From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College wrapped up the 2009 portion of its men's basketball schedule with a 72-61 non-conference win over Muhlenberg College at Thompson Gymnasium Sunday afternoon.
The Blue Jays (8-3 overall) earned their fourth straight victory by forcing the Mules (5-4 overall) into 34 turnovers, converting the miscues into 33 points. Keith Fogel led the Blue Jays with 16 points while Josh Houseal hit a career-best three three-pointers and finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Evan Tozer led the Mules with 13 points while Peter Barnes added 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots and Spencer Liddic chipped in with 12 points and nine boards as Muhlenberg finished with a 49-31 advantage in rebounding.
Elizabethtown never trailed in the contest, holding Muhlenberg scoreless for nearly four minutes as part of a 12-3 run that gave the Blue Jays a 22-11 lead with 8:23 left in the first half.
The Blue Jays went 7-for-11 from three-point range in the first half and led 40-27 at intermission, but hit just one of eight attempts from beyond the arc after the break as part of a 26.5 percent (9-for-34) overall shooting performance in the second half.
The Mules trailed 49-34 with 14:57 left, but trimmed the deficit to 51-45 following a layup by Liddic with 9:14 to play. However, Mark Vogel scored the game's next six points to extend the Blue Jay lead to 57-45 with 8:11 to go.
Elizabethtown received solid contributions from its bench, with 10 players combining for 26 points and eight rebounds. Vogel and Brady Haughney each scored six points off the bench for the Blue Jays, while Justin Greenstone and Brian Frankowski each came off the Mule bench to tally six points as well.
From the Muhlenberg College Website:
men’s basketball learns lessons
Two days after the end of the final exam period for the first semester, the Muhlenberg men’s basketball team went back to school and learned some important lessons in a 72-61 loss at Elizabethtown.
One was that the Mules will have to step up their game against high-quality competition. After winning four in a row against teams with a combined record of 5-26, Muhlenberg faces the other three 2009 Centennial Conference semifinalists in its first nine days back in 2010.
Another is that continuing to play hard pays off. The Mules, who trailed the Blue Jays 20-6 midway through the first half and by 13 (40-27) at halftime, got back in the game with exceptional defense. Down 49-34 five minutes into the second half, Muhlenberg went on an 11-2 run to cut the gap to six. Elizabethtown (8-3) scored the next six points, however, and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
And last but not least, it’s hard to beat anybody when you commit turnovers. The Mules had a 49-31 rebounding advantage and held Elizabethtown to 34.3-percent shooting (26.5 percent in the second half) but turned the ball over 34 times against the pressure defense of the Blue Jays.
Senior Peter Barnes notched his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Spencer Liddic just missed a double-double, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half and adding nine rebounds.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Schlosser Earns 300th Win as Blue Jays Defeat Royals, 63-52
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Keith Fogel scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half as Elizabethtown College defeated the University of Scranton 63-52 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night, giving Blue Jay head coach Bob Schlosser his 300th career victory.
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20th season with the Blue Jays, and ranks second in program history behind the 331 wins amassed by Don Smith from 1954-64 and 1972-88. Following the game, his players presented him with the game ball and a plaque commemorating the milestone victory.
Mike Church and Joe Flanagan each scored 14 points apiece for the Blue Jays (7-3 overall), while Eli Londo paced the Royals (6-3 overall) with game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The Royals self-destructed in the first half, finishing with more turnovers (18) than points (17) and going 8 minutes, 48 seconds without a point as the Blue Jays turned a 13-9 deficit into a 21-13 lead.
The Blue Jays held a 28-17 lead at intermission behind 12 points from Church, while Londo led the Royals with eight points and four rebounds. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half, as Elizabethtown shot 10-for-27 (37 percent) overall and 1-for-8 from three-point range while Scranton hit 38.1 percent (8-for-21) and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Elizabethtown built its lead to as many as 12 points early in the second half, and held a 38-28 advantage with 16:20 to go before Scranton went on a 12-4 run to whittle the deficit to 42-40 with 11:03 left on a three-pointer by Londo.
A basket by Church and a three-pointer by Fogel pushed the Blue Jay advantage back to eight points (48-40) with 8:49 to go, but the Royals crept back within four at 55-51 on a layup by Zach Ashworth with 2:31 left. However, it would be Scranton's last field goal of the game as the Blue Jays finished with an 8-1 run that featured four free throws by Fogel and breakaway layups by Josh Houseal and Kyle McConnell.
Overall, Elizabethtown finished at 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field and went 13-for-20 from the foul line, while Scranton connected at 41.7 percent (20-for-48) overall and 9-for-12 at the line. Scranton held a 37-33 edge in rebounding and finished with 28 turnovers to 16 by Elizabethtown.
Ashworth, who entered the game leading the Landmark Conference in scoring at 18.4 points per game and in three-pointers per game (2.75), went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points, with seven coming in the final five minutes.
From the University of Scranton Website:
Elizabethtown Holds Off Second-Half Rally To Defeat Royals, 63-52, Saturday Evening; Londo Paces Scranton With Career-Highs of 19 Points and 12 Rebounds
December 12, 2009
Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.-The University of Scranton's bid to fight back from an 11-point halftime deficit fell short against Elizabethtown College Saturday evening at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Royals closed to within two, 42-40, before the Blue Jays ended the game on a 21-12 run to hold on for a 63-52 victory. Junior guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) led Elizabethtown, now 7-3, with 16 points and senior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, Pa./Solanco) and junior guards Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added 14 points apiece.
Senior forward Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa./North Pocono) posted his third ‘double-double' of his career with 19 points and 12 rebounds-posting a career-high in points and tying his career-high in rebounds-and junior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) added 11 points for the Royals, who turned the ball over a season-high 28 times.
It was turnovers that dug a huge hole for Scranton in the first half. The Royals managed to build up an early 13-9 lead, but turned the ball over 11 times in the final 12 minutes of play, which sparked a 19-4 rally by the Blue Jays en route to a 28-17 lead by intermission. Scranton compounded its problems by shooting only 38 percent from the field, including 14.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Royals, who shot nearly 45 percent from the field in the second half to jump start its offense, got to within two on a 3-pointer by Londo to cap off a 23-14 rally with 11:02 remaining. Flanagan, Church and Fogel then combined for nine points during a 13-4 spurt over the next six minutes to stretch Elizabethtown's lead to 11, 55-44, with 5:42 remaining.
Scranton made one last-ditch effort to pull out the win, as Ashworth scored six straight points during an 8-2 run to cut the margin to four, 55-51, with 2:31 left. The Royals, however, committed two costly turnovers and back-to-back lay-ups by Blue Jay senior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) and sophomore Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) helped seal the victory.
The win was number 300 for veteran head coach Bob Schlosser, now in his 20th season at Elizabethtown. He is now 300-201 (.599) in his collegiate career.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Royals, now 6-3. Scranton will close out a two-game road trip this Tuesday, December 15, against Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
News & Notes: Scranton still leads the all-time series with Elizabethtown, 44-18, but the Blue Jays have now won five of the last eight meetings...Londo's previous career-high of 17 points came against Albright on December 13, 2008, at the Long Center and earlier this year against Bard College, also at the Long Center...Londo connected on 8 of 12 shots from the field, but the rest of the Royals went a combined 12-for-36 (33.3 percent)...Scranton shot a season-low 17.6 percent (3 of 17) from the 3-point arc...the Royals previous season-high for turnovers was 27 in a 96-77 loss to then 2nd-ranked John Carroll in the championship game of the Radisson Invitational on Sunday, November 22...all three of Londo's ‘double-doubles' in points and rebounds have come this year.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
E-town's Schlosser collects 300th win
Former players gave him a standing ovation after 63-52 triumph over Scranton.
Sunday News
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
For Bob Schlosser, the number, however big and round, was secondary to the way it was achieved.
The coach came to Elizabethtown in 1990 hoping to build a program on the foundation of two principles: playing hard and playing together.
Twenty seasons later, that approach produced Schlosser's 300th win at the school.
E-town College knocked off Scranton, 63-52, in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gym Saturday night.
It was a victory for a lifetime coach to savor.
"Now that it has been 20 years here, you start to appreciate it a little bit more," Schlosser said. "Now it starts to really sink in. This is special. It really is.
"I just feel proud of the fact that we built a program. There are a lot of people who had their hand in it. That's what's important, the relationships that you build with players and coaches."
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20 seasons at E-town. He ranks second on the school's all-time win list behind Don Smith, who has 331.
The magnitude of the accomplishment wasn't lost on Elizabethtown's players. They gathered around their coach and posed for pictures after the game.
"It's a huge thing," said senior Mike Church, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. "That's a huge milestone at any coaching level. He's got that system and he's done it for a long time. Because of that, he has 300 wins."
E-town's players registered No. 300 by relying on sheer effort to overcome their cold shooting (37.5 percent) and occasional lack of execution.
In other words, they won by playing hard and playing together.
The Blue Jays took the lead for good with a suffocating 12-0 run in the first half. They held Scranton without a point for a span of 8:46 as they built a 21-13 advantage.
The combination of E-town's pressure and Scranton's sloppiness created 18 turnovers and resulted in just 17 points for the Royals in the first half. E-town turned those turnovers into 15 points and led by 11 at intermission.
"We weren't shooting the ball well," Schlosser said. "At least our pressure was causing them to turn it over and not get into any kind of flow. Our intensity and our pressure kept us in the lead even through the later stages of the game."
Although Scranton overcame its early struggles and hung close in the second half, the Royals were never able to pull even. The closest they came was 42-40 after Dan Hilferty and Eli Londo hit consecutive 3-pointers with 11 minutes remaining.
E-town responded with another stretch of shut-down defense. The Jays held Scranton to one field goal over the next 4:52 to quickly extend the lead back to 11 points. It was never closer than four points the rest of the way.
Keith Fogel scored 12 of his career-high 16 points in the second half for E-town. Lancaster Mennonite grad Joe Flanagan added 14 points.
"Tonight's game was not a pretty win," said Schlosser, whose team improved to 7-3. "But I think our energy and our intensity got us the 'W.' We didn't shoot it well. We had some breakdowns defensively, but we're a team that always plays with a lot of fire. I think tonight that was the difference."
Schlosser downplayed the importance of No. 300 in the days leading up to this game. He didn't want to put the focus on a personal achievement when his team was seeking its collective goals for the season.
After the win was in the books, Schlosser was awarded a plaque and a game ball. Some of his former players gave him a standing ovation from the bleachers.
It was evidence that the coach was right. Milestones are more than numbers. They're about the people you meet along the way.
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Keith Fogel scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half as Elizabethtown College defeated the University of Scranton 63-52 in non-conference men's basketball action at Thompson Gymnasium on Saturday night, giving Blue Jay head coach Bob Schlosser his 300th career victory.
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20th season with the Blue Jays, and ranks second in program history behind the 331 wins amassed by Don Smith from 1954-64 and 1972-88. Following the game, his players presented him with the game ball and a plaque commemorating the milestone victory.
Mike Church and Joe Flanagan each scored 14 points apiece for the Blue Jays (7-3 overall), while Eli Londo paced the Royals (6-3 overall) with game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
The Royals self-destructed in the first half, finishing with more turnovers (18) than points (17) and going 8 minutes, 48 seconds without a point as the Blue Jays turned a 13-9 deficit into a 21-13 lead.
The Blue Jays held a 28-17 lead at intermission behind 12 points from Church, while Londo led the Royals with eight points and four rebounds. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half, as Elizabethtown shot 10-for-27 (37 percent) overall and 1-for-8 from three-point range while Scranton hit 38.1 percent (8-for-21) and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Elizabethtown built its lead to as many as 12 points early in the second half, and held a 38-28 advantage with 16:20 to go before Scranton went on a 12-4 run to whittle the deficit to 42-40 with 11:03 left on a three-pointer by Londo.
A basket by Church and a three-pointer by Fogel pushed the Blue Jay advantage back to eight points (48-40) with 8:49 to go, but the Royals crept back within four at 55-51 on a layup by Zach Ashworth with 2:31 left. However, it would be Scranton's last field goal of the game as the Blue Jays finished with an 8-1 run that featured four free throws by Fogel and breakaway layups by Josh Houseal and Kyle McConnell.
Overall, Elizabethtown finished at 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the field and went 13-for-20 from the foul line, while Scranton connected at 41.7 percent (20-for-48) overall and 9-for-12 at the line. Scranton held a 37-33 edge in rebounding and finished with 28 turnovers to 16 by Elizabethtown.
Ashworth, who entered the game leading the Landmark Conference in scoring at 18.4 points per game and in three-pointers per game (2.75), went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points, with seven coming in the final five minutes.
From the University of Scranton Website:
Elizabethtown Holds Off Second-Half Rally To Defeat Royals, 63-52, Saturday Evening; Londo Paces Scranton With Career-Highs of 19 Points and 12 Rebounds
December 12, 2009
Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.-The University of Scranton's bid to fight back from an 11-point halftime deficit fell short against Elizabethtown College Saturday evening at Thompson Gymnasium.
The Royals closed to within two, 42-40, before the Blue Jays ended the game on a 21-12 run to hold on for a 63-52 victory. Junior guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) led Elizabethtown, now 7-3, with 16 points and senior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, Pa./Solanco) and junior guards Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added 14 points apiece.
Senior forward Eli Londo (Hamlin, Pa./North Pocono) posted his third ‘double-double' of his career with 19 points and 12 rebounds-posting a career-high in points and tying his career-high in rebounds-and junior guard Zach Ashworth (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) added 11 points for the Royals, who turned the ball over a season-high 28 times.
It was turnovers that dug a huge hole for Scranton in the first half. The Royals managed to build up an early 13-9 lead, but turned the ball over 11 times in the final 12 minutes of play, which sparked a 19-4 rally by the Blue Jays en route to a 28-17 lead by intermission. Scranton compounded its problems by shooting only 38 percent from the field, including 14.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Royals, who shot nearly 45 percent from the field in the second half to jump start its offense, got to within two on a 3-pointer by Londo to cap off a 23-14 rally with 11:02 remaining. Flanagan, Church and Fogel then combined for nine points during a 13-4 spurt over the next six minutes to stretch Elizabethtown's lead to 11, 55-44, with 5:42 remaining.
Scranton made one last-ditch effort to pull out the win, as Ashworth scored six straight points during an 8-2 run to cut the margin to four, 55-51, with 2:31 left. The Royals, however, committed two costly turnovers and back-to-back lay-ups by Blue Jay senior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) and sophomore Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) helped seal the victory.
The win was number 300 for veteran head coach Bob Schlosser, now in his 20th season at Elizabethtown. He is now 300-201 (.599) in his collegiate career.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak for the Royals, now 6-3. Scranton will close out a two-game road trip this Tuesday, December 15, against Montclair State University in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, beginning at 8:00 p.m.
News & Notes: Scranton still leads the all-time series with Elizabethtown, 44-18, but the Blue Jays have now won five of the last eight meetings...Londo's previous career-high of 17 points came against Albright on December 13, 2008, at the Long Center and earlier this year against Bard College, also at the Long Center...Londo connected on 8 of 12 shots from the field, but the rest of the Royals went a combined 12-for-36 (33.3 percent)...Scranton shot a season-low 17.6 percent (3 of 17) from the 3-point arc...the Royals previous season-high for turnovers was 27 in a 96-77 loss to then 2nd-ranked John Carroll in the championship game of the Radisson Invitational on Sunday, November 22...all three of Londo's ‘double-doubles' in points and rebounds have come this year.
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
E-town's Schlosser collects 300th win
Former players gave him a standing ovation after 63-52 triumph over Scranton.
Sunday News
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
For Bob Schlosser, the number, however big and round, was secondary to the way it was achieved.
The coach came to Elizabethtown in 1990 hoping to build a program on the foundation of two principles: playing hard and playing together.
Twenty seasons later, that approach produced Schlosser's 300th win at the school.
E-town College knocked off Scranton, 63-52, in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gym Saturday night.
It was a victory for a lifetime coach to savor.
"Now that it has been 20 years here, you start to appreciate it a little bit more," Schlosser said. "Now it starts to really sink in. This is special. It really is.
"I just feel proud of the fact that we built a program. There are a lot of people who had their hand in it. That's what's important, the relationships that you build with players and coaches."
Schlosser has a 300-201 record in his 20 seasons at E-town. He ranks second on the school's all-time win list behind Don Smith, who has 331.
The magnitude of the accomplishment wasn't lost on Elizabethtown's players. They gathered around their coach and posed for pictures after the game.
"It's a huge thing," said senior Mike Church, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. "That's a huge milestone at any coaching level. He's got that system and he's done it for a long time. Because of that, he has 300 wins."
E-town's players registered No. 300 by relying on sheer effort to overcome their cold shooting (37.5 percent) and occasional lack of execution.
In other words, they won by playing hard and playing together.
The Blue Jays took the lead for good with a suffocating 12-0 run in the first half. They held Scranton without a point for a span of 8:46 as they built a 21-13 advantage.
The combination of E-town's pressure and Scranton's sloppiness created 18 turnovers and resulted in just 17 points for the Royals in the first half. E-town turned those turnovers into 15 points and led by 11 at intermission.
"We weren't shooting the ball well," Schlosser said. "At least our pressure was causing them to turn it over and not get into any kind of flow. Our intensity and our pressure kept us in the lead even through the later stages of the game."
Although Scranton overcame its early struggles and hung close in the second half, the Royals were never able to pull even. The closest they came was 42-40 after Dan Hilferty and Eli Londo hit consecutive 3-pointers with 11 minutes remaining.
E-town responded with another stretch of shut-down defense. The Jays held Scranton to one field goal over the next 4:52 to quickly extend the lead back to 11 points. It was never closer than four points the rest of the way.
Keith Fogel scored 12 of his career-high 16 points in the second half for E-town. Lancaster Mennonite grad Joe Flanagan added 14 points.
"Tonight's game was not a pretty win," said Schlosser, whose team improved to 7-3. "But I think our energy and our intensity got us the 'W.' We didn't shoot it well. We had some breakdowns defensively, but we're a team that always plays with a lot of fire. I think tonight that was the difference."
Schlosser downplayed the importance of No. 300 in the days leading up to this game. He didn't want to put the focus on a personal achievement when his team was seeking its collective goals for the season.
After the win was in the books, Schlosser was awarded a plaque and a game ball. Some of his former players gave him a standing ovation from the bleachers.
It was evidence that the coach was right. Milestones are more than numbers. They're about the people you meet along the way.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Blue Jays Use Balance to Defeat Colonels, 76-69
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Four players scored in double figures to help Elizabethtown College defeat Wilkes University 76-69 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gymnasium Wednesday night.
Mike Church led the way for the Blue Jays (6-3 overall) with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Bryan Harrity contributed a career-high 14 points off the bench as Elizabethtown led by as many as 17 points before the Colonels (4-3 overall) mounted a late rally. The win was the 299th career victory for Elizabethtown head coach Bob Schlosser, who was coaching in his 500th game in 20 seasons on the Blue Jay sidelines.
Tom Kresge led Wilkes with a game-high 25 points along with six rebounds, while Anthony Gabriel grabbed a game-best eight rebounds and chipped in with 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots, but the Colonels could not overcome 38.1 percent shooting (24-for-63) in falling to the Blue Jays for the second time this season. Elizabethtown defeated Wilkes 66-57 at Susquehanna University's tournament on Nov. 20.
Also reaching double figures for Elizabethtown were Joe Flanagan, with 14 points, and Keith Fogel, who netted 11 points along with a game-high five assists and held Chris DeRojas, Wilkes' second-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, to just one field goal and four points on the evening.
Harrity, who had set his previous career high of 11 points in the Blue Jays' most-recent game, a 69-64 overtime win over Messiah on Saturday, went 5-for-7 from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts. He helped the Elizabethtown bench finish with a 25-11 advantage in scoring over the Wilkes reserves.
Wilkes led by as many as five points in the game's opening minutes, but a 14-4 run in the latter stages of the half helped Elizabethtown to a 37-32 lead at intermission. Harrity and Flanagan shared the game high with 10 points apiece for the Blue Jays, who shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the field in the half.
The Colonels kept their deficit within six points at 51-45 with 12:40 to go, but the Blue Jays took over from there as a 16-2 run pushed the Elizabethtown advantage to a game-high 17 points at 64-47 with 6:27 left. The Colonels pared the Blue Jay lead to six in the final 30 seconds but could get no closer.
Kyle McConnell just missed joining the Blue Jay quartet in double figures, as he finished with eight points along with four rebounds. In all, the Blue Jays had a slim 39-38 advantage on the glass while each team committed 14 turnovers.
From the Wilkes University Website:
COLONELS FALL TO ELIZABETHTOWN IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
box score
For the second time this season, the Wilkes University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown, this time by a score of 76-69. Tom Kresge had another impressive performance, hitting 11-of-18 shots for a game-high 25 points.
The Blue Jays had four players scoring in double-figures while hitting 45.9 percent from the field as a team. The Colonels on the other hand, struggled hitting 24-of-63 shots for 38.1 percent.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half with the Colonels holding the lead most of the way. Mike Donatoni hit a pair of free throws with 8:24 to give Wilkes a 22-21 advantage. The Blue Jays proceeded to go a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 31-21 lead with 4:47 to go and would lead the rest of the way.
The score was tied four times in the first half and the lead changed seven different times, but Elizabethtown would eventually take a 37-32 lead at the half.
Already leading 51-45, with 12:40 to go, the Blue Jays used a 9-0 run to lead 60-45with 7:49 to play. Elizabethtown would eventually lead by as many as 17, but Wilkes used a 7-0 in the final minute of the game to pull within seven.
Wilkes fell to 4-3 on the year, while E-town improved to 6-3. The Colonels will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Lycoming on the road at 1 p.m.
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Four players scored in double figures to help Elizabethtown College defeat Wilkes University 76-69 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gymnasium Wednesday night.
Mike Church led the way for the Blue Jays (6-3 overall) with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Bryan Harrity contributed a career-high 14 points off the bench as Elizabethtown led by as many as 17 points before the Colonels (4-3 overall) mounted a late rally. The win was the 299th career victory for Elizabethtown head coach Bob Schlosser, who was coaching in his 500th game in 20 seasons on the Blue Jay sidelines.
Tom Kresge led Wilkes with a game-high 25 points along with six rebounds, while Anthony Gabriel grabbed a game-best eight rebounds and chipped in with 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots, but the Colonels could not overcome 38.1 percent shooting (24-for-63) in falling to the Blue Jays for the second time this season. Elizabethtown defeated Wilkes 66-57 at Susquehanna University's tournament on Nov. 20.
Also reaching double figures for Elizabethtown were Joe Flanagan, with 14 points, and Keith Fogel, who netted 11 points along with a game-high five assists and held Chris DeRojas, Wilkes' second-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, to just one field goal and four points on the evening.
Harrity, who had set his previous career high of 11 points in the Blue Jays' most-recent game, a 69-64 overtime win over Messiah on Saturday, went 5-for-7 from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts. He helped the Elizabethtown bench finish with a 25-11 advantage in scoring over the Wilkes reserves.
Wilkes led by as many as five points in the game's opening minutes, but a 14-4 run in the latter stages of the half helped Elizabethtown to a 37-32 lead at intermission. Harrity and Flanagan shared the game high with 10 points apiece for the Blue Jays, who shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the field in the half.
The Colonels kept their deficit within six points at 51-45 with 12:40 to go, but the Blue Jays took over from there as a 16-2 run pushed the Elizabethtown advantage to a game-high 17 points at 64-47 with 6:27 left. The Colonels pared the Blue Jay lead to six in the final 30 seconds but could get no closer.
Kyle McConnell just missed joining the Blue Jay quartet in double figures, as he finished with eight points along with four rebounds. In all, the Blue Jays had a slim 39-38 advantage on the glass while each team committed 14 turnovers.
From the Wilkes University Website:
COLONELS FALL TO ELIZABETHTOWN IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
box score
For the second time this season, the Wilkes University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown, this time by a score of 76-69. Tom Kresge had another impressive performance, hitting 11-of-18 shots for a game-high 25 points.
The Blue Jays had four players scoring in double-figures while hitting 45.9 percent from the field as a team. The Colonels on the other hand, struggled hitting 24-of-63 shots for 38.1 percent.
The two teams went back and forth in the first half with the Colonels holding the lead most of the way. Mike Donatoni hit a pair of free throws with 8:24 to give Wilkes a 22-21 advantage. The Blue Jays proceeded to go a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 31-21 lead with 4:47 to go and would lead the rest of the way.
The score was tied four times in the first half and the lead changed seven different times, but Elizabethtown would eventually take a 37-32 lead at the half.
Already leading 51-45, with 12:40 to go, the Blue Jays used a 9-0 run to lead 60-45with 7:49 to play. Elizabethtown would eventually lead by as many as 17, but Wilkes used a 7-0 in the final minute of the game to pull within seven.
Wilkes fell to 4-3 on the year, while E-town improved to 6-3. The Colonels will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Lycoming on the road at 1 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
More Game Coverage
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Blue Jays earn an early 'must win'
Blue Jays rally from 16-point deficit to beat Messiah in overtime.
Dec 06, 2009 00:11 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
It's not often a college basketball coach puts a must-win emphasis on a game played in early December.
That was the attitude Elizabethtown's Bob Schlosser took into Saturday.
"This was a critical game for us," he said. "We never say to our guys, 'You have to win this one.' But we said that tonight. We felt we had to win."
E-town's players answered their coach's request. They rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to edge Messiah, 69-64, in overtime at Thompson Gym.
Why did a game played so early in the season carry such importance for E-town?
The Blue Jays had already lost their Centennial Conference opener against Alvernia Wednesday. A setback against Messiah would have left the Jays 0-2 in the conference with both losses coming at home. That would have put a serious dent in their hopes of contending this season.
Even with that consequence at stake, E-town didn't exactly come out firing on all cylinders. The Jays were stagnant on offense and a step slow on defense until the early stages of the second half.
Messiah hit 7 of its first 11 attempts from behind the 3-point arc as it built a 41-25 lead with 18:47 remaining in regulation.
That's when E-town flipped its defensive switch and played with more urgency.
"We started pressing," Schlosser said. "We always pick up full court, but we did a little more trapping and pressing out of it, which I thought made the difference. It was not only good for turnovers, but I thought it took them out of their offense."
E-town burst on a 17-2 run in the span of 6:42 to cut the deficit to one point and give itself new life.
Messiah, which had been so efficient on offense, broke down in the second half. The Falcons only made three of their final 13 3-point attempts and only shot 10-for-33 after halftime.
"I thought there were points in the second half when we were organized," Messiah coach Rick Van Pelt said. "But definitely at the end of regulation we made a couple of terrible miscues, just being in the wrong spot.
"E-town does a great job. They put pressure on you from start to finish. They make you play the full court. We just had people out of position at the end. They made some big plays. They scrambled and did a good job."
Elizabethtown overcame a 55-48 deficit in the final 2:09 of regulation. Hempfield grad Mark Vogel hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining that capped a 7-0 run and pulled E-town even.
Keith Fogel's steal and layup with 27 seconds left gave E-town its first lead at 59-57, but Messiah's Chris Yoder, also a Hempfield alum, made a basket with 15.9 seconds remaining to force overtime.
E-town opened the OT with a 7-2 run to pull away from Messiah and prevail.
Fogel led a quartet of Blue Jay players scoring in double figures with 17 points. Lancaster Mennonite's Joe Flanagan added 15, Bryan Harrity had a career-high 11 off the bench and Solanco's Mike Church chipped in 10.
Messiah was led by Northern Lebanon's Colton Reitz, who contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds.
It was a grind-it-out win for E-town. The Jays only had five field goals in the final 14 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime and only shot 27 percent during that stretch. They won by hitting 22 of their 27 free throw attempts.
E-town didn't play great, but it played well enough to earn a crucial victory.
"This is a game we really needed," Schlosser said. "We needed it just for our psyche. To go 0-2 in the conference with both games being at home would have been really tough to deal with."
Blue Jays earn an early 'must win'
Blue Jays rally from 16-point deficit to beat Messiah in overtime.
Dec 06, 2009 00:11 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON GUARENTE, Correspondent
It's not often a college basketball coach puts a must-win emphasis on a game played in early December.
That was the attitude Elizabethtown's Bob Schlosser took into Saturday.
"This was a critical game for us," he said. "We never say to our guys, 'You have to win this one.' But we said that tonight. We felt we had to win."
E-town's players answered their coach's request. They rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to edge Messiah, 69-64, in overtime at Thompson Gym.
Why did a game played so early in the season carry such importance for E-town?
The Blue Jays had already lost their Centennial Conference opener against Alvernia Wednesday. A setback against Messiah would have left the Jays 0-2 in the conference with both losses coming at home. That would have put a serious dent in their hopes of contending this season.
Even with that consequence at stake, E-town didn't exactly come out firing on all cylinders. The Jays were stagnant on offense and a step slow on defense until the early stages of the second half.
Messiah hit 7 of its first 11 attempts from behind the 3-point arc as it built a 41-25 lead with 18:47 remaining in regulation.
That's when E-town flipped its defensive switch and played with more urgency.
"We started pressing," Schlosser said. "We always pick up full court, but we did a little more trapping and pressing out of it, which I thought made the difference. It was not only good for turnovers, but I thought it took them out of their offense."
E-town burst on a 17-2 run in the span of 6:42 to cut the deficit to one point and give itself new life.
Messiah, which had been so efficient on offense, broke down in the second half. The Falcons only made three of their final 13 3-point attempts and only shot 10-for-33 after halftime.
"I thought there were points in the second half when we were organized," Messiah coach Rick Van Pelt said. "But definitely at the end of regulation we made a couple of terrible miscues, just being in the wrong spot.
"E-town does a great job. They put pressure on you from start to finish. They make you play the full court. We just had people out of position at the end. They made some big plays. They scrambled and did a good job."
Elizabethtown overcame a 55-48 deficit in the final 2:09 of regulation. Hempfield grad Mark Vogel hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining that capped a 7-0 run and pulled E-town even.
Keith Fogel's steal and layup with 27 seconds left gave E-town its first lead at 59-57, but Messiah's Chris Yoder, also a Hempfield alum, made a basket with 15.9 seconds remaining to force overtime.
E-town opened the OT with a 7-2 run to pull away from Messiah and prevail.
Fogel led a quartet of Blue Jay players scoring in double figures with 17 points. Lancaster Mennonite's Joe Flanagan added 15, Bryan Harrity had a career-high 11 off the bench and Solanco's Mike Church chipped in 10.
Messiah was led by Northern Lebanon's Colton Reitz, who contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds.
It was a grind-it-out win for E-town. The Jays only had five field goals in the final 14 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime and only shot 27 percent during that stretch. They won by hitting 22 of their 27 free throw attempts.
E-town didn't play great, but it played well enough to earn a crucial victory.
"This is a game we really needed," Schlosser said. "We needed it just for our psyche. To go 0-2 in the conference with both games being at home would have been really tough to deal with."
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Blue Jays Overcome 16-Point Deficit in OT Win Over Messiah
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to force overtime, and went on to defeat Messiah College 69-64 in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Keith Fogel sparked the comeback for the Blue Jays by scoring all of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including the tiebreaking three-pointer with 3:44 left in overtime, for the Blue Jays (5-3 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth).
Joe Flanagan added 15 points for the Blue Jays, while Bryan Harrity chipped in with a career-high 11 points in 13 minutes off the bench and Mike Church finished with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Elizabethtown, which shot just 36.4 percent (20-for-55) as a team in the game but connected on 23-of-29 free-throw attempts overall and committed just one turnover after halftime.
Colton Reitz led the Falcons (4-3 overall, 0-2 Commonwealth) with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, but after shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field in the opening half Messiah hit just 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) after intermission.
Messiah took the lead in the game's opening minute and carried a 37-25 advantage into halftime behind 12 points from Reitz. The Falcon lead grew to 41-25 in the opening minute of the second half, but Elizabethtown whittled the deficit away and finally evened the score at 55-55 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 1:13 remaining. Reitz sank two foul shots with 55 seconds remaining to push the Falcons back ahead 57-55, but Flanagan hit a pair at the other end with 45 seconds left to retie the score at 57-57.
Fogel gave Elizabethtown its first lead of the game at 59-57 with a steal and layup with 27 seconds to play, but Chris Yoder's basket with 16 seconds to go knotted the score at 59-59. Elizabethtown had a final chance to win the game in regulation but misfired with six seconds to go, and Messiah was unable to get off a final shot as the teams went to overtime.
In the extra period, the Blue Jays scored the first four points to go up 63-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 3:44 to go and a free throw by Flanagan with 2:05 remaining. Jamie Yoder hit a jumper with 1:43 left to pull the Falcons within 63-61, but a free throw by Flanagan and two by Chris Jones sandwiched around a missed three-pointer by Messiah left Elizabethtown with a 66-61 lead with 36 seconds left.
Tyler Ritzman brought the Falcons within two at 66-64 with a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, but Fogel hit two free throws with 18 seconds left and Travis Mettler came up with a steal and made one foul shot with eight seconds to play to set the final score.
Jamie Yoder and Chris Yoder each scored 11 points for the Falcons, who went 10-for-24 from three-point range on the afternoon including a 6-for-10 performance in the first half. Kyle Snyder joined Reitz in double figures on the boards with 10, as Messiah finished with a slim 37-36 edge in rebounding.
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to force overtime, and went on to defeat Messiah College 69-64 in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Keith Fogel sparked the comeback for the Blue Jays by scoring all of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including the tiebreaking three-pointer with 3:44 left in overtime, for the Blue Jays (5-3 overall, 1-1 Commonwealth).
Joe Flanagan added 15 points for the Blue Jays, while Bryan Harrity chipped in with a career-high 11 points in 13 minutes off the bench and Mike Church finished with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Elizabethtown, which shot just 36.4 percent (20-for-55) as a team in the game but connected on 23-of-29 free-throw attempts overall and committed just one turnover after halftime.
Colton Reitz led the Falcons (4-3 overall, 0-2 Commonwealth) with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, but after shooting 52.4 percent (11-for-21) from the field in the opening half Messiah hit just 10-for-33 (30.3 percent) after intermission.
Messiah took the lead in the game's opening minute and carried a 37-25 advantage into halftime behind 12 points from Reitz. The Falcon lead grew to 41-25 in the opening minute of the second half, but Elizabethtown whittled the deficit away and finally evened the score at 55-55 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 1:13 remaining. Reitz sank two foul shots with 55 seconds remaining to push the Falcons back ahead 57-55, but Flanagan hit a pair at the other end with 45 seconds left to retie the score at 57-57.
Fogel gave Elizabethtown its first lead of the game at 59-57 with a steal and layup with 27 seconds to play, but Chris Yoder's basket with 16 seconds to go knotted the score at 59-59. Elizabethtown had a final chance to win the game in regulation but misfired with six seconds to go, and Messiah was unable to get off a final shot as the teams went to overtime.
In the extra period, the Blue Jays scored the first four points to go up 63-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 3:44 to go and a free throw by Flanagan with 2:05 remaining. Jamie Yoder hit a jumper with 1:43 left to pull the Falcons within 63-61, but a free throw by Flanagan and two by Chris Jones sandwiched around a missed three-pointer by Messiah left Elizabethtown with a 66-61 lead with 36 seconds left.
Tyler Ritzman brought the Falcons within two at 66-64 with a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining, but Fogel hit two free throws with 18 seconds left and Travis Mettler came up with a steal and made one foul shot with eight seconds to play to set the final score.
Jamie Yoder and Chris Yoder each scored 11 points for the Falcons, who went 10-for-24 from three-point range on the afternoon including a 6-for-10 performance in the first half. Kyle Snyder joined Reitz in double figures on the boards with 10, as Messiah finished with a slim 37-36 edge in rebounding.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Crusaders Shoot Past Blue Jays, 88-80 in League Opener
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Three players scored over 20 points, led by game highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds from Nick Rivera, as hot-shooting Alvernia University defeated Elizabethtown College 88-80 in the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball opener on Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Seth Cornell added 23 points and Matt Schatzmann tallied 21 points for the Crusaders (7-0 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth), who shot a blistering 65.1 percent (28-for-43) from the field in the game, including 10-for-18 from three-point range. Cornell went 4-for-8 from long range while Schatzmann and Tad Gillis each hit a trio of threes for the Crusaders.
Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (4-3 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) with 21 points to go with five steals, while Mike Church added 19 points and six rebounds. However, the Blue Jays shot just 40.3 percent (29-for-72) from the field and could not take advantage of 29 more field-goal attempts than the Crusaders.
Gillis also reached double figures for Alvernia, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half on 5-for-5 shooting while dishing out a game-high eight assists. Joe Flanagan was the third Blue Jay to score in double figures as he finished the night with 10 points in 23 minutes of action.
The teams played an even first half, with neither team leading by more than five points and the 10th and final tie coming at the end of the half at 40-40. Cornell scored 17 points to lead Alvernia in the opening half, while Fogel netted 13 points for the Blue Jays.
Elizabethtown took an early 45-42 lead in the second half, but Alvernia went on a 24-6 run over the next 11 minute to take their largest lead of the night at 66-51 with 7:55 to go. Elizabethtown trailed 75-64 with 4:54 to play, but Fogel scored six points during an 8-0 run that cut the Alvernia lead to 75-72 with 3:21 remaining.
However, the Crusaders pushed their lead back to six on a foul shot by Cornell and a layup by Rivera, and put the game away by hitting all six of their free-throw attempts in the final 36 seconds.
From the Alvernia University Website:
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Dec. 2, 2009) - A little better than two weeks ago no one knew what to expect from Alvernia University Men's Basketball.
Monday night the Crusaders (7-0, 1-0) left Thompson Gymnasium on the campus of Elizabethtown College (4-3, 0-1) with their seventh straight win, an 88-80 decision over the preseason favorite in the Commonwealth Conference, and a little better idea of who they are.
The identity of the team has emerged in senior center Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) who went 39 minutes and posted game-highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds. With Rivera patrolling the post, seasoned guards Seth Cornell (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor)--23 points--and Tad Gillis (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby)--13 points, eight assists--continued to wreck havoc on the perimeter. Wednesday night kid brother Matt Schatzmann (Paradise, Pa./Pequea Valley) grew up with a career-high 21 points and five assists.
"First off you gotta give credit to Nick," said Alvernia head coach Mike Miller through a smile in the Thompson halls. "He's worked his tail off. I've never seen a guy get stronger and improve his skills the way he has."
A year ago Alvernia opened the season with a 68-63 loss at Etown. Rivera scored two points and grabbed two boards in five minutes. He blew those numbers away on Wednesday putting up 12 points, seven boards, and five blocked shots by halftime.
Cornell was equally as effective in the opening frame scoring 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting that included 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and the Crusaders needed every bit of it. Etown held the largest lead of the half at five points, 16-11, and Blue Jay senior Chris Jones's 3 on the final possession of half forged the 10th tie of the night at 40-40 through the first 20.
"Some guards just know how to win," said Miller with a shrug speaking of Cornell and Gillis, who went 3-for-3 from the arc in the second half. "Those two are flat out competitors. I want to take them out, but if I do they're going to get mad."
Gillis rested for two minutes on Wednesday, his fifth straight game with 37 minutes or more. Cornell hasn't seen the bench outside a timeout in over a week.
Miller played two subs, senior Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and sophomore Ryan Ludwig (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), a combined total of 23 minutes. Neither attempted a shot from the floor, but they did hit 5-of-6 free throws between them.
Schatzmann went 38 minutes, the most for him since getting 27 against Immaculata.
"I had a feeling it would be a bit of a coming out party for him tonight," said Miller of Schatzmann, whose older brother Mike scored better than 900 career points in three years as a Jay.
The younger Schatzmann was consistent for the Crusaders on Wednesday. After posting seven points and three assists through the first half, he and Gillis went back-to-back on 3s twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Crusaders ran off a 24-6 run turning a three point deficit into a 15-point lead with eight minutes to play. For the night the Crusaders were 28-of-43 from the floor, a blistering 65 percent.
Schatzmann followed the second set of 3s with a layup, Gillis added his third 3 of the half, and Rivera punctuated the run with an and-one layup.
Etown went to work on the gap with another Jones 3 and junior Keith Fogel scored six of his team-high 21 during a lighting quick 8-0 run that pulled the hosts within 3 points, 75-72 with 3:21 to play.
"We didn't want to change what we were doing," said Miller when asked what he said during a timeout with the momentum having clearly jumped to the Etown bench. "Obviously we wanted to settle things down, but just continue to do what we do."
What they did was get the ball back to Rivera. After a free throw from Cornell the Crusaders dumped the ball to Rivera on successive possessions and he converted both for a six point lead with a minute to go. Gillis scored a layup in the paint and the Crusaders hit six free throws in the last 40 seconds to hold off the Jays final surge.
Mike Church added 19 points for Etown and Joe Flanagan scored 10.
The Crusaders tied the wins to start a season mark held by the face of Alvernia Basketball, the 1996-97 team that advanced to the Final Four. They go for eight Saturday in a match-up of unbeatens when Albright College comes to the Physical Education Center for the first conference doubleheader in the history of the series.
Alvernia 88, Elizabethtown 80
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Three players scored over 20 points, led by game highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds from Nick Rivera, as hot-shooting Alvernia University defeated Elizabethtown College 88-80 in the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball opener on Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Seth Cornell added 23 points and Matt Schatzmann tallied 21 points for the Crusaders (7-0 overall, 1-0 Commonwealth), who shot a blistering 65.1 percent (28-for-43) from the field in the game, including 10-for-18 from three-point range. Cornell went 4-for-8 from long range while Schatzmann and Tad Gillis each hit a trio of threes for the Crusaders.
Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (4-3 overall, 0-1 Commonwealth) with 21 points to go with five steals, while Mike Church added 19 points and six rebounds. However, the Blue Jays shot just 40.3 percent (29-for-72) from the field and could not take advantage of 29 more field-goal attempts than the Crusaders.
Gillis also reached double figures for Alvernia, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half on 5-for-5 shooting while dishing out a game-high eight assists. Joe Flanagan was the third Blue Jay to score in double figures as he finished the night with 10 points in 23 minutes of action.
The teams played an even first half, with neither team leading by more than five points and the 10th and final tie coming at the end of the half at 40-40. Cornell scored 17 points to lead Alvernia in the opening half, while Fogel netted 13 points for the Blue Jays.
Elizabethtown took an early 45-42 lead in the second half, but Alvernia went on a 24-6 run over the next 11 minute to take their largest lead of the night at 66-51 with 7:55 to go. Elizabethtown trailed 75-64 with 4:54 to play, but Fogel scored six points during an 8-0 run that cut the Alvernia lead to 75-72 with 3:21 remaining.
However, the Crusaders pushed their lead back to six on a foul shot by Cornell and a layup by Rivera, and put the game away by hitting all six of their free-throw attempts in the final 36 seconds.
From the Alvernia University Website:
BOX SCORE
Elizabethtown, Pa. (Dec. 2, 2009) - A little better than two weeks ago no one knew what to expect from Alvernia University Men's Basketball.
Monday night the Crusaders (7-0, 1-0) left Thompson Gymnasium on the campus of Elizabethtown College (4-3, 0-1) with their seventh straight win, an 88-80 decision over the preseason favorite in the Commonwealth Conference, and a little better idea of who they are.
The identity of the team has emerged in senior center Nick Rivera (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) who went 39 minutes and posted game-highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds. With Rivera patrolling the post, seasoned guards Seth Cornell (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor)--23 points--and Tad Gillis (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby)--13 points, eight assists--continued to wreck havoc on the perimeter. Wednesday night kid brother Matt Schatzmann (Paradise, Pa./Pequea Valley) grew up with a career-high 21 points and five assists.
"First off you gotta give credit to Nick," said Alvernia head coach Mike Miller through a smile in the Thompson halls. "He's worked his tail off. I've never seen a guy get stronger and improve his skills the way he has."
A year ago Alvernia opened the season with a 68-63 loss at Etown. Rivera scored two points and grabbed two boards in five minutes. He blew those numbers away on Wednesday putting up 12 points, seven boards, and five blocked shots by halftime.
Cornell was equally as effective in the opening frame scoring 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting that included 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and the Crusaders needed every bit of it. Etown held the largest lead of the half at five points, 16-11, and Blue Jay senior Chris Jones's 3 on the final possession of half forged the 10th tie of the night at 40-40 through the first 20.
"Some guards just know how to win," said Miller with a shrug speaking of Cornell and Gillis, who went 3-for-3 from the arc in the second half. "Those two are flat out competitors. I want to take them out, but if I do they're going to get mad."
Gillis rested for two minutes on Wednesday, his fifth straight game with 37 minutes or more. Cornell hasn't seen the bench outside a timeout in over a week.
Miller played two subs, senior Charlie Hughes (Kenhorst, Pa./Governor Mifflin) and sophomore Ryan Ludwig (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy), a combined total of 23 minutes. Neither attempted a shot from the floor, but they did hit 5-of-6 free throws between them.
Schatzmann went 38 minutes, the most for him since getting 27 against Immaculata.
"I had a feeling it would be a bit of a coming out party for him tonight," said Miller of Schatzmann, whose older brother Mike scored better than 900 career points in three years as a Jay.
The younger Schatzmann was consistent for the Crusaders on Wednesday. After posting seven points and three assists through the first half, he and Gillis went back-to-back on 3s twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Crusaders ran off a 24-6 run turning a three point deficit into a 15-point lead with eight minutes to play. For the night the Crusaders were 28-of-43 from the floor, a blistering 65 percent.
Schatzmann followed the second set of 3s with a layup, Gillis added his third 3 of the half, and Rivera punctuated the run with an and-one layup.
Etown went to work on the gap with another Jones 3 and junior Keith Fogel scored six of his team-high 21 during a lighting quick 8-0 run that pulled the hosts within 3 points, 75-72 with 3:21 to play.
"We didn't want to change what we were doing," said Miller when asked what he said during a timeout with the momentum having clearly jumped to the Etown bench. "Obviously we wanted to settle things down, but just continue to do what we do."
What they did was get the ball back to Rivera. After a free throw from Cornell the Crusaders dumped the ball to Rivera on successive possessions and he converted both for a six point lead with a minute to go. Gillis scored a layup in the paint and the Crusaders hit six free throws in the last 40 seconds to hold off the Jays final surge.
Mike Church added 19 points for Etown and Joe Flanagan scored 10.
The Crusaders tied the wins to start a season mark held by the face of Alvernia Basketball, the 1996-97 team that advanced to the Final Four. They go for eight Saturday in a match-up of unbeatens when Albright College comes to the Physical Education Center for the first conference doubleheader in the history of the series.
Alvernia 88, Elizabethtown 80
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Blue Jays Cruise Past Knights, 79-56
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
ASTON, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan scored a game-high 17 points and matched his career high with eight rebounds as Elizabethtown College rolled to a 79-56 victory over Neumann University in men's basketball action on Monday night.
The Blue Jays (4-2 overall) shot 51.7 percent (30-for-58) from the field and 7-for-18 from three-point range while leading from start to finish against the Knights (1-2 overall).
Mike Church added nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal connected on all four of his field-goal attempts and finished with eight points for Elizabethtown. All 16 players on the Blue Jay roster saw action in the game, with 14 of them scoring at least one point.
Marquise Boggs led Neumann with 13 points while Na'Sheed Linton added 10 points and five assists, but the Knights shot a paltry 29.5 percent (18-for-61) from the field overall and 2-for-22 from three-point range while being outrebounded 50-32 by the Blue Jays.
Flanagan scored five of the Blue Jays' first 10 points, helping Elizabethtown to a 10-4 lead after 4 1/2 minutes of play. Three-pointers by Chris Jones and Brady Haughney keyed an 8-0 run that pushed the Blue Jays ahead 22-10 with 9:41 left in the first half.
The Blue Jays led 40-30 at halftime as Flanagan led the way with nine points and six rebounds, while Jones added seven points off the Elizabethtown bench. Boggs paced the Knights with 11 points, but Neumann shot 40 percent (12-for-30) from the field while Elizabethtown connected on 50 percent (16-for-32) in the opening half.
In the second half, the Blue Jay defense clamped down on the Knights, holding Neumann without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch midway through the half while expanding their lead to 60-41 with 8:04 remaining. The Knights finished at 19.4 percent (6-for-31) from the field in the second half as a team, while hitting just one of their 13 three-point attempts.
From the Neumann University Website:
Men's Basketball Drops Game to Elizabethtown
Box Score
ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College, 79-56, Monday evening in non-conference action.
Marquise Boggs led the Knights with 13 points. Na’Sheed Linton added 10 points and Sean Armstrong netted nine.
Joe Flanagan led the Blue Jays with 17 points. Mike Church added nine points.
Elizabethtown opened the scoring with a three-pointer by Flanagan. Points were scarce in the beginning of the game and four minutes in the Blue Jays led 8-4. EC started to connect on its shots and increased its lead, building a 12 point lead, 22-10, with 9:41 left in the first half. The Blue Jays kept a 10 point advantage throughout the rest of the half and took a 40-30 lead into the break.
Elizabethtown kept the pressure on and built its lead up to as many as 27 in the second half.
Neumann (1-2) will travel to Rosemont on Thursday to begin conference play. The men will play in the second game of the doubleheader, beginning at 8 p.m.
Box score
ASTON, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan scored a game-high 17 points and matched his career high with eight rebounds as Elizabethtown College rolled to a 79-56 victory over Neumann University in men's basketball action on Monday night.
The Blue Jays (4-2 overall) shot 51.7 percent (30-for-58) from the field and 7-for-18 from three-point range while leading from start to finish against the Knights (1-2 overall).
Mike Church added nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Blue Jays, while Josh Houseal connected on all four of his field-goal attempts and finished with eight points for Elizabethtown. All 16 players on the Blue Jay roster saw action in the game, with 14 of them scoring at least one point.
Marquise Boggs led Neumann with 13 points while Na'Sheed Linton added 10 points and five assists, but the Knights shot a paltry 29.5 percent (18-for-61) from the field overall and 2-for-22 from three-point range while being outrebounded 50-32 by the Blue Jays.
Flanagan scored five of the Blue Jays' first 10 points, helping Elizabethtown to a 10-4 lead after 4 1/2 minutes of play. Three-pointers by Chris Jones and Brady Haughney keyed an 8-0 run that pushed the Blue Jays ahead 22-10 with 9:41 left in the first half.
The Blue Jays led 40-30 at halftime as Flanagan led the way with nine points and six rebounds, while Jones added seven points off the Elizabethtown bench. Boggs paced the Knights with 11 points, but Neumann shot 40 percent (12-for-30) from the field while Elizabethtown connected on 50 percent (16-for-32) in the opening half.
In the second half, the Blue Jay defense clamped down on the Knights, holding Neumann without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch midway through the half while expanding their lead to 60-41 with 8:04 remaining. The Knights finished at 19.4 percent (6-for-31) from the field in the second half as a team, while hitting just one of their 13 three-point attempts.
From the Neumann University Website:
Men's Basketball Drops Game to Elizabethtown
Box Score
ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College, 79-56, Monday evening in non-conference action.
Marquise Boggs led the Knights with 13 points. Na’Sheed Linton added 10 points and Sean Armstrong netted nine.
Joe Flanagan led the Blue Jays with 17 points. Mike Church added nine points.
Elizabethtown opened the scoring with a three-pointer by Flanagan. Points were scarce in the beginning of the game and four minutes in the Blue Jays led 8-4. EC started to connect on its shots and increased its lead, building a 12 point lead, 22-10, with 9:41 left in the first half. The Blue Jays kept a 10 point advantage throughout the rest of the half and took a 40-30 lead into the break.
Elizabethtown kept the pressure on and built its lead up to as many as 27 in the second half.
Neumann (1-2) will travel to Rosemont on Thursday to begin conference play. The men will play in the second game of the doubleheader, beginning at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Church's Big Night Boosts Blue Jays Past Aggies, 71-65
From the E-town College Website:
Box score
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. --- Mike Church scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds to lift Elizabethtown College past Delaware Valley College 71-65 in a non-conference men's basketball game on Tuesday night.
Joe Flanagan added 15 points while Keith Fogel finished with 12 points and a career-high nine assists for the Blue Jays (3-2 overall), who held the Aggies (2-2 overall) to just 28.6 percent shooting (10-for-35) from the field in the second half.
Church's 19 rebounds are the most for a Blue Jay player since Mark Sweet grabbed 19 boards against the University of Scranton in a conference playoff game on Feb. 22, 2000. His previous career high was 12 rebounds, done on three occasions, and the double-double was the 11th of his career.
James Jones paced Delaware Valley with 17 points while Jeremy Beckett added 13 points and seven rebounds, but the Aggies let an eight-point second-half lead slip away as the Blue Jays used a 14-5 run to take a 45-44 lead with 13:55 left on a three-point play by Flanagan.
The teams were tied five times in the sercond half, with Elizabethtown breaking the final deadlock on the second of two foul shots by Church with 5:52 to play. The foul shots triggered a 7-0 run that included a three-point play by Bryan Harrity and a layup by Flanagan that gave Elizabethtown a 62-56 lead with 4:01 left.
The Aggies pulled within three points at 64-61 on a three-pointer by Chris Mayo with 1:25 to go, but the Blue Jays went 5-for-6 from the foul line in the final 41 seconds to put the game out of reach.
Delaware Valley led 36-31 at halftime as Beckett went 5-for-6 from the field and scored a game-high 10 points for the Aggies. Elizabethtown committed 14 turnovers in the opening half, and was led by Church's nine points and 13 rebounds.
Also reaching double figures in the game for Elizabethtown was Brady Haughney, who came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting in 18 minutes of action.
From the Delaware Valley College Website:
ELIZABETHTOWN POSTS 71-65 VICTORY OVER DELVAL
DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Mike Church notched 19 points 19 rebounds and was one of four Elizabethtown College players to score in double figures as the Blue Jays came from behind to defeat host Delaware Valley College, 71-65, in a non-conference game.
The game was tied at 26-26 with 6:09 remaining in the first half when the Aggies (2-2) scored 10 of the final 15 points in the stanza to take a lead into the break. Jason Sofman came off the bench to drain six of the 10 points for Delaware Valley.
The Aggies extended the lead to eight in the early moments of the second half as Jeremy Beckett had a three-point play. However, Elizabethtown (3-2) roared back with a 14-5 spurt, including six by Joe Flanagan and five by Church, to take a one-point lead.
The game went back and forth for the next seven minutes and Delaware Valley took, what turned out to be, its last lead of the game with 6:09 to go as Jon Evans completed a three-point play to make it 56-55. Church hit a pair of free throws 17 seconds later while Bryan Harrity had a three-point play and Flanagan added a layup for a 7-0 run and 62-56 Blue Jay advantage with 4:01 to go.
Delaware Valley pulled to within one possession as a Chris Mayo trey made it 64-61 with 1:25 left on the clock. However, Brady Haugney answered with a jumper and the Blue Jays hit five of six fouls shots down the stretch for the 71-65 final.
Church’s rebounding total was a career high and he also added four blocks in 34 minutes of action. Flanagan finished with 15 points while Haughney came off the bench to add 10. Keith Fogel tallied 12 points, nine assists, four rebounds, four steals and three blocks in the win.
James Jones led the Aggies with 17 points while Beckett ended the night with 13 points and seven boards. Sofman, Mayo and Jason Goldheimer added eight points apiece with Mayo also contributing a team-best eight rebounds.
Box score
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. --- Mike Church scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds to lift Elizabethtown College past Delaware Valley College 71-65 in a non-conference men's basketball game on Tuesday night.
Joe Flanagan added 15 points while Keith Fogel finished with 12 points and a career-high nine assists for the Blue Jays (3-2 overall), who held the Aggies (2-2 overall) to just 28.6 percent shooting (10-for-35) from the field in the second half.
Church's 19 rebounds are the most for a Blue Jay player since Mark Sweet grabbed 19 boards against the University of Scranton in a conference playoff game on Feb. 22, 2000. His previous career high was 12 rebounds, done on three occasions, and the double-double was the 11th of his career.
James Jones paced Delaware Valley with 17 points while Jeremy Beckett added 13 points and seven rebounds, but the Aggies let an eight-point second-half lead slip away as the Blue Jays used a 14-5 run to take a 45-44 lead with 13:55 left on a three-point play by Flanagan.
The teams were tied five times in the sercond half, with Elizabethtown breaking the final deadlock on the second of two foul shots by Church with 5:52 to play. The foul shots triggered a 7-0 run that included a three-point play by Bryan Harrity and a layup by Flanagan that gave Elizabethtown a 62-56 lead with 4:01 left.
The Aggies pulled within three points at 64-61 on a three-pointer by Chris Mayo with 1:25 to go, but the Blue Jays went 5-for-6 from the foul line in the final 41 seconds to put the game out of reach.
Delaware Valley led 36-31 at halftime as Beckett went 5-for-6 from the field and scored a game-high 10 points for the Aggies. Elizabethtown committed 14 turnovers in the opening half, and was led by Church's nine points and 13 rebounds.
Also reaching double figures in the game for Elizabethtown was Brady Haughney, who came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting in 18 minutes of action.
From the Delaware Valley College Website:
ELIZABETHTOWN POSTS 71-65 VICTORY OVER DELVAL
DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Mike Church notched 19 points 19 rebounds and was one of four Elizabethtown College players to score in double figures as the Blue Jays came from behind to defeat host Delaware Valley College, 71-65, in a non-conference game.
The game was tied at 26-26 with 6:09 remaining in the first half when the Aggies (2-2) scored 10 of the final 15 points in the stanza to take a lead into the break. Jason Sofman came off the bench to drain six of the 10 points for Delaware Valley.
The Aggies extended the lead to eight in the early moments of the second half as Jeremy Beckett had a three-point play. However, Elizabethtown (3-2) roared back with a 14-5 spurt, including six by Joe Flanagan and five by Church, to take a one-point lead.
The game went back and forth for the next seven minutes and Delaware Valley took, what turned out to be, its last lead of the game with 6:09 to go as Jon Evans completed a three-point play to make it 56-55. Church hit a pair of free throws 17 seconds later while Bryan Harrity had a three-point play and Flanagan added a layup for a 7-0 run and 62-56 Blue Jay advantage with 4:01 to go.
Delaware Valley pulled to within one possession as a Chris Mayo trey made it 64-61 with 1:25 left on the clock. However, Brady Haugney answered with a jumper and the Blue Jays hit five of six fouls shots down the stretch for the 71-65 final.
Church’s rebounding total was a career high and he also added four blocks in 34 minutes of action. Flanagan finished with 15 points while Haughney came off the bench to add 10. Keith Fogel tallied 12 points, nine assists, four rebounds, four steals and three blocks in the win.
James Jones led the Aggies with 17 points while Beckett ended the night with 13 points and seven boards. Sofman, Mayo and Jason Goldheimer added eight points apiece with Mayo also contributing a team-best eight rebounds.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Hot-Shooting Crusaders Down Blue Jays in Tourney Final, 89-78
From the E-town College Website:
11/21/2009 8:28:39 PM
Box score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- Harvey Pannell and Spenser Spencer scored 18 points apiece to lead host Susquehanna University to an 89-78 victory over Elizabethtown College in the championship game of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Pannell shot 8-for-9 from the field and was named tournament Most Valuable Player while Spencer earned All-Tournament honors for the Crusaders (2-1 overall), who shot 59.7 percent overall (37-for-62) from the field and 66.7 percent (20-for-30) in the second half.
Joe Flanagan led the Blue Jays (2-2 overall) with 14 points and five rebounds while Mike Church also reached double figures with 12 points to go with five boards. Both players were named to the All-Tournament team.
Elizabethtown also turned in a strong shooting performance, hitting 60.9 percent (28-for-46) from the field for the game, but the Blue Jays committed 24 turnovers which led to 29 Crusader points.
Susquehanna never trailed in the game, opening up a 6-0 lead after three minutes, and carried a 43-35 lead into halftime behind 10 points from Pannell and nine each from Spencer and Rob Estep. Elizabethtown committed 16 turnovers in the opening half, offsetting strong 60 percent shooting (12-for-20) over the first 20 minutes.
Elizabethtown cut the Susquehanna lead to 45-42 on two foul shots by Church with 17:53 remaining, but the Crusaders scored the next six points to move ahead 51-42 with 16:23 left on a layup by J.T. Wilson.
The Blue Jays moved within seven points on three different occasions, but the Crusaders made seven consecutive field-goal attempts over a four-minute span to take a 70-59 lead with 9:11 to play. Susquehanna led by as many as 18 points in the final two minutes before Elizabethtown scored the final seven points.
Joining Pannell and Spencer in double figures for the Crusaders were Daryl Augustus with 12 points and Rob Estep with 14 points off the bench. Spencer and Bryan Majors each recorded six of the Crusaders' 19 steals in the game.
Elizabethtown finished with a 29-20 edge in rebounding in the game, and shot 17-for-21 from the foul line and 5-for-11 from three-point range as a team.
In the consolation game, Wilkes University routed Penn College 98-57 as Tom Kresge scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Colonels.
From the Susquehanna University Website:
Crusaders Claim Pepsi/Weis Tournament Title with 89-78 Win Over Elizabethtown
Boxscore
SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Susquehanna University's tournament MVP and freshman guard/forward Harvey Pannell (Bloomfield, Conn./St. Thomas More) scored a game-high-tying 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field and added three rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead Susquehanna to an 89-78 non-conference men's basketball win over Elizabethtown College in the 2009 Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament championship game at Orlando W. Houts Gymnasium on Nov. 21.
SU's (2-1 overall) sophomore guard Spenser Spencer (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) and senior guard Bryan Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) joined Pannell on the all-tournament team.
Spencer also had 18 points against Elizabethtown (2-2 overall) and added three assists and five steals, while Majors had five points, two rebounds and game-highs of six assists and six steals.
Teammate and junior guard Rob Estep (York, Pa./West York) came off the bench to notch 14 points, including a game-high three three-pointers. Estep also handed out four assists.
Freshman forward and fellow Crusader Daryl Augustus (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall College HS) dropped in 12 points and a team-high-tying four boards. Junior forward Kenneth Anyanwu [Pennsauken, N.J./George (Pa.)] pulled down four as well.
The final score was closer than the game truly was, as the Crusaders never trailed. Estep's final three-pointer gave SU its biggest lead of the game at 18 points with 1 minute, 53 seconds left in the game.
Susquehanna advanced to the championship game of this tournament by defeating the Pennsylvania College of Technology, 84-48, on Nov. 20. Elizabethtown College topped Wilkes University, 66-57, in the other semifinal game earlier that same night.
The Blue Jays' junior guard/forward Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and senior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, Pa./Solanco) also earned all-tournament honors. Flanagan scored a team-high 14 points and tied Church for the team-high with five rebounds. Flanagan also had three assists and tied sophomore guard Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest HS) with a team-high two steals.
Church scored 12 points, while McConnell scored eight to go along with two boards and two assists.
Elizabethtown's junior guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) dished out a team-high five assists and added seven points and two rebounds.
Next Game: Sunday, Nov. 29, at Lycoming (non-conference game), 1 p.m.
11/21/2009 8:28:39 PM
Box score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- Harvey Pannell and Spenser Spencer scored 18 points apiece to lead host Susquehanna University to an 89-78 victory over Elizabethtown College in the championship game of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Pannell shot 8-for-9 from the field and was named tournament Most Valuable Player while Spencer earned All-Tournament honors for the Crusaders (2-1 overall), who shot 59.7 percent overall (37-for-62) from the field and 66.7 percent (20-for-30) in the second half.
Joe Flanagan led the Blue Jays (2-2 overall) with 14 points and five rebounds while Mike Church also reached double figures with 12 points to go with five boards. Both players were named to the All-Tournament team.
Elizabethtown also turned in a strong shooting performance, hitting 60.9 percent (28-for-46) from the field for the game, but the Blue Jays committed 24 turnovers which led to 29 Crusader points.
Susquehanna never trailed in the game, opening up a 6-0 lead after three minutes, and carried a 43-35 lead into halftime behind 10 points from Pannell and nine each from Spencer and Rob Estep. Elizabethtown committed 16 turnovers in the opening half, offsetting strong 60 percent shooting (12-for-20) over the first 20 minutes.
Elizabethtown cut the Susquehanna lead to 45-42 on two foul shots by Church with 17:53 remaining, but the Crusaders scored the next six points to move ahead 51-42 with 16:23 left on a layup by J.T. Wilson.
The Blue Jays moved within seven points on three different occasions, but the Crusaders made seven consecutive field-goal attempts over a four-minute span to take a 70-59 lead with 9:11 to play. Susquehanna led by as many as 18 points in the final two minutes before Elizabethtown scored the final seven points.
Joining Pannell and Spencer in double figures for the Crusaders were Daryl Augustus with 12 points and Rob Estep with 14 points off the bench. Spencer and Bryan Majors each recorded six of the Crusaders' 19 steals in the game.
Elizabethtown finished with a 29-20 edge in rebounding in the game, and shot 17-for-21 from the foul line and 5-for-11 from three-point range as a team.
In the consolation game, Wilkes University routed Penn College 98-57 as Tom Kresge scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Colonels.
From the Susquehanna University Website:
Crusaders Claim Pepsi/Weis Tournament Title with 89-78 Win Over Elizabethtown
Boxscore
SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- Susquehanna University's tournament MVP and freshman guard/forward Harvey Pannell (Bloomfield, Conn./St. Thomas More) scored a game-high-tying 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field and added three rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead Susquehanna to an 89-78 non-conference men's basketball win over Elizabethtown College in the 2009 Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament championship game at Orlando W. Houts Gymnasium on Nov. 21.
SU's (2-1 overall) sophomore guard Spenser Spencer (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) and senior guard Bryan Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) joined Pannell on the all-tournament team.
Spencer also had 18 points against Elizabethtown (2-2 overall) and added three assists and five steals, while Majors had five points, two rebounds and game-highs of six assists and six steals.
Teammate and junior guard Rob Estep (York, Pa./West York) came off the bench to notch 14 points, including a game-high three three-pointers. Estep also handed out four assists.
Freshman forward and fellow Crusader Daryl Augustus (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall College HS) dropped in 12 points and a team-high-tying four boards. Junior forward Kenneth Anyanwu [Pennsauken, N.J./George (Pa.)] pulled down four as well.
The final score was closer than the game truly was, as the Crusaders never trailed. Estep's final three-pointer gave SU its biggest lead of the game at 18 points with 1 minute, 53 seconds left in the game.
Susquehanna advanced to the championship game of this tournament by defeating the Pennsylvania College of Technology, 84-48, on Nov. 20. Elizabethtown College topped Wilkes University, 66-57, in the other semifinal game earlier that same night.
The Blue Jays' junior guard/forward Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and senior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, Pa./Solanco) also earned all-tournament honors. Flanagan scored a team-high 14 points and tied Church for the team-high with five rebounds. Flanagan also had three assists and tied sophomore guard Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest HS) with a team-high two steals.
Church scored 12 points, while McConnell scored eight to go along with two boards and two assists.
Elizabethtown's junior guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg Area) dished out a team-high five assists and added seven points and two rebounds.
Next Game: Sunday, Nov. 29, at Lycoming (non-conference game), 1 p.m.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Blue Jays Rally for 66-57 Win over Wilkes
From the E-town College Website:
From the Wilkes University Website:
SLUGGISH SECOND HALF DOES IN COLONELS
box score
SELINSGROVE – After taking a 40-34 halftime lead, Wilkes University managed just 17 second half points and turned the ball over 27 times which would eventually lead to a 66-57 setback to Elizabethtown in the first game of the Susquehanna Tournament.
The Colonels were red-hot from the field in the opening period, hitting 57.1 percent (16-28), but made just eight second half field goals, shooting under 30 percent. Senior Tom Kresge was the bulk of the offense for Wilkes as he scored 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting while pulling down 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. As a team, the Colonels out-rebounded Elizabethtown 40-36.
Kyle McConnell opened the game with a three-pointer for Elizabethtown, but it would be the only lead they would have the entire first half. Anthony Gabriel hit a jumper with 18:49 to go in the half to give the Colonels a 4-3 lead.
Both teams would exchange buckets until the Colonels went on a 9-0 run midway through the first to give them a 24-13 advantage after Kendall Hinze converted a layup. Joe Flanagan drained a three-pointer to pull the Blue Jays within eight, but the Colonels would keep at least a seven point lead until Chris DeRojas made a three-pointer with 7:25 to go in the first to give Wilkes a double-digit lead once again. After DeRojas’ three-pointer, the Colonels would not score again until Gabriel made a pair of free throws three minutes later.
Wilkes’ scoring drought continued in the start of the second half as it scored just two points in the first five minutes. The Blue Jays took advantage, going on a 7-0 run to take a 43-40 advantage with 17:36 to go for just their second lead of the game.
Kresge gave Wilkes the lead again with 13:49 to go when he drained his only three-pointer of the game, which put the Colonels on top 47-44. They would hold on to the lead until Bryan Harrity, who scored six points on the night, gave Elizabethtown the lead for good after hitting a jumper with 7:53 to go.
The Colonels scored just two points over the final 1:49 to go, a layup by Kresge, but Elizabethtown would go on to score four more unanswered points for the win.
11/20/2009 8:11:00 PM
Box score
SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- Mike Church finished with 14 points and tied his career high with 12 rebounds as Elizabethtown College defeated Wilkes University 66-57 in the opening round of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament at Susquehanna University on Friday night.
Joe Flanagan added 13 points and six rebounds for the Blue Jays (2-1 overall), who used a pair of 12-0 runs to advance to Saturday's championship game at 3:00 p.m. against the host Crusaders, who defeated Penn College 84-48 in Friday's late game.
Tom Kresge led the Colonels (1-1 overall) with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, but Wilkes went scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half as Elizabethtown turned a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead with a 12-0 run.
The Blue Jays trailed by 11 points midway through the first half and 40-31 as the seconds ticked away in the first half, but Brian Allport sank a three-pointer as time expired to pull Elizabethtown within 40-34 at intermission.
Elizabethtown opened the second half with nine unanswered points, including a pair of baskets by Church, a tthree-pointer by Mark Vogel and a layup by Flanagan to take a 43-40 lead with 17:36 to play.
Wilkes regained a 47-44 advantage on a three-pointer by Kresge with 13:49 left, and built their advantage to five points at 51-46 following a basket by Tyler Breznitsky with 10:15 to go. Elizabethtown responded with 12 consecutive points, highlighted by a pair of baskets by Bryan Harrity to turn a 51-50 deficit into a 54-51 lead with 6:37 to go.
Flanagan capped the run on a jumper with 4:51 to go to extend the Blue Jay lead to 56-51, and the Colonels would get no closer as Keith Fogel and Matt Brown hit key layups down the stretch and Flanagan sank two foul shots with 32 seconds to play.
Fogel went 5-for-5 from the field and finished with 11 points in 19 minutes, while Josh Houseal added seven points and five rebounds. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 40.6 percent (28-for-69) from the field but committed just 13 turnovers while forcing Wilkes into 27 miscues.
Kresge was the lone player to reach double figure for the Colonels, who shot 43.6 percent (24-for-55) from the floor in the game. Anthony Gabriel added nine points and seven rebounds while Paul Huch had nine points and four boards for Wilkes.
SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- Mike Church finished with 14 points and tied his career high with 12 rebounds as Elizabethtown College defeated Wilkes University 66-57 in the opening round of the Pepsi/Weis Markets Tip-Off Tournament at Susquehanna University on Friday night.
Joe Flanagan added 13 points and six rebounds for the Blue Jays (2-1 overall), who used a pair of 12-0 runs to advance to Saturday's championship game at 3:00 p.m. against the host Crusaders, who defeated Penn College 84-48 in Friday's late game.
Tom Kresge led the Colonels (1-1 overall) with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, but Wilkes went scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half as Elizabethtown turned a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead with a 12-0 run.
The Blue Jays trailed by 11 points midway through the first half and 40-31 as the seconds ticked away in the first half, but Brian Allport sank a three-pointer as time expired to pull Elizabethtown within 40-34 at intermission.
Elizabethtown opened the second half with nine unanswered points, including a pair of baskets by Church, a tthree-pointer by Mark Vogel and a layup by Flanagan to take a 43-40 lead with 17:36 to play.
Wilkes regained a 47-44 advantage on a three-pointer by Kresge with 13:49 left, and built their advantage to five points at 51-46 following a basket by Tyler Breznitsky with 10:15 to go. Elizabethtown responded with 12 consecutive points, highlighted by a pair of baskets by Bryan Harrity to turn a 51-50 deficit into a 54-51 lead with 6:37 to go.
Flanagan capped the run on a jumper with 4:51 to go to extend the Blue Jay lead to 56-51, and the Colonels would get no closer as Keith Fogel and Matt Brown hit key layups down the stretch and Flanagan sank two foul shots with 32 seconds to play.
Fogel went 5-for-5 from the field and finished with 11 points in 19 minutes, while Josh Houseal added seven points and five rebounds. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 40.6 percent (28-for-69) from the field but committed just 13 turnovers while forcing Wilkes into 27 miscues.
Kresge was the lone player to reach double figure for the Colonels, who shot 43.6 percent (24-for-55) from the floor in the game. Anthony Gabriel added nine points and seven rebounds while Paul Huch had nine points and four boards for Wilkes.
From the Wilkes University Website:
SLUGGISH SECOND HALF DOES IN COLONELS
box score
SELINSGROVE – After taking a 40-34 halftime lead, Wilkes University managed just 17 second half points and turned the ball over 27 times which would eventually lead to a 66-57 setback to Elizabethtown in the first game of the Susquehanna Tournament.
The Colonels were red-hot from the field in the opening period, hitting 57.1 percent (16-28), but made just eight second half field goals, shooting under 30 percent. Senior Tom Kresge was the bulk of the offense for Wilkes as he scored 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting while pulling down 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. As a team, the Colonels out-rebounded Elizabethtown 40-36.
Kyle McConnell opened the game with a three-pointer for Elizabethtown, but it would be the only lead they would have the entire first half. Anthony Gabriel hit a jumper with 18:49 to go in the half to give the Colonels a 4-3 lead.
Both teams would exchange buckets until the Colonels went on a 9-0 run midway through the first to give them a 24-13 advantage after Kendall Hinze converted a layup. Joe Flanagan drained a three-pointer to pull the Blue Jays within eight, but the Colonels would keep at least a seven point lead until Chris DeRojas made a three-pointer with 7:25 to go in the first to give Wilkes a double-digit lead once again. After DeRojas’ three-pointer, the Colonels would not score again until Gabriel made a pair of free throws three minutes later.
Wilkes’ scoring drought continued in the start of the second half as it scored just two points in the first five minutes. The Blue Jays took advantage, going on a 7-0 run to take a 43-40 advantage with 17:36 to go for just their second lead of the game.
Kresge gave Wilkes the lead again with 13:49 to go when he drained his only three-pointer of the game, which put the Colonels on top 47-44. They would hold on to the lead until Bryan Harrity, who scored six points on the night, gave Elizabethtown the lead for good after hitting a jumper with 7:53 to go.
The Colonels scored just two points over the final 1:49 to go, a layup by Kresge, but Elizabethtown would go on to score four more unanswered points for the win.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Blue Jays Roll to 82-52 Win over Chargers
From the E-town College Website:
11/18/2009 9:43:34 PM
Box score
LANCASTER, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College cruised to an 82-52 victory at Lancaster Bible College in a local men's basketball matchup on Wednesday night at the Horst Athletic Center.
Joe Flanagan scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half for the Blue Jays (1-1 overall), who led 55-22 at halftime and by as many as 36 points in the second half against the Chargers (0-2 overall).
Mark Vogel chipped in with a career-high 13 points off the bench for the Blue Jays, while Mike Church added 11 points as all 16 players on the Elizabethtown roster saw at least four minutes of playing time. Madison Warfel paced Lancaster Bible with 13 points and Eric Nulf added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Flanagan scored eight straight points to help the Blue Jays to a 10-0 lead after 3 1/2 minutes of play, but the Chargers came back to cut the margin to 12-10 just two minutes later. From there, the Blue Jays went on a 15-3 run to build a 27-13 lead with 9:33 left in the first half.
Elizabethtown would go on runs of 10-0 and 12-0 over the final few minutes of the half to take a 55-22 lead into intermission. Flanagan went 6-for-8 from the field and led all players with 17 points while Vogel added 11 points. Elizabethtown shot 53.8 percent (21-for-39) from the field in the first half and committed just three turnovers while forcing Lancaster Bible into 16 miscues.
The Blue Jays cooled off to just 28.1 percent (9-for-32) from the field in the second half, but held the Chargers to 34.6 percent (9-for-26) in the second half and 33.3 percent (18-for-54) for the game.
Lancaster Bible finished with a 34-29 advantage in rebounding, led by seven each by Nulf and Carl Edwards. L.J. Weiss paced the Blue Jays with five boards, as 12 different players grabbed a rebound in the game for Elizabethtown.
11/18/2009 9:43:34 PM
Box score
LANCASTER, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College cruised to an 82-52 victory at Lancaster Bible College in a local men's basketball matchup on Wednesday night at the Horst Athletic Center.
Joe Flanagan scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half for the Blue Jays (1-1 overall), who led 55-22 at halftime and by as many as 36 points in the second half against the Chargers (0-2 overall).
Mark Vogel chipped in with a career-high 13 points off the bench for the Blue Jays, while Mike Church added 11 points as all 16 players on the Elizabethtown roster saw at least four minutes of playing time. Madison Warfel paced Lancaster Bible with 13 points and Eric Nulf added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Flanagan scored eight straight points to help the Blue Jays to a 10-0 lead after 3 1/2 minutes of play, but the Chargers came back to cut the margin to 12-10 just two minutes later. From there, the Blue Jays went on a 15-3 run to build a 27-13 lead with 9:33 left in the first half.
Elizabethtown would go on runs of 10-0 and 12-0 over the final few minutes of the half to take a 55-22 lead into intermission. Flanagan went 6-for-8 from the field and led all players with 17 points while Vogel added 11 points. Elizabethtown shot 53.8 percent (21-for-39) from the field in the first half and committed just three turnovers while forcing Lancaster Bible into 16 miscues.
The Blue Jays cooled off to just 28.1 percent (9-for-32) from the field in the second half, but held the Chargers to 34.6 percent (9-for-26) in the second half and 33.3 percent (18-for-54) for the game.
Lancaster Bible finished with a 34-29 advantage in rebounding, led by seven each by Nulf and Carl Edwards. L.J. Weiss paced the Blue Jays with five boards, as 12 different players grabbed a rebound in the game for Elizabethtown.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Blue Jays Drop Season Opener to Valiants, 73-63
From the E-town College Website:
11/15/2009 5:20:14 PM
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Angelo Laroche came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points as Manhattanville College defeated Elizabethtown College 73-63 in the men's basketball season opener for both teams on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Trevoy Pointer added 17 points, four assists and four steals and Lamar Glass finished with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Valiants (1-0 overall), who went 21-for-27 (77.8 percent) from the foul line as a team and converted 24 Blue Jay turnovers into 26 points.
Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (0-1 overall) with 15 points, including three three-pointers, while Joe Flanagan and Mike Church also reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. However, the Blue Jays went just 11-for-22 from the free-throw line on the afternoon.
Elizabethtown led 20-15 midway through the first half, but the Valiants went on a 17-6 run to take a 32-26 lead on a layup by Felipe Vargas with 5:34 left in the half. The Blue Jays fought back to go on top 40-39 at halftime, with Fogel scoring a team-high 11 points for Elizabethtown while Laroche tallied 14 points to lead the Valiants.
The Blue Jays took their last lead of the day at 50-49 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 11:54 left, but Laroche put the Valiants on top for good with 10:51 remaining. After trailing by as many as seven points, the Blue Jays moved back within three at 59-56 with 5:47 to go, but Pointer scored five straight points to extend the Manhattanville lead to 64-56 with 3:31 remaining.
In addition to his 11 points, Church pulled a team-high eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots for the Blue Jays. Vogel hit both of his three-point attempts and finished with six points, while Kyle McConnell had seven points and two assists in 21 minutes.
Manhattanville finished with a slim 35-34 advantage in rebounding, as Glen Rodriguez pulled seven boards in 19 minutes to join Glass on the Valiant leader board. Jay Ferriere chipped in wth six points and matched Pointer for the team high with four steals.
From the Manhattanville College Website:
Men's Hoops Steals 73-63 Win From E'Town
11/15/2009 6:20 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Senior Angelo Laroche (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tied a career high with 19 points and the Manhattanville defense recorded 17 steals as the Valiant men’s basketball team defeated Commonwealth Conference preseason favorite Elizabethtown College, 73-63, in the team’s 2009-10 season opener on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Laroche was one of three Valiants to reach double-figures in the win, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the floor while adding four rebounds and a steal. The reigning Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year, sophomore Trevoy Pointer (Dallas, Texas), had a nice overall game with 17 points, four assists, four steals and a block, while junior Lamar Glass (Dallas, Texas) added 15 points, a game-high eight rebounds and three steals.
Manhattanville finished the afternoon shooting 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field and going 21-of-27 from the charity stripe in the victory. After allowing Elizabethtown to shoot a blistering 62.5 percent (15-for-24) in the first 20 minutes, the Valiants earned the win by holding the Blue Jays to just 8-for-28 shooting (28.6 percent) in the second half.
The first half was an evenly contested frame, featuring nine ties and 10 lead changes. No team could collect a lead greater than six points, which came on the Valiants’ side on a fast-break layup by sophomore Felipe Vargas (Miami, Fla.) with 5:34 left in the half.
Elizabethtown held a slight 40-39 edge at halftime, and the Blue Jays enjoyed their last lead of the afternoon on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 11:54 left on the clock. However, a layup by Laroche put the Valiants back on top and Vargas followed with a key three-pointer to give the visitors an advantage they would not relinquish.
The Valiant lead was still three points with 5:47 left before Manhattanville rattled off seven consecutive points over the next 2:36, including five straight points by Pointer and a Laroche jumper to cap the run and seal the win. On the defensive end, the Valiants then held E’Town to just two field goals and forced five turnovers the rest of the way.
After relying on its extensively last season, the Manhattanville defense showed its strength in Sunday’s season opener, forcing 24 Elizabethtown turnovers and converting them into 26 points. Pointer and junior Jay Ferriere (Melbourne, Australia) tied for the game-high with four steals apiece, while seven Valiants recorded at least one theft in the win.
Manhattanville (1-0, 0-0 Freedom) will return home to host the 2009 Castle Classic this weekend beginning with two games on Friday evening. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Connecticut College will play in the first game beginning at 6 p.m., while the Valiants host John Jay College in the nightcap at Kennedy Gym beginning at 8 p.m. Elizabethtown (0-1, 0-0 Commonwealth) will travel to Lancaster Bible College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
11/15/2009 5:20:14 PM
Box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Angelo Laroche came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points as Manhattanville College defeated Elizabethtown College 73-63 in the men's basketball season opener for both teams on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Trevoy Pointer added 17 points, four assists and four steals and Lamar Glass finished with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Valiants (1-0 overall), who went 21-for-27 (77.8 percent) from the foul line as a team and converted 24 Blue Jay turnovers into 26 points.
Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (0-1 overall) with 15 points, including three three-pointers, while Joe Flanagan and Mike Church also reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. However, the Blue Jays went just 11-for-22 from the free-throw line on the afternoon.
Elizabethtown led 20-15 midway through the first half, but the Valiants went on a 17-6 run to take a 32-26 lead on a layup by Felipe Vargas with 5:34 left in the half. The Blue Jays fought back to go on top 40-39 at halftime, with Fogel scoring a team-high 11 points for Elizabethtown while Laroche tallied 14 points to lead the Valiants.
The Blue Jays took their last lead of the day at 50-49 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 11:54 left, but Laroche put the Valiants on top for good with 10:51 remaining. After trailing by as many as seven points, the Blue Jays moved back within three at 59-56 with 5:47 to go, but Pointer scored five straight points to extend the Manhattanville lead to 64-56 with 3:31 remaining.
In addition to his 11 points, Church pulled a team-high eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots for the Blue Jays. Vogel hit both of his three-point attempts and finished with six points, while Kyle McConnell had seven points and two assists in 21 minutes.
Manhattanville finished with a slim 35-34 advantage in rebounding, as Glen Rodriguez pulled seven boards in 19 minutes to join Glass on the Valiant leader board. Jay Ferriere chipped in wth six points and matched Pointer for the team high with four steals.
From the Manhattanville College Website:
Men's Hoops Steals 73-63 Win From E'Town
11/15/2009 6:20 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Senior Angelo Laroche (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tied a career high with 19 points and the Manhattanville defense recorded 17 steals as the Valiant men’s basketball team defeated Commonwealth Conference preseason favorite Elizabethtown College, 73-63, in the team’s 2009-10 season opener on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Laroche was one of three Valiants to reach double-figures in the win, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the floor while adding four rebounds and a steal. The reigning Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year, sophomore Trevoy Pointer (Dallas, Texas), had a nice overall game with 17 points, four assists, four steals and a block, while junior Lamar Glass (Dallas, Texas) added 15 points, a game-high eight rebounds and three steals.
Manhattanville finished the afternoon shooting 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field and going 21-of-27 from the charity stripe in the victory. After allowing Elizabethtown to shoot a blistering 62.5 percent (15-for-24) in the first 20 minutes, the Valiants earned the win by holding the Blue Jays to just 8-for-28 shooting (28.6 percent) in the second half.
The first half was an evenly contested frame, featuring nine ties and 10 lead changes. No team could collect a lead greater than six points, which came on the Valiants’ side on a fast-break layup by sophomore Felipe Vargas (Miami, Fla.) with 5:34 left in the half.
Elizabethtown held a slight 40-39 edge at halftime, and the Blue Jays enjoyed their last lead of the afternoon on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 11:54 left on the clock. However, a layup by Laroche put the Valiants back on top and Vargas followed with a key three-pointer to give the visitors an advantage they would not relinquish.
The Valiant lead was still three points with 5:47 left before Manhattanville rattled off seven consecutive points over the next 2:36, including five straight points by Pointer and a Laroche jumper to cap the run and seal the win. On the defensive end, the Valiants then held E’Town to just two field goals and forced five turnovers the rest of the way.
After relying on its extensively last season, the Manhattanville defense showed its strength in Sunday’s season opener, forcing 24 Elizabethtown turnovers and converting them into 26 points. Pointer and junior Jay Ferriere (Melbourne, Australia) tied for the game-high with four steals apiece, while seven Valiants recorded at least one theft in the win.
Manhattanville (1-0, 0-0 Freedom) will return home to host the 2009 Castle Classic this weekend beginning with two games on Friday evening. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Connecticut College will play in the first game beginning at 6 p.m., while the Valiants host John Jay College in the nightcap at Kennedy Gym beginning at 8 p.m. Elizabethtown (0-1, 0-0 Commonwealth) will travel to Lancaster Bible College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Expectations are high for Elizabethtown's men's basketball team
From today's Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era:
Expectations are high for Elizabethtown's men's basketball team
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Nov 13, 2009 09:32 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON FULGINITI, Sports Writer
In recent years, the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball preseason coaches' poll has been about as accurate as a drunken sharpshooter — at least where Elizabethtown College has been concerned.
Picked to finish last in the conference two years ago, Mike Schatzmann and Chad Piersol powered the Blue Jays to a 13-1 start, earning E-town a spot in the NCAA Division III Top 25. Sure, the Blue Jays mysteriously dissolved after that, losing eight of their last 10 games to miss the conference playoffs for the second straight year. But still … last in the CC?
And then there was last year, when E-town — despite being picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the Commonwealth Conference — rallied to earn one of the conference's four playoff spots before advancing to the CC title game, in which it lost a 67-65 decision to Widener.
That said, as E-town starts its season by hosting Manhattanville Saturday at 3 p.m., the question is what to make of this year's coaches poll, which has the Blue Jays ranked first?
"Going in, we figured us or Widener (which has won the last three conference titles) would be picked (first)," said Bob Schlosser, who is entering his 20th season as the Blue Jays' coach. "But you can always look at it a couple different ways. It's such a long season, and it's a league that really makes you or breaks you … mostly in the second semester. So, what people decide in October or November doesn't have a whole lot of bearing on what happens in February and March.
"Still," Schlosser added, "I'd rather be picked first than last."
E-town guard/forward Joe Flanagan, a junior from Lancaster Mennonite, agrees with the double-edged idea of the ranking.
"It's definitely nice to be recognized," Flanagan said, "but we realize that it puts a target on our back, and that everyone's going to give us their best game now. So we realize we have to come out and play hard every game if we want to reach our expectations."
With everyone but graduated point guard Phil Schaffer returning to E-town's lineup — and another year of experience in understanding Schlosser's constantly-active flex attack — those expectations are obviously high.
"It helps a lot," senior center Mike Church, a Solanco product, said of the Jays' experience. "I'm just now getting every little read of the defense in the system we have. We have a basic flex system, but you have to be able to read the defenses … because (the opposition) obviously knows what's coming. But it takes those four years really to even gather most of the information."
Flanagan — a 6-foot-3 small forward whose 14.3 points-per-game and 53 3-pointers led the team last year — and Church (12.8 ppg, team-high 6.5 rebounds per game), a 6-foot-4 presence in the lane, again figure to be key offensively; along with junior No. 2 guard Keith Fogel (12.7 ppg, 42 treys), whom Schlosser called the team's "most improved player" from last year.
Forward Josh Houseal (6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg), a 6-4 senior from Hempfield, should also provide an impact once he fully recovers from an injury.
While Flanagan, Church, Fogel and Houseal are all returning starters from last year's 14-12 team (7-5 Commonwealth), E-town has its usual batch of blue-collar workers to back that unit up.
Among that clan are Bryan Harrity, a 6-5 junior center who's filled in for Houseal in the early going; 6-3 sophomore forward Dan Silver, whom Schlosser describes as "your typical undersized big guy, but a banger in the paint"; 6-7 sophomore center Brian Allport, a Solanco grad who will play the first two weeks of the season in a protective mask due to a broken nose; and 6-3 freshman forward Travis Mettler, whom Schlosser projects will get a lot of early playing time while Houseal and Allport recover from their ailments.
"I think a number of guys at the No. 2 and 3 spots … shooting guard/small forward … " Schlosser assessed. "I think we're pretty deep that way."
The concern, on paper, would be at point guard, where Schaffer — a fiery, hustle-obsessed, vocal sparkplug who ranked third in the conference in assists last year (4.35 per game) — is now being replaced by Cedar Crest grad Kyle McConnell, a sophomore who averaged 14.3 minutes per game as Schaffer's backup last year and is the only new member to the Jays' starting five.
E-town's players, though, hardly see an emergency.
"Kyle and Phil both kind of have the same style," said Church, one of the team's three captains, along with Jones and Houseal. "They push the ball, they're fierce defenders and they're both very vocal. So we have someone who can push the ball and deliver."
Junior guard Brady Haughney could be asked to deliver behind McConnell as a backup at the point, while guards Chris Jones (3.3 ppg last year) and Hempfield grad Mark Vogel (2.5) will be relied upon for perimeter help off the bench.
Meanwhile, as for the defensive approach? Same as it ever was. Constant baseline-to-baseline pressure most of the time, all of which leads to playing 10-12 guys a game.
The biggest agenda at this point, as it is every year, Schlosser said, is building that bench — piece by piece, game by game.
That's Blue Jays' basketball, corny and cliché as it is.
Work your way to the top.
E-town — which has qualified for the conference playoffs 13 of the last 15 years under Schlosser — has mostly done that, despite preseason prognostications.
"We believe if we out(work) the other team we can put ourselves in a position to win games," Flanagan said.
They appear to be in a great position now. What they do with it is the question.
"I think we do have the potential to have an outstanding year," Schlosser conceded. "But it's always the little things, and for us, chemistry is pretty critical I think.
"You can talk about the Xs and Os, but in the college game, it's a more physical game. And having experienced players helps you in that regard because they know what they're up against and they know what it takes."
This group, especially, having the experience it does.
Now, it's a matter of proving it.
Expectations are high for Elizabethtown's men's basketball team
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Nov 13, 2009 09:32 EST
Elizabethtown
By JASON FULGINITI, Sports Writer
In recent years, the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball preseason coaches' poll has been about as accurate as a drunken sharpshooter — at least where Elizabethtown College has been concerned.
Picked to finish last in the conference two years ago, Mike Schatzmann and Chad Piersol powered the Blue Jays to a 13-1 start, earning E-town a spot in the NCAA Division III Top 25. Sure, the Blue Jays mysteriously dissolved after that, losing eight of their last 10 games to miss the conference playoffs for the second straight year. But still … last in the CC?
And then there was last year, when E-town — despite being picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the Commonwealth Conference — rallied to earn one of the conference's four playoff spots before advancing to the CC title game, in which it lost a 67-65 decision to Widener.
That said, as E-town starts its season by hosting Manhattanville Saturday at 3 p.m., the question is what to make of this year's coaches poll, which has the Blue Jays ranked first?
"Going in, we figured us or Widener (which has won the last three conference titles) would be picked (first)," said Bob Schlosser, who is entering his 20th season as the Blue Jays' coach. "But you can always look at it a couple different ways. It's such a long season, and it's a league that really makes you or breaks you … mostly in the second semester. So, what people decide in October or November doesn't have a whole lot of bearing on what happens in February and March.
"Still," Schlosser added, "I'd rather be picked first than last."
E-town guard/forward Joe Flanagan, a junior from Lancaster Mennonite, agrees with the double-edged idea of the ranking.
"It's definitely nice to be recognized," Flanagan said, "but we realize that it puts a target on our back, and that everyone's going to give us their best game now. So we realize we have to come out and play hard every game if we want to reach our expectations."
With everyone but graduated point guard Phil Schaffer returning to E-town's lineup — and another year of experience in understanding Schlosser's constantly-active flex attack — those expectations are obviously high.
"It helps a lot," senior center Mike Church, a Solanco product, said of the Jays' experience. "I'm just now getting every little read of the defense in the system we have. We have a basic flex system, but you have to be able to read the defenses … because (the opposition) obviously knows what's coming. But it takes those four years really to even gather most of the information."
Flanagan — a 6-foot-3 small forward whose 14.3 points-per-game and 53 3-pointers led the team last year — and Church (12.8 ppg, team-high 6.5 rebounds per game), a 6-foot-4 presence in the lane, again figure to be key offensively; along with junior No. 2 guard Keith Fogel (12.7 ppg, 42 treys), whom Schlosser called the team's "most improved player" from last year.
Forward Josh Houseal (6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg), a 6-4 senior from Hempfield, should also provide an impact once he fully recovers from an injury.
While Flanagan, Church, Fogel and Houseal are all returning starters from last year's 14-12 team (7-5 Commonwealth), E-town has its usual batch of blue-collar workers to back that unit up.
Among that clan are Bryan Harrity, a 6-5 junior center who's filled in for Houseal in the early going; 6-3 sophomore forward Dan Silver, whom Schlosser describes as "your typical undersized big guy, but a banger in the paint"; 6-7 sophomore center Brian Allport, a Solanco grad who will play the first two weeks of the season in a protective mask due to a broken nose; and 6-3 freshman forward Travis Mettler, whom Schlosser projects will get a lot of early playing time while Houseal and Allport recover from their ailments.
"I think a number of guys at the No. 2 and 3 spots … shooting guard/small forward … " Schlosser assessed. "I think we're pretty deep that way."
The concern, on paper, would be at point guard, where Schaffer — a fiery, hustle-obsessed, vocal sparkplug who ranked third in the conference in assists last year (4.35 per game) — is now being replaced by Cedar Crest grad Kyle McConnell, a sophomore who averaged 14.3 minutes per game as Schaffer's backup last year and is the only new member to the Jays' starting five.
E-town's players, though, hardly see an emergency.
"Kyle and Phil both kind of have the same style," said Church, one of the team's three captains, along with Jones and Houseal. "They push the ball, they're fierce defenders and they're both very vocal. So we have someone who can push the ball and deliver."
Junior guard Brady Haughney could be asked to deliver behind McConnell as a backup at the point, while guards Chris Jones (3.3 ppg last year) and Hempfield grad Mark Vogel (2.5) will be relied upon for perimeter help off the bench.
Meanwhile, as for the defensive approach? Same as it ever was. Constant baseline-to-baseline pressure most of the time, all of which leads to playing 10-12 guys a game.
The biggest agenda at this point, as it is every year, Schlosser said, is building that bench — piece by piece, game by game.
That's Blue Jays' basketball, corny and cliché as it is.
Work your way to the top.
E-town — which has qualified for the conference playoffs 13 of the last 15 years under Schlosser — has mostly done that, despite preseason prognostications.
"We believe if we out(work) the other team we can put ourselves in a position to win games," Flanagan said.
They appear to be in a great position now. What they do with it is the question.
"I think we do have the potential to have an outstanding year," Schlosser conceded. "But it's always the little things, and for us, chemistry is pretty critical I think.
"You can talk about the Xs and Os, but in the college game, it's a more physical game. And having experienced players helps you in that regard because they know what they're up against and they know what it takes."
This group, especially, having the experience it does.
Now, it's a matter of proving it.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Blue Jays Picked First in Commonwealth Conference Poll
From the E-town College Website:
11/9/2009 8:07:21 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College has been picked to finish first in the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball preseason coaches poll, earning five of eight first-place votes in balloting by the league's eight head coaches.
The Blue Jays finished 14-12 overall and in third place in the Commonwealth Conference with a 7-5 record in 2008-09, and advanced to the conference championship game before being edged 67-65 by top-seeded Widener University in the finals.
Blue Jay head coach Bob Schlosser enters his 20th season needing seven wins to reach 300 for his career, and welcomes back four starters from last year's team, including a pair of All-Commonwealth All-Conference selections. Senior center Mike Church was a first-team All-Commonwealth pick (12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 39 blocks) while junior swingman Joe Flanagan (14.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 53 three-pointers) earned second-team honors.
Junior guard Keith Fogel (12.7 ppg, 42 three-pointers) and senior forward Josh Houseal (6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg) also return to the starting lineup and are joined by sophomore point guard Kyle McConnell (4.1 ppg, 2.1 apg).
Widener captured two first-place votes and 52 points to rank second in the coaches poll, with Lebanon Valley College taking the other first-place vote and 39 points. Albright College (37 points), Lycoming College (36 points), Messiah College (28 points), Alvernia University (24 points) and Arcadia University (17 points) round out the rankings.
The Blue Jays open their 2009-10 season on Sunday afternoon, hosting Manhattanville College at 3:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.
11/9/2009 8:07:21 PM
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College has been picked to finish first in the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball preseason coaches poll, earning five of eight first-place votes in balloting by the league's eight head coaches.
The Blue Jays finished 14-12 overall and in third place in the Commonwealth Conference with a 7-5 record in 2008-09, and advanced to the conference championship game before being edged 67-65 by top-seeded Widener University in the finals.
Blue Jay head coach Bob Schlosser enters his 20th season needing seven wins to reach 300 for his career, and welcomes back four starters from last year's team, including a pair of All-Commonwealth All-Conference selections. Senior center Mike Church was a first-team All-Commonwealth pick (12.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 39 blocks) while junior swingman Joe Flanagan (14.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 53 three-pointers) earned second-team honors.
Junior guard Keith Fogel (12.7 ppg, 42 three-pointers) and senior forward Josh Houseal (6.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg) also return to the starting lineup and are joined by sophomore point guard Kyle McConnell (4.1 ppg, 2.1 apg).
Widener captured two first-place votes and 52 points to rank second in the coaches poll, with Lebanon Valley College taking the other first-place vote and 39 points. Albright College (37 points), Lycoming College (36 points), Messiah College (28 points), Alvernia University (24 points) and Arcadia University (17 points) round out the rankings.
The Blue Jays open their 2009-10 season on Sunday afternoon, hosting Manhattanville College at 3:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Church, Flanagan named All-Conference
From the E-town College Website:
3/4/2009
Church, Flanagan named All-Conference in men's hoops
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Church, Flanagan Named All-Conference in Men's Hoops
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) and sophomore swingman Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) have been named to the All-Commonwealth Conference men's basketball team, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Church was a first-team selection while Flanagan was named to the second team, as the Blue Jays finished 14-12 overall (7-5 Commonwealth) and advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 2004.
Church averaged 12.8 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game, and scored in double figures 19 times in 26 games. He ranks eighth in the conference in scoring average and sixth in rebounding average, and averaged 1.5 blocked shots per game to lead the conference for the second straight season.
Flanagan led the Blue Jays in scoring at 14.3 points per game, and made a team-high 53 three-pointers in 127 attempts (41.7 percent). He scored in double figures 21 times in 26 games, including five games of 20 points or better, and made at least one three-pointer in all but one game. He ranks fifth in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring, seventh in three-pointers per game and sixth in three-point percentage (41.7 percent).
Charles Jones of conference champion Widener University was named Player of the Year, while the Pride's Chris Carideo was honored as Coach of the Year. Lebanon Valley College's Joe Meehan took home the Rookie of the Year award.
3/4/2009
Church, Flanagan named All-Conference in men's hoops
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Church, Flanagan Named All-Conference in Men's Hoops
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) and sophomore swingman Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) have been named to the All-Commonwealth Conference men's basketball team, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Church was a first-team selection while Flanagan was named to the second team, as the Blue Jays finished 14-12 overall (7-5 Commonwealth) and advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 2004.
Church averaged 12.8 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game, and scored in double figures 19 times in 26 games. He ranks eighth in the conference in scoring average and sixth in rebounding average, and averaged 1.5 blocked shots per game to lead the conference for the second straight season.
Flanagan led the Blue Jays in scoring at 14.3 points per game, and made a team-high 53 three-pointers in 127 attempts (41.7 percent). He scored in double figures 21 times in 26 games, including five games of 20 points or better, and made at least one three-pointer in all but one game. He ranks fifth in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring, seventh in three-pointers per game and sixth in three-point percentage (41.7 percent).
Charles Jones of conference champion Widener University was named Player of the Year, while the Pride's Chris Carideo was honored as Coach of the Year. Lebanon Valley College's Joe Meehan took home the Rookie of the Year award.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Blue Jays left with frustrating finish
From The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Blue Jays left with frustrating finish
Sluggish start proves costly in Commonwealth final loss to Widener
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Mar 02, 200900:00 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Somebody told Phil Schaffer late Saturday afternoon, just a few minutes after he became a former college basketball player, that when one door closes, another opens — meaning, of course, that another opportunity will come along for Elizabethtown's departing point guard.
It was much too soon for the Blue Jays' only senior to think about that, though. He and his teammates had just lost to Widener in the Commonwealth Conference championship game, an agonizing 67-65 affair in which they played sloppily much of the day and could never get over the hump down the stretch.
And after the final buzzer, after the Jays had met one last time, Schaffer and the other players filed out of a room not far from the court, betraying the emotions they might be expected to betray, Schaffer most of all.
The door did in fact close behind them.
"Coming to an end like this," Schaffer would say a little later, "just (stinks)."
Mike Church, the junior center from Solanco, had remained behind when everyone else had left the meeting room. He too had watched the door close.
He too was left to ponder the opportunity the Jays let slip away on this day, and could only wonder if another door would open for them, this time next year.
"We had them," he said. "We should have had them."
The Jays, who finished 14-12, had been especially brutal early in the game, turning the ball over time after time against the Pride's pressure.
"Everyone had the jitters," Church said.
They eventually found their footing. Sophomore guard Keith Fogel began making shots, wading into traffic, digging out loose balls. Church, en route to a 17-point, 12-rebound day, began scoring in the post.
And then, in the closing seconds of the first half, Josh Houseal, the junior forward from Hempfield, claimed a defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Fogel along the right sideline. He took a dribble or two, then fired from midcourt, just before the buzzer sounded.
The ball splashed through the net, and Fogel high-stepped off the court, his teammates not far behind.
E-town's deficit, once 12, was now 40-39.
They would take a brief lead immediately after halftime before falling behind again. Widener defenders were crawling inside Fogel's jersey by now; he still led all scorers with 18 points.
Church, meanwhile, was surrounded every time he caught the ball on the block; he managed just four points after the break.
It helped not a bit that the Jays' leading scorer, sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, had torn a ligament in his right pinky the day before, in practice. The Lancaster Mennonite grad shot just 2-for-10, and scored five points.
The game was nonetheless there for them, in the closing minutes. Down 61-59, and then 63-61, each of their possessions seemed more hurried than the one before, the result being that they never did draw even.
And while coach Bob Schlosser would take issue with the home timekeeper in the final seconds, when his team was again within two, he wouldn't blame the loss on that afterward. Nobody would.
"We had to make plays at the end," Church said. "It wasn't the last play, them messing up the clock."
As a result, the door closed, but not before Schaffer walked out. He is one of those try-hard guys — great to play with, a pain to play against — and a quick study. All year he had been conscious of each visit to a conference site, knowing it would be the last one for him.
And, he said, "Once we got in the playoffs, I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to lose. It's hard to imagine tomorrow I'll wake up and not put on the uniform again."
He hopes to open a new door, hopes to become a teacher and coach. And while the team he leaves behind looks to be a promising one, those who remain can only hope that some fresh opportunities await them, next year and beyond.
That Saturday didn't represent the best one they will have.
Blue Jays left with frustrating finish
Sluggish start proves costly in Commonwealth final loss to Widener
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Mar 02, 200900:00 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Somebody told Phil Schaffer late Saturday afternoon, just a few minutes after he became a former college basketball player, that when one door closes, another opens — meaning, of course, that another opportunity will come along for Elizabethtown's departing point guard.
It was much too soon for the Blue Jays' only senior to think about that, though. He and his teammates had just lost to Widener in the Commonwealth Conference championship game, an agonizing 67-65 affair in which they played sloppily much of the day and could never get over the hump down the stretch.
And after the final buzzer, after the Jays had met one last time, Schaffer and the other players filed out of a room not far from the court, betraying the emotions they might be expected to betray, Schaffer most of all.
The door did in fact close behind them.
"Coming to an end like this," Schaffer would say a little later, "just (stinks)."
Mike Church, the junior center from Solanco, had remained behind when everyone else had left the meeting room. He too had watched the door close.
He too was left to ponder the opportunity the Jays let slip away on this day, and could only wonder if another door would open for them, this time next year.
"We had them," he said. "We should have had them."
The Jays, who finished 14-12, had been especially brutal early in the game, turning the ball over time after time against the Pride's pressure.
"Everyone had the jitters," Church said.
They eventually found their footing. Sophomore guard Keith Fogel began making shots, wading into traffic, digging out loose balls. Church, en route to a 17-point, 12-rebound day, began scoring in the post.
And then, in the closing seconds of the first half, Josh Houseal, the junior forward from Hempfield, claimed a defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Fogel along the right sideline. He took a dribble or two, then fired from midcourt, just before the buzzer sounded.
The ball splashed through the net, and Fogel high-stepped off the court, his teammates not far behind.
E-town's deficit, once 12, was now 40-39.
They would take a brief lead immediately after halftime before falling behind again. Widener defenders were crawling inside Fogel's jersey by now; he still led all scorers with 18 points.
Church, meanwhile, was surrounded every time he caught the ball on the block; he managed just four points after the break.
It helped not a bit that the Jays' leading scorer, sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, had torn a ligament in his right pinky the day before, in practice. The Lancaster Mennonite grad shot just 2-for-10, and scored five points.
The game was nonetheless there for them, in the closing minutes. Down 61-59, and then 63-61, each of their possessions seemed more hurried than the one before, the result being that they never did draw even.
And while coach Bob Schlosser would take issue with the home timekeeper in the final seconds, when his team was again within two, he wouldn't blame the loss on that afterward. Nobody would.
"We had to make plays at the end," Church said. "It wasn't the last play, them messing up the clock."
As a result, the door closed, but not before Schaffer walked out. He is one of those try-hard guys — great to play with, a pain to play against — and a quick study. All year he had been conscious of each visit to a conference site, knowing it would be the last one for him.
And, he said, "Once we got in the playoffs, I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to lose. It's hard to imagine tomorrow I'll wake up and not put on the uniform again."
He hopes to open a new door, hopes to become a teacher and coach. And while the team he leaves behind looks to be a promising one, those who remain can only hope that some fresh opportunities await them, next year and beyond.
That Saturday didn't represent the best one they will have.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Blue Jays edged by Widener in Commonwealth finals
From the E-town College Website:
2/28/2009
Men's basketball edged by Widener in Commonwealth finals
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Widener 67, Elizabethtown 65
Click here for the box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Top-seeded Widener University won the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball championship with a 67-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in the title game at the Schwartz Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Pride (22-5 overall) won their third consecutive Commonwealth Conference championship and earned the 17th NCAA tournament berth in program history, while the Blue Jays (14-12 overall) were denied in their bid to win their first conference title since 2004.
Charles Jones was named tournament Most Valuable Player for the Pride after finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in the title game, while Jamarr Johnson scored six of his 12 points in the final four minutes to thwart a late Blue Jay comeback bid.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) scored a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and five assists for Elizabethtown, while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) netted 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. However, the Blue Jays committed 21 turnovers and went just 3-for-7 at the foul line while the Pride finished 14-for-19 from the stripe.
Widener scored the game's first seven points, and took its biggest lead of the day at 33-21 on two foul shots by Johnson with 5:59 left in the first half. Elizabethtown closed the first half on an 18-7 run, capped by a three-pointer by Fogel as time expired to bring the Blue Jays within 40-39 at intermission.
Church led all players with 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Fogel went 3-for-4 from three-point range and tallied 11 points for the Blue Jays as part of a 53.3 percent (16-for-30) team shooting effort. Jones paced the Pride with nine points, as Widener shot 48.0 percent (12-for-25) from the field.
The Blue Jays took their first lead of the day at 41-40 on a layup by Fogel 29 seconds into the second half, and held a 43-40 advantage following a putback by Church with 18:09 to play. Widener answered with six straight points to take a 46-43 lead with 16:54 to go, and the teams exchanged the lead several times over the next couple minutes.
Widener went ahead for good at 54-51 following a three-pointer by Chris McDevitt with 13:07 left, sparking an 8-0 run that ended with the Pride holding a 59-51 advantage with 11:44 to play.
Elizabethtown crept back to within two at 61-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 7:21 to go, but went scoreless over the next five minutes on four missed shots and two turnovers.
The Blue Jays again cut the Pride lead to two at 63-61 as Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit a basket with 2:38 to go to snap the scoring drought, but Johnson responded with back-to-back steals and baskets to give Widener a 67-61 lead with 1:20 remaining.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) connected on a basket with 43 seconds remaining to shave the Widener lead to 67-63, and Fogel nailed a jumper with 6.2 seconds to go to pull Elizabethtown within 67-65.
A missed foul shot by Widener's Matt Sosna with 4.3 seconds left gave the Blue Jays life, but a desperation inbounds pass from midcourt with 0.4 seconds left went awry and the Pride came away with the title.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also finished in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Sosna tallied 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The Blue Jays finished at 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field as a team while Widener cooled off to 40.0 percent (22-for-55) after going 10-for-30 in the second half.
From the Widener University Website:
Men's Basketball Wins Third Straight Commonwealth Conference Title, 67-65 Over Elizabethtown
Charles Jones Named Tournament MVP
2/28/2009
(boxscore)
Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) scored 12 points to be named tournament MVP and fellow senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) notched a double-double for Widener, which captured its third straight Commonwealth Conference title with a 67-65 win over Elizabethtown at Schwartz Center.
Top-seeded Widener (22-5, 10-2 CC) won its 15th Middle Atlantic/Commonwealth Conference championship and is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in school history. It is the first time the Pride have won three straight titles since 1976-78 and first time they will play in four successive NCAA tournaments since 1975-78.
The pairings will be announced Monday on NCAA.com at 11:00 am.
Things look good early on for the Pride, who raced to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes and held a 33-21 cushion with 5:59 left. But the third-seeded Blue Jays (14-12), trailing 36-26 with 3:34 to go in the half, closed the period on a 13-4 spurt for a 40-39 Pride lead. The run was punctuated by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA) swishing a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The second half was even more nerve-wracking, especially when Phil Schaffer hit a layup with 2:38 left to bring Elizabethtown within 63-61. Junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) gave Widener some breathing room, making a layup with 1:31 remaining and adding a steal and layup 11 seconds later for a 67-61 game.
Elizabethtown’s Joe Flanagan hit a layup with 43 seconds left for a 67-63 game. Widener senior Nyere Miller (Washington, DC) was called for traveling with 39 seconds left, but the Blue Jays could not capitalize as Flanagan missed a layup.
Miller missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 14 seconds left and the drama continued as Fogel buried a jumper with 6.2 seconds to play for a 67-65 game.
Widener again misfired on the line as Sosna could not convert the first of a 1-and-1 with 4.3 seconds to play. The Pride had a foul to give and Sosna committed one with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Elizabethtown had the ball at midcourt and tried for a lob, but former Widener player Bryan Harrity threw it over the backboard. The Pride simply inbounded it and celebrated the title.
Widener’s defense played a key role, holding Elizabethtown to just 39 percent shooting (12-of-31) in the second half and 6-of-19 overall from 3-point range.
Jones’ award comes by virtue of posting 31 points and eight rebounds in the two tournament games. He was a second team all-district pick last season as well as first team all-conference.
Sosna closed with 11 points and 10 rebounds with Johnson posting 12 points and five steals over 22 solid minutes. Sophomore Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) scored eight points for Widener, which shot 40 percent (22-of-55) overall and notched its eighth straight win.
Fogel netted 18 points, Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA) had 17 and 12 rebounds and Josh Houseal scored 12 points for the Blue Jays.
With the women’s team also winning the conference title, it marks the first time since 1982 that both squads captured a league title and are headed to the NCAA Tournament in the same year.
From The Lancaster Sunday News:
Widener slips past E-town
Blue Jays take issue with timekeeping in 67-65 loss in Commonwealth final.
Sunday News
Published: Mar 01, 200900:16 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Asked to assess his team's 67-65 loss to Widener in Saturday afternoon's Commonwealth Conference championship game, Elizabethtown point guard Phil Schaffer — the team's lone senior — pulled out an old adage.
"We didn't lose," he said. "We just ran out of time."
A little quicker than coach Bob Schlosser would have preferred, actually.
Twice in the closing seconds Schlosser approached the scorer's table with gripes about timekeeping, and after the two teams exchanged congratulatory handshakes at game's end, he veered past the table and directed a parting shot at the clock operator.
But when asked later, Schlosser was not about to say his team got jobbed.
Rather, he said the difference was a late-game stretch when the Blue Jays, trailing 61-59, came up empty on four straight trips.
"We lost our composure a little bit on offense," he said.
Which, perhaps, stands to reason. While the Pride (22-5), which won its third straight conference title, starts three seniors and two juniors, the Jays (14-12) — making their first playoff appearance in three years — start two juniors and two sophomores alongside Schaffer.
"Our youth at times has been very good for us," Schlosser said. "It shows up in a game like this. ... It comes down to simple things. When we needed a bucket late, we couldn't get one. I thought our defense was good enough.
Our offense came up a little weak."
After the Jays' dry spell, Widener forward Jamarr Johnson scored all the Pride points in a 6-2 mini-run, making it 67-61 with 1:20 left. Baskets by E-town's Joe Flanagan and Keith Fogel (18 points) cut the gap to two with 6.3 seconds remaining.
The ball was inbounded to Matt Sosna, who was fouled immediately. But two full seconds clicked off the clock, leading Schlosser to lodge his first complaint at the table, to no avail.
Sosna missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Mike Church, the junior forward from Solanco, rebounded and rushed in the other direction. Church (17 points, 12 rebounds) was fouled as he crossed midcourt, with 0.4 of a second showing.
After a timeout, the Jays lined up to run their last-ditch sideline inbounds play. But just as they began making their cuts, a buzzer sounded.
Again Schlosser was miffed. Again there was a pause, as he and a referee approached the table.
When play resumed, Bryan Harrity lofted his pass beyond the baseline, giving Widener possession.
Asked later about Schlosser's beefs, Pride coach Chris Carideo noted that the clock operator is not a Widener employee, but an outside hire.
"The inadvertent buzzer, I've got no comment," Carideo said. "I don't know how that happened."
And, he added, "As far as the time going off, I don't know. If I'm on the other end (where it works in one's favor), I'm not going to complain — as I'm sure (Schlosser) wouldn't, if he was on the other end."
Johnson and Charles Jones had 12 points to pace the Pride, which opened a 33-21 lead late in the first half, courtesy of some loose play by the Jays.
They committed 10 of their 21 turnovers to that point.
But E-town closed the gap to 40-39 at the break, as Fogel tossed in a 3-point buzzer-beater from midcourt, and then moved to a three-point lead immediately afterward. That was erased almost immediately, and they found themselves fighting uphill the rest of the way.
2/28/2009
Men's basketball edged by Widener in Commonwealth finals
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Widener 67, Elizabethtown 65
Click here for the box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Top-seeded Widener University won the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball championship with a 67-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in the title game at the Schwartz Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Pride (22-5 overall) won their third consecutive Commonwealth Conference championship and earned the 17th NCAA tournament berth in program history, while the Blue Jays (14-12 overall) were denied in their bid to win their first conference title since 2004.
Charles Jones was named tournament Most Valuable Player for the Pride after finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in the title game, while Jamarr Johnson scored six of his 12 points in the final four minutes to thwart a late Blue Jay comeback bid.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) scored a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and five assists for Elizabethtown, while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) netted 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. However, the Blue Jays committed 21 turnovers and went just 3-for-7 at the foul line while the Pride finished 14-for-19 from the stripe.
Widener scored the game's first seven points, and took its biggest lead of the day at 33-21 on two foul shots by Johnson with 5:59 left in the first half. Elizabethtown closed the first half on an 18-7 run, capped by a three-pointer by Fogel as time expired to bring the Blue Jays within 40-39 at intermission.
Church led all players with 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Fogel went 3-for-4 from three-point range and tallied 11 points for the Blue Jays as part of a 53.3 percent (16-for-30) team shooting effort. Jones paced the Pride with nine points, as Widener shot 48.0 percent (12-for-25) from the field.
The Blue Jays took their first lead of the day at 41-40 on a layup by Fogel 29 seconds into the second half, and held a 43-40 advantage following a putback by Church with 18:09 to play. Widener answered with six straight points to take a 46-43 lead with 16:54 to go, and the teams exchanged the lead several times over the next couple minutes.
Widener went ahead for good at 54-51 following a three-pointer by Chris McDevitt with 13:07 left, sparking an 8-0 run that ended with the Pride holding a 59-51 advantage with 11:44 to play.
Elizabethtown crept back to within two at 61-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 7:21 to go, but went scoreless over the next five minutes on four missed shots and two turnovers.
The Blue Jays again cut the Pride lead to two at 63-61 as Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit a basket with 2:38 to go to snap the scoring drought, but Johnson responded with back-to-back steals and baskets to give Widener a 67-61 lead with 1:20 remaining.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) connected on a basket with 43 seconds remaining to shave the Widener lead to 67-63, and Fogel nailed a jumper with 6.2 seconds to go to pull Elizabethtown within 67-65.
A missed foul shot by Widener's Matt Sosna with 4.3 seconds left gave the Blue Jays life, but a desperation inbounds pass from midcourt with 0.4 seconds left went awry and the Pride came away with the title.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also finished in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Sosna tallied 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The Blue Jays finished at 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field as a team while Widener cooled off to 40.0 percent (22-for-55) after going 10-for-30 in the second half.
From the Widener University Website:
Men's Basketball Wins Third Straight Commonwealth Conference Title, 67-65 Over Elizabethtown
Charles Jones Named Tournament MVP
2/28/2009
(boxscore)
Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) scored 12 points to be named tournament MVP and fellow senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) notched a double-double for Widener, which captured its third straight Commonwealth Conference title with a 67-65 win over Elizabethtown at Schwartz Center.
Top-seeded Widener (22-5, 10-2 CC) won its 15th Middle Atlantic/Commonwealth Conference championship and is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in school history. It is the first time the Pride have won three straight titles since 1976-78 and first time they will play in four successive NCAA tournaments since 1975-78.
The pairings will be announced Monday on NCAA.com at 11:00 am.
Things look good early on for the Pride, who raced to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes and held a 33-21 cushion with 5:59 left. But the third-seeded Blue Jays (14-12), trailing 36-26 with 3:34 to go in the half, closed the period on a 13-4 spurt for a 40-39 Pride lead. The run was punctuated by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA) swishing a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The second half was even more nerve-wracking, especially when Phil Schaffer hit a layup with 2:38 left to bring Elizabethtown within 63-61. Junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) gave Widener some breathing room, making a layup with 1:31 remaining and adding a steal and layup 11 seconds later for a 67-61 game.
Elizabethtown’s Joe Flanagan hit a layup with 43 seconds left for a 67-63 game. Widener senior Nyere Miller (Washington, DC) was called for traveling with 39 seconds left, but the Blue Jays could not capitalize as Flanagan missed a layup.
Miller missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 14 seconds left and the drama continued as Fogel buried a jumper with 6.2 seconds to play for a 67-65 game.
Widener again misfired on the line as Sosna could not convert the first of a 1-and-1 with 4.3 seconds to play. The Pride had a foul to give and Sosna committed one with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Elizabethtown had the ball at midcourt and tried for a lob, but former Widener player Bryan Harrity threw it over the backboard. The Pride simply inbounded it and celebrated the title.
Widener’s defense played a key role, holding Elizabethtown to just 39 percent shooting (12-of-31) in the second half and 6-of-19 overall from 3-point range.
Jones’ award comes by virtue of posting 31 points and eight rebounds in the two tournament games. He was a second team all-district pick last season as well as first team all-conference.
Sosna closed with 11 points and 10 rebounds with Johnson posting 12 points and five steals over 22 solid minutes. Sophomore Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) scored eight points for Widener, which shot 40 percent (22-of-55) overall and notched its eighth straight win.
Fogel netted 18 points, Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA) had 17 and 12 rebounds and Josh Houseal scored 12 points for the Blue Jays.
With the women’s team also winning the conference title, it marks the first time since 1982 that both squads captured a league title and are headed to the NCAA Tournament in the same year.
From The Lancaster Sunday News:
Widener slips past E-town
Blue Jays take issue with timekeeping in 67-65 loss in Commonwealth final.
Sunday News
Published: Mar 01, 200900:16 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Asked to assess his team's 67-65 loss to Widener in Saturday afternoon's Commonwealth Conference championship game, Elizabethtown point guard Phil Schaffer — the team's lone senior — pulled out an old adage.
"We didn't lose," he said. "We just ran out of time."
A little quicker than coach Bob Schlosser would have preferred, actually.
Twice in the closing seconds Schlosser approached the scorer's table with gripes about timekeeping, and after the two teams exchanged congratulatory handshakes at game's end, he veered past the table and directed a parting shot at the clock operator.
But when asked later, Schlosser was not about to say his team got jobbed.
Rather, he said the difference was a late-game stretch when the Blue Jays, trailing 61-59, came up empty on four straight trips.
"We lost our composure a little bit on offense," he said.
Which, perhaps, stands to reason. While the Pride (22-5), which won its third straight conference title, starts three seniors and two juniors, the Jays (14-12) — making their first playoff appearance in three years — start two juniors and two sophomores alongside Schaffer.
"Our youth at times has been very good for us," Schlosser said. "It shows up in a game like this. ... It comes down to simple things. When we needed a bucket late, we couldn't get one. I thought our defense was good enough.
Our offense came up a little weak."
After the Jays' dry spell, Widener forward Jamarr Johnson scored all the Pride points in a 6-2 mini-run, making it 67-61 with 1:20 left. Baskets by E-town's Joe Flanagan and Keith Fogel (18 points) cut the gap to two with 6.3 seconds remaining.
The ball was inbounded to Matt Sosna, who was fouled immediately. But two full seconds clicked off the clock, leading Schlosser to lodge his first complaint at the table, to no avail.
Sosna missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Mike Church, the junior forward from Solanco, rebounded and rushed in the other direction. Church (17 points, 12 rebounds) was fouled as he crossed midcourt, with 0.4 of a second showing.
After a timeout, the Jays lined up to run their last-ditch sideline inbounds play. But just as they began making their cuts, a buzzer sounded.
Again Schlosser was miffed. Again there was a pause, as he and a referee approached the table.
When play resumed, Bryan Harrity lofted his pass beyond the baseline, giving Widener possession.
Asked later about Schlosser's beefs, Pride coach Chris Carideo noted that the clock operator is not a Widener employee, but an outside hire.
"The inadvertent buzzer, I've got no comment," Carideo said. "I don't know how that happened."
And, he added, "As far as the time going off, I don't know. If I'm on the other end (where it works in one's favor), I'm not going to complain — as I'm sure (Schlosser) wouldn't, if he was on the other end."
Johnson and Charles Jones had 12 points to pace the Pride, which opened a 33-21 lead late in the first half, courtesy of some loose play by the Jays.
They committed 10 of their 21 turnovers to that point.
But E-town closed the gap to 40-39 at the break, as Fogel tossed in a 3-point buzzer-beater from midcourt, and then moved to a three-point lead immediately afterward. That was erased almost immediately, and they found themselves fighting uphill the rest of the way.
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