague moves into the starting lineup full-time after averaging nine points and six rebounds last year. Newcomers Teanna Ziegler and Kelly Sauerkopf add much-needed size to the frontcourt.
Lycoming stole the men's Commonwealth title with a 7-3 mark a year ago, earning coach Don Friday a new gig at Division I St. Francis. This year's favorite is probably Widener, which returns five starters from a 23-6 team.
No probably about the women's favorite. It's powerful Messiah, which went 10-0 in the league, 30-3 overall a year ago and reached the Division III national championship game.
Both E-town teams open their season Saturday (Nov. 15), the men home with Alvernia (3 p.m.).
The Jays go to Millersville Dec. 3.
The women open the year with a trip to Virginia, facing Randolph-Macon Saturday (3 p.m.) and Lynchburg (1 p.m.) Sunday.
E-town hopes for stronger finishes
Last year, the Blue Jays' men's and women's teams faded after fast starts.
Sunday News
Published: Nov 09, 200800:13 EST
Elizabethtown
By MIKE GROSS, Assistant Sports Editor
Last season did not end happily for Elizabethtown College's men's and women's basketball teams.
Usually if the Blue Jays perform well in the non-conference portion of their schedule, they can handle most of what they face in the Commonwealth Conference.
Last year the men started 13-1, the last of those an 80-69 not-that-close flogging of then-nationally ranked DeSales. The Jays also handled local Division II rival Millersville.
Then they dropped, over the course of six days, overtime decisions at Lycoming and Albright, and the roof caved.
E-town finished 15-9 overall, but an incredible 2-8 in the Commonwealth.
It wasn't quite so dramatic for the women, but they were 6-2 at one point, and 8-4 as late as Jan. 19, before falling to 11-14 overall and, again, 2-8 in the Commonwealth.
"If we had it to do over, we'd emphasize conditioning and developing the bench a little more," men's coach Bob Schlosser said Wednesday. "I'm not totally sure, though, that we'd do a whole lot differently."
Schlosser's club loses its two leading scorers, Mike Schatzmann and Chad Piersol, who combined to average nearly 38 per game.
It's probably not as gloomy as all this sounds. Schlosser appears to have enough talent to play his beloved, tempo-pushing style. The Jays scrimmaged Dickinson, which should be pretty good, last week and fared well.
"I liked what I saw," Schlosser said. "We don't change the way we play, and I think we'll be able to pressure the ball more effectively and maybe be better defensively."
Point guard Phil Schaffer, chief provider of energy and grit, returns. Local kids Mike Church (Solanco) and Josh Houseal (Hempfield), both 6-5, are back, as is Keith Fogel, a combo-guard contributor last year as a freshman. Now he'll start at 2-guard.
Chris Fairbanks, a 6-3 junior who missed last year with a torn knee ligament, will be the fifth starter.
That's a workable first five. Church (11.7 ppg last year), Vogel and Fairbanks should be able to replace the Schatzmann/Piersol points, while Schaffer and Houseal take care of the blue-collar stuff.
The bench includes two kids Schlosser is sure can help: Sophomore Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite), who played some last year, and freshman point guard Kyle McConnell (Cedar Crest), an energetic, athletic, strong little guy who seems like Schlosser's type of player.
The E-town women will miss guard Erin Walton, who graduated with 1,702 career points, making her the second-leading scorer in the history of the program.
And this program has some history. Coach Yvonne Kauffman, in her 39th season, is 640-279, and has won two national championships.
It hasn't been like that lately, though.
These Jays might be oriented toward three-point arc. Senior guard Megan Quinn, the leading returning scorer with 12.2 points per game, made 33 3-pointers last year.
Soph guard Megan Strohman (Lebanon High School), a transfer from Lebanon Valley College who'll be available the second semester, is also a 3-point bomber.
The Jays also have some size. Senior forward Jenn Montague moves into the starting lineup full-time after averaging nine points and six rebounds last year. Newcomers Teanna Ziegler and Kelly Sauerkopf add much-needed size to the frontcourt.
Lycoming stole the men's Commonwealth title with a 7-3 mark a year ago, earning coach Don Friday a new gig at Division I St. Francis. This year's favorite is probably Widener, which returns five starters from a 23-6 team.
No probably about the women's favorite. It's powerful Messiah, which went 10-0 in the league, 30-3 overall a year ago and reached the Division III national championship game.
Both E-town teams open their season Saturday (Nov. 15), the men home with Alvernia (3 p.m.).
The Jays go to Millersville Dec. 3.
The women open the year with a trip to Virginia, facing Randolph-Macon Saturday (3 p.m.) and Lynchburg (1 p.m.) Sunday.
Welcome!
Welcome to my new blog about the E-town College Blue Jays Men's Basketball Team. Over the next 4 years I will blog about any info. I can find related to the team.
Enjoy the seasons to come!
Go Blue Jays!
Enjoy the seasons to come!
Go Blue Jays!
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