From the E-town College Website:
2/26/2009
Men's basketball to travel to Widener for Commonwealth title
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Elizabethtown and Widener to Meet in Commonwealth Finals
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team will travel to Widener University for the Commonwealth Conference championship on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3:00 p.m.
The Blue Jays (14-11 overall), seeded third in the four-team tournament, advanced to the finals with a 68-64 victory at Albright College on Wednesday night, while the top-seeded Pride (21-5 overall) defeated Messiah College 76-61 in the other semifinal contest.
Admission to Saturday's game at the Schwartz Center is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students, with children under six admitted free of charge. The winner will receive an automatic bid to next week's NCAA Division III tournament.
Saturday's game will be played exactly five years to the day of Elizabethtown's last appearance in the championship game, a 61-54 victory at Widener on Feb. 28, 2004 that gave the Blue Jays their third straight conference title.
In addition to the Commonwealth Conference titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, Elizabethtown won Middle Atlantic Conference championships in 1964 and 1979. Widener will be seeking its third consecutive conference crown and 15th overall conference championship in program history.
The teams have met four times in the Commonwealth Conference playoffs since 2001, with Elizabethtown winning in the 2002 and 2004 finals and Widener winning in the 2001 finals and 2006 semifinals. All but the 2002 championship game were played at Widener.
Widener, which went 10-2 in the Commonwealth Conference during the regular season, swept the season series from Elizabethtown, which went 7-5 in conference play. The Pride won 80-69 at Thompson Gymnasium on Jan. 17 and held on for a 66-62 victory at the Schwartz Center on Feb. 7.
Sophomore swingman Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) leads the Blue Jays in scoring at 14.6 points per game and has connected on a team-high 52 three-pointers.
Junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) has added 12.7 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) is averaging 12.5 points per game with 38 three-pointers and a team-high 53 steals.
Leading the Pride is senior guard Charles Jones, who leads the Commonwealth Conference in scoring at 17.4 points per game to go with a team-high 78 assists. Senior forward Matt Sosna is second on the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game and leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 61.1 percent from the field (138-for-226) to lead the conference, with junior forward Jamarr Johnson ranking second at 56.9 percent (82-for-144).
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday Morning News
First from the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Hungry Blue Jays subdue Albright
Advance to Commonwealth title game
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Feb 26, 200901:41 EST
Reading
By JOEL SCHREINER, Correspondent
Elizabethtown came here looking for redemption.
Twice, earlier this season, the Blue Jays lost to Albright, but this latest shot was the most important of the three and gave the Jays the chance to wipe the slate clean.
In the end, it was the hungrier Jays who got their revenge as they tamed the Lions, 68-64, in a Commonwealth Conference semifinal playoff game Wednesday night at Bollman Center.
Mike Church scored a team-high 17 points to pace the Jays (14-11), who go to Saturday's title game for the first time since 2004, where they will face Widener, a 76-61 winner over Messiah in Wednesday's other semifinal.
The title game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Widener.
"After we lost to them the second time, we said we hope we see them in the playoffs," Church recalled. "We wanted to come in here and take it back at them."
Ironically, Wednesday's win came five years to the day of Elizabethtown's last win at Albright.
That, too, was a playoff win, 99-87 in OT. Since then, it's been all Lions, including two OT wins in the last three games.
"We've had some tough losses with them lately," said Blue Jay coach Bob Schlosser. "It's a matter of sticking with it and believing you can win. I think my guys really believed tonight."
That was evident right from the opening tip when Church, the 6-foot-4 Solanco grad, won the tip against the 6-11 Phil Hall. It set the tone as it was Church who took it to the big man all game.
Church was 7-for-16 from the floor, while making Hall earn his points at the other end.
"That's the first he really went at him and it was effective," explained Albright coach Rick Ferry, of Church's effort. "There's a lot of times he (Hall) goes against guys who don't want to play against him so he can rest at the defensive end and that wasn't the case at all tonight."
While Hall got his 20 points, it was E-town's defensive pressure on Zac Shaeffer, Albright's second-leading scorer, that may have been the biggest factor.
Thanks in large part to Phil Schaffer and Kyle McConnell, Shaeffer (Lampeter-Strasburg grad) was held to just two points, well below his season average of 12 per game.
"We kept Zac Shaeffer in check and that's a key," said Schlosser. "You can't let them both get a lot of points or you're in trouble. Hall got his, but we made him work for them."
Both teams set a frantic pace early on, but neither could open up more than a five-point lead and the Lions took a 37-33 halftime lead. Albright shot a blistering 16-for-27 from the floor in the opening half, but things quickly changed after the break.
The Lions (17-9) misfired on their first 13 shots of the second half and the Jays were able to take advantage. A 12-2 run gave Elizabethtown a 45-39 lead with 11:32 left to play. Albright's first basket of the second half came via Hall's baby hook at the 10:20 mark.
Still up 47-45 and the momentum seemingly shifting the other way, Church hit a layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but the Jays grabbed the rebound and Joe Flanagan buried a 3-pointer and just like that, the Jays were up 52-45 with 9:36 to play.
Flanagan, the Lancaster Mennonite grad, finished with 12 points.
"That was a great game," said Flanagan. "Everybody contributed. It was a great team win."
The Lions were able to chip away and eventually tied it, 57-57, with 4:47 to go. E-town then ran off four straight points, but Albright answered with a 5-0 spurt and took the lead on Shaeffer's lone basket of the night with 1:56 left.
Bryan Harrity knocked down a baseline jumper with 1:29 to play to give the Jays the lead for good. Keith Fogel (13 points) added a trey to push the lead to 66-62 with 48 seconds left.
"Sometimes it's not just making a basket, it's when you make it," said Schlosser, of the pivotal back-to-back buckets. "They wanted to play Albright. We've had a tough time with them lately, but we believed we could win. We believed we were going to win this game and they played that way."
The Lions turned the ball over 16 times in the game and were limited to a 9-for-32 clip from the floor in the second half, including a dismal 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Jays, meanwhile, drained 4-of-6 from long range after the break.
Flanagan had a pair of them.
"They killed us down here, then beat us in overtime at our court, so it was in our heads that we wanted to play them again," Flanagan said of the redemption.
Now it's on to Widener, who coincidentally, beat the Jays twice earlier this season.
From The Reading Eagle:
2/26/2009
E-Town has an answer for Lions down stretch
The Blue Jays, who had lost six straight to Albright, make clutch shots in semifinal win
By Rich Scarcella
Reading Eagle
The biggest shot Wednesday night wasn't taken by Joe Flanagan, Elizabethtown's leading scorer, or by any other Blue Jays starter.
Trailing Albright by one point late in a Commonwealth Conference semifinal, Elizabethtown turned to Bryan Harrity, a seldom-used reserve who was scoring a mere 1.6 points a game and shooting a dismal 31 percent.
Harrity hit a jumper from the left corner with 1:29 to go and the shot clock winding down, sending the Blue Jays on their way to a 68-64 win and into the Commonwealth title game Saturday at Widener.
"I wanted him to take that shot," Elizabethtown coach Bob Schlosser said. "I told him, 'Don't be afraid to shoot.' He can shoot it a little bit."
Put the emphasis on little. Harrity's basket gave the Blue Jays (14-11) the lead for good, 63-62, and was typical of several clutch shots they made in the final 10 minutes at loud and steamy Bollman Center.
After Albright (17-9) cut it to 47-45, Mike Church scored on a post move, a recurring theme, and was fouled by Phil Hall. Church missed the free throw, but 5-9 Phil Schaffer came up with the offensive rebound and found Flanagan, who buried a 3-pointer to make it 52-45.
Andre Murphy's layup and Matt Ashcroft's 3 trimmed it to two again, but Church converted a three-point play on the break. The Lions tied it at 57 on Hall's putback, but Church responded with two free throws and a reverse layup against Hall.
"They stepped up and made big shots when they needed to make them," Hall said. "We kept crawling back in the game, and they had an answer every time."
Elizabethtown had lost six in a row to Albright, including two this season. Scholosser put in a few new wrinkles on offense, but the biggest change he made was having the 6-4 Church take the basketball at the 6-11 Hall.
Church scored 17 points, making Hall work on the defensive end. Hall finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but he missed three of his last four shots.
"Phil was gassed at the end," Albright coach Rick Ferry said. "You can just see that his legs were gone. There are a lot of times when he goes against guys who don't want to play against him, so he could rest on the defensive end. That wasn't the case tonight."
Keith Fogel scored 13 points for the Blue Jays, including a trey that made it 66-62 in the final minute. Matt Bazsika got the Lions within two with a rebound basket, and Schaffer opened the door by making 1-of-2 free throws with 34.7 seconds remaining.
But Adam Van Zelst threw the ball out of bounds while trying to get it to Hall. Josh Houseal made a free throw to put Elizabethtown up by four, and Zac Shaeffer and Andre Murphy missed from behind the arc.
Albright lost a conference semifinal at home for the second year in a row, despite outrebounding the Blue Jays 43-28. The Lions took a 37-33 halftime lead while shooting 59 percent, but they missed their first 13 shots of the second half and never regained their rhythm.
"We had good looks," Ferry said.
Shaeffer, who scored 28 points in the regular season finale, had just two on 1-of-7 shooting.
"We always pay attention to him," Scholosser said. "He struggled tonight. Other games we focused on him just as much and he got his. Tonight he wasn't himself."
Unless Albright receives an invitation from the ECAC, Hall, Bazsika and Mike Larkin played their final games for the Lions.
"The worst thing is knowing it's the last game I'm ever going to play," Hall said. "It hurts."
Contact Rich Scarcella: 610-371-5070 or rscarcella@readingeagle.com.
Hungry Blue Jays subdue Albright
Advance to Commonwealth title game
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Feb 26, 200901:41 EST
Reading
By JOEL SCHREINER, Correspondent
Elizabethtown came here looking for redemption.
Twice, earlier this season, the Blue Jays lost to Albright, but this latest shot was the most important of the three and gave the Jays the chance to wipe the slate clean.
In the end, it was the hungrier Jays who got their revenge as they tamed the Lions, 68-64, in a Commonwealth Conference semifinal playoff game Wednesday night at Bollman Center.
Mike Church scored a team-high 17 points to pace the Jays (14-11), who go to Saturday's title game for the first time since 2004, where they will face Widener, a 76-61 winner over Messiah in Wednesday's other semifinal.
The title game is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Widener.
"After we lost to them the second time, we said we hope we see them in the playoffs," Church recalled. "We wanted to come in here and take it back at them."
Ironically, Wednesday's win came five years to the day of Elizabethtown's last win at Albright.
That, too, was a playoff win, 99-87 in OT. Since then, it's been all Lions, including two OT wins in the last three games.
"We've had some tough losses with them lately," said Blue Jay coach Bob Schlosser. "It's a matter of sticking with it and believing you can win. I think my guys really believed tonight."
That was evident right from the opening tip when Church, the 6-foot-4 Solanco grad, won the tip against the 6-11 Phil Hall. It set the tone as it was Church who took it to the big man all game.
Church was 7-for-16 from the floor, while making Hall earn his points at the other end.
"That's the first he really went at him and it was effective," explained Albright coach Rick Ferry, of Church's effort. "There's a lot of times he (Hall) goes against guys who don't want to play against him so he can rest at the defensive end and that wasn't the case at all tonight."
While Hall got his 20 points, it was E-town's defensive pressure on Zac Shaeffer, Albright's second-leading scorer, that may have been the biggest factor.
Thanks in large part to Phil Schaffer and Kyle McConnell, Shaeffer (Lampeter-Strasburg grad) was held to just two points, well below his season average of 12 per game.
"We kept Zac Shaeffer in check and that's a key," said Schlosser. "You can't let them both get a lot of points or you're in trouble. Hall got his, but we made him work for them."
Both teams set a frantic pace early on, but neither could open up more than a five-point lead and the Lions took a 37-33 halftime lead. Albright shot a blistering 16-for-27 from the floor in the opening half, but things quickly changed after the break.
The Lions (17-9) misfired on their first 13 shots of the second half and the Jays were able to take advantage. A 12-2 run gave Elizabethtown a 45-39 lead with 11:32 left to play. Albright's first basket of the second half came via Hall's baby hook at the 10:20 mark.
Still up 47-45 and the momentum seemingly shifting the other way, Church hit a layup and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but the Jays grabbed the rebound and Joe Flanagan buried a 3-pointer and just like that, the Jays were up 52-45 with 9:36 to play.
Flanagan, the Lancaster Mennonite grad, finished with 12 points.
"That was a great game," said Flanagan. "Everybody contributed. It was a great team win."
The Lions were able to chip away and eventually tied it, 57-57, with 4:47 to go. E-town then ran off four straight points, but Albright answered with a 5-0 spurt and took the lead on Shaeffer's lone basket of the night with 1:56 left.
Bryan Harrity knocked down a baseline jumper with 1:29 to play to give the Jays the lead for good. Keith Fogel (13 points) added a trey to push the lead to 66-62 with 48 seconds left.
"Sometimes it's not just making a basket, it's when you make it," said Schlosser, of the pivotal back-to-back buckets. "They wanted to play Albright. We've had a tough time with them lately, but we believed we could win. We believed we were going to win this game and they played that way."
The Lions turned the ball over 16 times in the game and were limited to a 9-for-32 clip from the floor in the second half, including a dismal 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Jays, meanwhile, drained 4-of-6 from long range after the break.
Flanagan had a pair of them.
"They killed us down here, then beat us in overtime at our court, so it was in our heads that we wanted to play them again," Flanagan said of the redemption.
Now it's on to Widener, who coincidentally, beat the Jays twice earlier this season.
From The Reading Eagle:
2/26/2009
E-Town has an answer for Lions down stretch
The Blue Jays, who had lost six straight to Albright, make clutch shots in semifinal win
By Rich Scarcella
Reading Eagle
The biggest shot Wednesday night wasn't taken by Joe Flanagan, Elizabethtown's leading scorer, or by any other Blue Jays starter.
Trailing Albright by one point late in a Commonwealth Conference semifinal, Elizabethtown turned to Bryan Harrity, a seldom-used reserve who was scoring a mere 1.6 points a game and shooting a dismal 31 percent.
Harrity hit a jumper from the left corner with 1:29 to go and the shot clock winding down, sending the Blue Jays on their way to a 68-64 win and into the Commonwealth title game Saturday at Widener.
"I wanted him to take that shot," Elizabethtown coach Bob Schlosser said. "I told him, 'Don't be afraid to shoot.' He can shoot it a little bit."
Put the emphasis on little. Harrity's basket gave the Blue Jays (14-11) the lead for good, 63-62, and was typical of several clutch shots they made in the final 10 minutes at loud and steamy Bollman Center.
After Albright (17-9) cut it to 47-45, Mike Church scored on a post move, a recurring theme, and was fouled by Phil Hall. Church missed the free throw, but 5-9 Phil Schaffer came up with the offensive rebound and found Flanagan, who buried a 3-pointer to make it 52-45.
Andre Murphy's layup and Matt Ashcroft's 3 trimmed it to two again, but Church converted a three-point play on the break. The Lions tied it at 57 on Hall's putback, but Church responded with two free throws and a reverse layup against Hall.
"They stepped up and made big shots when they needed to make them," Hall said. "We kept crawling back in the game, and they had an answer every time."
Elizabethtown had lost six in a row to Albright, including two this season. Scholosser put in a few new wrinkles on offense, but the biggest change he made was having the 6-4 Church take the basketball at the 6-11 Hall.
Church scored 17 points, making Hall work on the defensive end. Hall finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, but he missed three of his last four shots.
"Phil was gassed at the end," Albright coach Rick Ferry said. "You can just see that his legs were gone. There are a lot of times when he goes against guys who don't want to play against him, so he could rest on the defensive end. That wasn't the case tonight."
Keith Fogel scored 13 points for the Blue Jays, including a trey that made it 66-62 in the final minute. Matt Bazsika got the Lions within two with a rebound basket, and Schaffer opened the door by making 1-of-2 free throws with 34.7 seconds remaining.
But Adam Van Zelst threw the ball out of bounds while trying to get it to Hall. Josh Houseal made a free throw to put Elizabethtown up by four, and Zac Shaeffer and Andre Murphy missed from behind the arc.
Albright lost a conference semifinal at home for the second year in a row, despite outrebounding the Blue Jays 43-28. The Lions took a 37-33 halftime lead while shooting 59 percent, but they missed their first 13 shots of the second half and never regained their rhythm.
"We had good looks," Ferry said.
Shaeffer, who scored 28 points in the regular season finale, had just two on 1-of-7 shooting.
"We always pay attention to him," Scholosser said. "He struggled tonight. Other games we focused on him just as much and he got his. Tonight he wasn't himself."
Unless Albright receives an invitation from the ECAC, Hall, Bazsika and Mike Larkin played their final games for the Lions.
"The worst thing is knowing it's the last game I'm ever going to play," Hall said. "It hurts."
Contact Rich Scarcella: 610-371-5070 or rscarcella@readingeagle.com.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Blue Jays defeat Albright 68-64 to advance to conference finals
From the E-town College Website:
2/25/2009
Men's hoops defeats Albright 68-64 to advance to conference finals
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Elizabethtown 68, Albright 64
Click here for the box score
READING, Pa. --- For the first time since 2004, the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team will play for the Commonwealth Conference championship as the Blue Jays defeated host Albright College 68-64 in a semifinal game at the Bollman Center on Wednesday night.
The Blue Jays (14-11 overall) will travel to top-seeded Widener University for Saturday's championship game at 3:00 p.m. after the Pride defeated Messiah College 76-61 in Wednesday's other semifinal contest.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored 17 points to lead the Blue Jays, who held the Lions (17-9 overall) to 28.1 percent shooting (9-for-32) from the field in the second half, including 13 straight misses to open the half, after shooting 59.3 percent (16-for-27) in the opening 20 minutes.
Phil Hall led the Lions with game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Albright could not turn a 43-28 rebounding advantage to their benefit. The Lions were also plagued by 16 turnovers while the Blue Jays committed just nine miscues.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 13 points for the Blue Jays while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) tallied 12 points and a team-high six rebounds for Elizabethtown, which will play for its first conference title since winning the last of three in a row in 2004.
Trailing 55-50 with 7:12 to play, the Lions tied the game at 57-57 on a reverse layup by Hall with 4:48 to play, only to see Church put the Blue Jays back on top 61-57 courtesy of two foul shots with 4:29 remaining and a reverse layup with 3:39 left.
Albright responded with five straight points to take a 62-61 lead on a layup by Zac Shaeffer with 2:01 remaining, but backup center Bryan Harrity (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) hit a baseline jumper with 1:29 to go to put Elizabethtown back on top for good at 63-62.
After Hall misfired on the potential go-ahead basket, Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) hit the Blue Jays' biggest shot of the season as he canned a three-pointer with 48.7 seconds left to give Elizabethtown a 66-62 lead.
Matt Bazsika put back a missed three-pointer with 35.5 seconds left to bring Albright back within 66-64, but Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit a foul shot with 34.7 seconds to play to give Elizabethtown a three-point lead.
Looking for the tie, the Lions threw the ball away under their own basket with 22.8 seconds to go, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) drilled a foul shot with 22.0 seconds remaining to push the Etown lead to 68-64. Two last-ditch field-goal attempts by the Lions were not close, and the Blue Jays came away with the win.
Both teams set a blistering pace from the field in the opening 10 minutes, each shooting over 50 percent from the floor as Albright held a 23-22 lead with 8:54 left in the first half despite 10 points from Fogel.
Albright led 37-33 at halftime as Hall hit his first six shots from the field en route to a game-high 12 points, while Fogel finished with 10 points to pace Elizabethtown.
The Lions cooled off from the field to open the second half, missing their first 13 field-goal attempts and going scoreless for 8 minutes, 13 seconds while the Blue Jays scored 12 of the half's first 14 points to take a 45-39 lead with 11:32 to go on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel (Landisville, PA/Hempfield).
Hall finally connected on Albright's first field goal of the second half with 10:27 to go to cut the Elizabethtown lead to 47-43, but a basket by Church and a three-pointer by Flanagan gave the Blue Jays a 52-45 lead with 9:43 to play.
Albright fought back with five unanswered points to cut the Blue Jay lead to 52-50 with 9:03 remaining, but Church converted a three-point play with 7:12 to go to extend the Blue Jay advantage to 55-50.
Also scoring in double figures for Albright were Andre Murphy with 11 points and Baszika with 10 points to go with five rebounds.
From the Albright College Website:
Men’s Basketball Ousted by Blue Jays in Commonwealth Semi-Finals
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
READING, Pa. – A 17 point effort by junior, Mike Church propelled the Elizabethtown Blue Jays (14-11/7-5 CC) past the Lions of Albright College (17-9/8-4 CC) in the semi-final round of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament playoffs at a packed and loud Bollman Center.
Elizabethtown erased a first half deficit rather quickly in the opening minutes of the second half by going on a 12-2 run to start.
Albright was dominant in the low post for most of the contest, mostly in part to yet another double-double effort by senior center, Phil Hall (Northampton, PA/Northampton). Hall finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9 of 17 shooting from the field. Hall was 6 for 7 in the first half, but was unable to get such easy looks in the second 20 minutes, when the Blue Jays turned up the defensive intensity.
A seesaw first half with numerous lead changes and ties ended with the Lions leading by a slim 4 point margin (37-33). The Red and White tried many a time to pull away but the Blue Jays fought back behind a sharp-shooting Keith Fogel and a large road crowd following of fans.
Hall was perfect from the field for the first 17 minutes, totaling 12 points and including five rebounds in his first half stat line.
Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Carver) hit quite a few tough shots in the first 20 minutes as well, putting together an 8 point first half to keep the Lions pacing themselves offensively.
Murphy would finish as one of three scorers in double figures for the Lions, ending the night with 11 points.
Matt Baszika (New Zealand/South Plainfield, NJ) would prove to be the final Lion scoring in double figures, finishing with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The Red and White owned a 19-9 first half rebounding advantage, due largely in part to the play of Justin Plummer (Upper Darby, PA/Friends Central) off the bench. The junior had six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass to give the Lions numerous second chances and keep them shooting at a near 60% clip.
Unable to get his shot going all game, Zac Shaeffer (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg), hit his first jumper of the night with 2 minutes left to play, giving the Red and White their last lead of the evening.
Elizabethtown would counter that bucket with a jumper by Bryan Harrity, which was followed by the second three-pointer of the night by Fogel, who finished with 13 points, to seal the deal for the Blue Jays with just under a minute to play.
The Lions would try to get some offensive momentum in the final minutes, but missed jumpers and a costly turnover would be all the Red and White could muster against an aggressive defense.
Elizabethtown will head to Widener, who defeated Messiah by a final of 76-61, to play for the Commonwealth Championship on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Lions will now wait and see what is in store for them. There still remains a chance that Lions could earn a spot in this year’s ECAC Tournament. The selections for the tournament will be announced on Monday, March 2nd.
Elizabethtown College 68, Albright College 64
Box Score
2/25/2009
Men's hoops defeats Albright 68-64 to advance to conference finals
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Elizabethtown 68, Albright 64
Click here for the box score
READING, Pa. --- For the first time since 2004, the Elizabethtown College men's basketball team will play for the Commonwealth Conference championship as the Blue Jays defeated host Albright College 68-64 in a semifinal game at the Bollman Center on Wednesday night.
The Blue Jays (14-11 overall) will travel to top-seeded Widener University for Saturday's championship game at 3:00 p.m. after the Pride defeated Messiah College 76-61 in Wednesday's other semifinal contest.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored 17 points to lead the Blue Jays, who held the Lions (17-9 overall) to 28.1 percent shooting (9-for-32) from the field in the second half, including 13 straight misses to open the half, after shooting 59.3 percent (16-for-27) in the opening 20 minutes.
Phil Hall led the Lions with game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Albright could not turn a 43-28 rebounding advantage to their benefit. The Lions were also plagued by 16 turnovers while the Blue Jays committed just nine miscues.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 13 points for the Blue Jays while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) tallied 12 points and a team-high six rebounds for Elizabethtown, which will play for its first conference title since winning the last of three in a row in 2004.
Trailing 55-50 with 7:12 to play, the Lions tied the game at 57-57 on a reverse layup by Hall with 4:48 to play, only to see Church put the Blue Jays back on top 61-57 courtesy of two foul shots with 4:29 remaining and a reverse layup with 3:39 left.
Albright responded with five straight points to take a 62-61 lead on a layup by Zac Shaeffer with 2:01 remaining, but backup center Bryan Harrity (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) hit a baseline jumper with 1:29 to go to put Elizabethtown back on top for good at 63-62.
After Hall misfired on the potential go-ahead basket, Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) hit the Blue Jays' biggest shot of the season as he canned a three-pointer with 48.7 seconds left to give Elizabethtown a 66-62 lead.
Matt Bazsika put back a missed three-pointer with 35.5 seconds left to bring Albright back within 66-64, but Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit a foul shot with 34.7 seconds to play to give Elizabethtown a three-point lead.
Looking for the tie, the Lions threw the ball away under their own basket with 22.8 seconds to go, and Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) drilled a foul shot with 22.0 seconds remaining to push the Etown lead to 68-64. Two last-ditch field-goal attempts by the Lions were not close, and the Blue Jays came away with the win.
Both teams set a blistering pace from the field in the opening 10 minutes, each shooting over 50 percent from the floor as Albright held a 23-22 lead with 8:54 left in the first half despite 10 points from Fogel.
Albright led 37-33 at halftime as Hall hit his first six shots from the field en route to a game-high 12 points, while Fogel finished with 10 points to pace Elizabethtown.
The Lions cooled off from the field to open the second half, missing their first 13 field-goal attempts and going scoreless for 8 minutes, 13 seconds while the Blue Jays scored 12 of the half's first 14 points to take a 45-39 lead with 11:32 to go on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel (Landisville, PA/Hempfield).
Hall finally connected on Albright's first field goal of the second half with 10:27 to go to cut the Elizabethtown lead to 47-43, but a basket by Church and a three-pointer by Flanagan gave the Blue Jays a 52-45 lead with 9:43 to play.
Albright fought back with five unanswered points to cut the Blue Jay lead to 52-50 with 9:03 remaining, but Church converted a three-point play with 7:12 to go to extend the Blue Jay advantage to 55-50.
Also scoring in double figures for Albright were Andre Murphy with 11 points and Baszika with 10 points to go with five rebounds.
From the Albright College Website:
Men’s Basketball Ousted by Blue Jays in Commonwealth Semi-Finals
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
READING, Pa. – A 17 point effort by junior, Mike Church propelled the Elizabethtown Blue Jays (14-11/7-5 CC) past the Lions of Albright College (17-9/8-4 CC) in the semi-final round of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament playoffs at a packed and loud Bollman Center.
Elizabethtown erased a first half deficit rather quickly in the opening minutes of the second half by going on a 12-2 run to start.
Albright was dominant in the low post for most of the contest, mostly in part to yet another double-double effort by senior center, Phil Hall (Northampton, PA/Northampton). Hall finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9 of 17 shooting from the field. Hall was 6 for 7 in the first half, but was unable to get such easy looks in the second 20 minutes, when the Blue Jays turned up the defensive intensity.
A seesaw first half with numerous lead changes and ties ended with the Lions leading by a slim 4 point margin (37-33). The Red and White tried many a time to pull away but the Blue Jays fought back behind a sharp-shooting Keith Fogel and a large road crowd following of fans.
Hall was perfect from the field for the first 17 minutes, totaling 12 points and including five rebounds in his first half stat line.
Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Carver) hit quite a few tough shots in the first 20 minutes as well, putting together an 8 point first half to keep the Lions pacing themselves offensively.
Murphy would finish as one of three scorers in double figures for the Lions, ending the night with 11 points.
Matt Baszika (New Zealand/South Plainfield, NJ) would prove to be the final Lion scoring in double figures, finishing with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The Red and White owned a 19-9 first half rebounding advantage, due largely in part to the play of Justin Plummer (Upper Darby, PA/Friends Central) off the bench. The junior had six rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass to give the Lions numerous second chances and keep them shooting at a near 60% clip.
Unable to get his shot going all game, Zac Shaeffer (Lancaster, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg), hit his first jumper of the night with 2 minutes left to play, giving the Red and White their last lead of the evening.
Elizabethtown would counter that bucket with a jumper by Bryan Harrity, which was followed by the second three-pointer of the night by Fogel, who finished with 13 points, to seal the deal for the Blue Jays with just under a minute to play.
The Lions would try to get some offensive momentum in the final minutes, but missed jumpers and a costly turnover would be all the Red and White could muster against an aggressive defense.
Elizabethtown will head to Widener, who defeated Messiah by a final of 76-61, to play for the Commonwealth Championship on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Lions will now wait and see what is in store for them. There still remains a chance that Lions could earn a spot in this year’s ECAC Tournament. The selections for the tournament will be announced on Monday, March 2nd.
Elizabethtown College 68, Albright College 64
Box Score
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Blue Jays to play at Albright in Commonwealth semifinals
From the E-town College Website:
2/24/2009
Men's basketball to play at Albright in Commonwealth semifinals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Elizabethtown to Face Albright in Commonwealth Semifinals
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College will battle Albright College in a Commonwealth Conference men's basketball semifinal game on Wednesday night at the Bollman Center in Reading, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The Blue Jays finished 13-11 overall and in third place in the conference with a 7-5 record, while the Lions completed the 2008-09 regular season with a 17-8 overall record and an 8-4 mark in conference play, good enough for second place in the final standings.
The winner of Wednesday's game will play in the championship game on Saturday against the winner of the other semifinal game between fourth-seeded Messiah College and top-seeded Widener University. The Commonwealth Conference champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Admission to Wednesday's contest is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students, with children under six admitted free of charge. Streaming audio and live stats will be available for download through links posted on the Elizabethtown sports web site.
Elizabethtown and Albright have met in the Commonwealth Conference semifinals on three previous occasions, with the Blue Jays winning 83-74 at Thompson Gymnasium in 2001 and 99-87 in overtime at the Bollman Center in 2004. The Lions won the most-recent playoff battle between the teams with an 81-65 home-court win in 2005.
During the regular season, Albright won both meetings with Elizabethtown, picking up a 93-80 victory at home on Jan. 14 and a 69-65 overtime victory at Thompson Gymnasium on Jan. 31.
Including the postseason, the Blue Jays have lost six straight games in Reading since the aforementioned playoff overtime win in 2004.
The Blue Jays, making their first postseason appearance since 2006, won their final three regular-season games to lock up third place in the standings. Elizabethtown improved from 2-8 in conference play in 2007-08 to 8-4 this season. Albright also won its final three games and six of its last seven to secure their fifth trip to the conference playoffs in the last six years.
Elizabethtown has three players averaging over 12 points per game for 19th-year head coach Bob Schlosser (292-197 record), led by sophomore swingman Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) at 14.8 points per game. He leads the squad with 50 three-pointers and has scored in double figures in 20 out of 24 games.
Junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) is second on the team with 12.5 points per game, and leads the Blue Jays with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game along with a conference-best 36 blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) is even with Church in scoring average (12.5 points per game) and is second on the squad with 36 three-pointers. Fogel also leads the team in foul shooting (86.7 percent, 39-for-45) and has a a team-high 52 steals.
Rounding out the starting lineup are junior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield), who averages 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and senior point guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City), who averages 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and is the lone senior on the roster.
Key contributors off the bench include first-year guard Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest), who is averaging 4.4 points per game as Schaffer's backup at point guard, sophomore center Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty), who chips in 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest, and junior guard Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale), who has made seven consecutive three-point attempts spanning the last four games.
The Lions are led by 6-11 senior center Phil Hall, a conference Player of the Year contender who averages 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.8 percent (148-for-265) from the field. Sophomore guard Zac Shaeffer also averages in double figures for Albright with 12.3 points per contest to go with a team-high 57 three-pointers.
2/24/2009
Men's basketball to play at Albright in Commonwealth semifinals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Elizabethtown to Face Albright in Commonwealth Semifinals
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College will battle Albright College in a Commonwealth Conference men's basketball semifinal game on Wednesday night at the Bollman Center in Reading, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The Blue Jays finished 13-11 overall and in third place in the conference with a 7-5 record, while the Lions completed the 2008-09 regular season with a 17-8 overall record and an 8-4 mark in conference play, good enough for second place in the final standings.
The winner of Wednesday's game will play in the championship game on Saturday against the winner of the other semifinal game between fourth-seeded Messiah College and top-seeded Widener University. The Commonwealth Conference champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Admission to Wednesday's contest is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students, with children under six admitted free of charge. Streaming audio and live stats will be available for download through links posted on the Elizabethtown sports web site.
Elizabethtown and Albright have met in the Commonwealth Conference semifinals on three previous occasions, with the Blue Jays winning 83-74 at Thompson Gymnasium in 2001 and 99-87 in overtime at the Bollman Center in 2004. The Lions won the most-recent playoff battle between the teams with an 81-65 home-court win in 2005.
During the regular season, Albright won both meetings with Elizabethtown, picking up a 93-80 victory at home on Jan. 14 and a 69-65 overtime victory at Thompson Gymnasium on Jan. 31.
Including the postseason, the Blue Jays have lost six straight games in Reading since the aforementioned playoff overtime win in 2004.
The Blue Jays, making their first postseason appearance since 2006, won their final three regular-season games to lock up third place in the standings. Elizabethtown improved from 2-8 in conference play in 2007-08 to 8-4 this season. Albright also won its final three games and six of its last seven to secure their fifth trip to the conference playoffs in the last six years.
Elizabethtown has three players averaging over 12 points per game for 19th-year head coach Bob Schlosser (292-197 record), led by sophomore swingman Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) at 14.8 points per game. He leads the squad with 50 three-pointers and has scored in double figures in 20 out of 24 games.
Junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) is second on the team with 12.5 points per game, and leads the Blue Jays with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game along with a conference-best 36 blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) is even with Church in scoring average (12.5 points per game) and is second on the squad with 36 three-pointers. Fogel also leads the team in foul shooting (86.7 percent, 39-for-45) and has a a team-high 52 steals.
Rounding out the starting lineup are junior forward Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield), who averages 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and senior point guard Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City), who averages 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and is the lone senior on the roster.
Key contributors off the bench include first-year guard Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest), who is averaging 4.4 points per game as Schaffer's backup at point guard, sophomore center Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty), who chips in 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest, and junior guard Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale), who has made seven consecutive three-point attempts spanning the last four games.
The Lions are led by 6-11 senior center Phil Hall, a conference Player of the Year contender who averages 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.8 percent (148-for-265) from the field. Sophomore guard Zac Shaeffer also averages in double figures for Albright with 12.3 points per contest to go with a team-high 57 three-pointers.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Blue Jays defeat Arcadia, 71-49 to take third place
From the E-town College Website:
2/21/2009
Men's basketball defeats Arcadia, 71-49 to take third place
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Elizabethtown 71, Arcadia 49
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College outscored Arcadia University 42-23 in the second half to pick up a 71-49 victory in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Combined with Widener University's 77-58 win at Messiah College, the Blue Jays (13-11 overall, 7-5 Commonwealth) clinched the third seed in the Commonwealth Conference tournament and will travel to second-seeded Albright College on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in a semifinal game.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with a game-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Blue Jays while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 14 points as Elizabethtown shot 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the field in the second half to turn a 29-26 halftime lead into a 22-point victory.
Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City), the lone senior on the Elizabethtown roster, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds from his point guard position, while addeing five points and a game-high six assists in 26 minutes of playing time.
Bobby Mulholland was the lone player to score in double figures for the Knights (8-17 overall, 3-9 Commonwealth) as he finished with 12 points, but Arcadia shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the field and committed 21 turnovers to end the season with their sixth consecutive loss.
Elizabethtown led for all but 28 seconds early in the first half, taking the lead for good at 7-6 just four minutes into the game. The Blue Jays built a 25-15 lead with 5:28 to play in the first half, but the Knights rallied to cut the deficit to 29-26 at halftime as Mulholland led Arcadia with seven points. Church led all players in the first half with 12 points, while Schaffer grabbed eight rebounds.
The Blue Jays opened the second half by scoring nine straight points to go ahead 38-26 with 15:15 to go. Elizabethtown poured it on in the closing minutes, using a 17-6 run to take their largest lead of the afternoon at 71-43 with 1:42 left.
Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) matched his career high of 10 points set in the Blue Jays' last game at Lebanon Valley College, and connected on both of his three-point attempts to extend his streak of consecutive made three-pointers to seven, spanning Elizabethtown's last four games.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) added 11 points and four boards for the Blue Jays, who went 18-for-25 from the foul line as a team including 12-for-17 in the second half.
From the Arcadia University Website:
Knights Drop Season Closer to Elizabethtown
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA: 2/21/07 - Arcadia Men's Basketball shot 38% from the field and went just 4-19 from long range as the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown College held the Knights to their lowest offensive output of the season in today's 71-49 win for the playoff-bound Blue Jays.
Arcadia closes out the 2008-09 season with an 8-17 overall mark and 3-9 against their Commonwealth opponents.
The Knights led for just 28 seconds, on a duece from senior Bobby Mulholland at 17:30 of the first half. While Elizabethtown would stay in front for the remainder of the half, Arcadia erased the Blue Jays 10 point lead to three at the half, 29-26 Etown. But the home team would regain that ten point lead and thensome, as Arcadia's offense sputtered in it's season finale, including a 56% showing at the free throw line.
Mulholland finished his last collegiate game with a team high 12 points for the Knights. He added 3 boards, 2 assists and a steal. Freshman Aquil Cook added 8 points for the Knights. Seniors Terrel Varnado and Blaise Pepitone also played their final games for Arcadia. Varnado scored 4 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, dished out 2 assists and made 2 steals while Pepitone added 5 points in 1 rebound.
The victors were led by four players earning double figure scoring including 16 points from Mike Church and 14 from this week's league player of the week, Joe Flanagan. Etown's Phil Schaeffer earned a game high 12 rebounds.
2/21/2009
Men's basketball defeats Arcadia, 71-49 to take third place
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Elizabethtown 71, Arcadia 49
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College outscored Arcadia University 42-23 in the second half to pick up a 71-49 victory in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.
Combined with Widener University's 77-58 win at Messiah College, the Blue Jays (13-11 overall, 7-5 Commonwealth) clinched the third seed in the Commonwealth Conference tournament and will travel to second-seeded Albright College on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in a semifinal game.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with a game-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Blue Jays while Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) added 14 points as Elizabethtown shot 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the field in the second half to turn a 29-26 halftime lead into a 22-point victory.
Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City), the lone senior on the Elizabethtown roster, grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds from his point guard position, while addeing five points and a game-high six assists in 26 minutes of playing time.
Bobby Mulholland was the lone player to score in double figures for the Knights (8-17 overall, 3-9 Commonwealth) as he finished with 12 points, but Arcadia shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the field and committed 21 turnovers to end the season with their sixth consecutive loss.
Elizabethtown led for all but 28 seconds early in the first half, taking the lead for good at 7-6 just four minutes into the game. The Blue Jays built a 25-15 lead with 5:28 to play in the first half, but the Knights rallied to cut the deficit to 29-26 at halftime as Mulholland led Arcadia with seven points. Church led all players in the first half with 12 points, while Schaffer grabbed eight rebounds.
The Blue Jays opened the second half by scoring nine straight points to go ahead 38-26 with 15:15 to go. Elizabethtown poured it on in the closing minutes, using a 17-6 run to take their largest lead of the afternoon at 71-43 with 1:42 left.
Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) matched his career high of 10 points set in the Blue Jays' last game at Lebanon Valley College, and connected on both of his three-point attempts to extend his streak of consecutive made three-pointers to seven, spanning Elizabethtown's last four games.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) added 11 points and four boards for the Blue Jays, who went 18-for-25 from the foul line as a team including 12-for-17 in the second half.
From the Arcadia University Website:
Knights Drop Season Closer to Elizabethtown
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA: 2/21/07 - Arcadia Men's Basketball shot 38% from the field and went just 4-19 from long range as the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown College held the Knights to their lowest offensive output of the season in today's 71-49 win for the playoff-bound Blue Jays.
Arcadia closes out the 2008-09 season with an 8-17 overall mark and 3-9 against their Commonwealth opponents.
The Knights led for just 28 seconds, on a duece from senior Bobby Mulholland at 17:30 of the first half. While Elizabethtown would stay in front for the remainder of the half, Arcadia erased the Blue Jays 10 point lead to three at the half, 29-26 Etown. But the home team would regain that ten point lead and thensome, as Arcadia's offense sputtered in it's season finale, including a 56% showing at the free throw line.
Mulholland finished his last collegiate game with a team high 12 points for the Knights. He added 3 boards, 2 assists and a steal. Freshman Aquil Cook added 8 points for the Knights. Seniors Terrel Varnado and Blaise Pepitone also played their final games for Arcadia. Varnado scored 4 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, dished out 2 assists and made 2 steals while Pepitone added 5 points in 1 rebound.
The victors were led by four players earning double figure scoring including 16 points from Mike Church and 14 from this week's league player of the week, Joe Flanagan. Etown's Phil Schaeffer earned a game high 12 rebounds.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Saturday = Senior Day
The Blue Jays host The Arcadia University Knights on Saturday. It is Senior Day for the playoff-bound Blue Jays! Congratulations to Phil Schaffer on a fine career at E-town!
Be sure to check out the Game Program and follow the Live Stats if you can't make it to the game on Saturday.
Go Blue Jays!
Be sure to check out the Game Program and follow the Live Stats if you can't make it to the game on Saturday.
Go Blue Jays!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Flanagan Named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week
From the E-town College Website:
2/16/2009
Flanagan named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 16, 2009
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- For the second time this season, Elizabethtown College sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) has been named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week in men's basketball, for the week ending Feb. 15.
Flanagan averaged 21.0 points and went 7-for-14 from three-point range to lead the Blue Jays to key Commonwealth Conference wins over Lycoming (76-56) and Lebanon Valley (78-74). Flanagan scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half of the win over Lycoming on Wednesday, then scored a game-high 22 points and went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final minute of the win at Lebanon Valley on Saturday.
Flanagan, who was previously named Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 5-11, leads the Blue Jays and is fourth in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring at 14.8 points per game.
The Blue Jays (12-11 overall, 6-5 Commonwealth) host Arcadia University in their regular-season finale on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
2/16/2009
Flanagan named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 16, 2009
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- For the second time this season, Elizabethtown College sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) has been named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week in men's basketball, for the week ending Feb. 15.
Flanagan averaged 21.0 points and went 7-for-14 from three-point range to lead the Blue Jays to key Commonwealth Conference wins over Lycoming (76-56) and Lebanon Valley (78-74). Flanagan scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half of the win over Lycoming on Wednesday, then scored a game-high 22 points and went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final minute of the win at Lebanon Valley on Saturday.
Flanagan, who was previously named Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 5-11, leads the Blue Jays and is fourth in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring at 14.8 points per game.
The Blue Jays (12-11 overall, 6-5 Commonwealth) host Arcadia University in their regular-season finale on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
E-town at LVC Picture Gallery
The Lebanon Daily News published a Photo Gallery of pictures from Saturday's big win at LVC!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Jays' blueprint
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
The Jays' blueprint
In college basketball, victories don't happen in just 40 minutes. Here's how Elizabethtown scouted and put together the game plan that resulted in last Wednesday's crucial win over Lycoming.
Sunday News
Published: Feb 15, 200900:17 EST
Elizabethtown
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
The end result came on Wednesday night, when Elizabethtown — playing as if its season depended on it (because, well, it did) — pounded Lycoming, 76-56.
Untold time and energy went into it. Time spent scouting, drilling and scheming. Energy expended on ego massaging, educated guessing and finger-crossing. And all within the confines of the practice-practice-game rhythm of the season, where there are other opponents to confront, other matters to consider.
The Sunday News examined the manner in which the Blue Jays, fighting for a Commonwealth Conference playoff spot, prepared for this game against the Warriors, which came at a critical point in E-town's season.
Losers of three straight — all in the conference, all by four points or fewer — the Jays began the night 4-5 in league play (and 10-11 overall), leaving them in fifth place, a half-game behind the Warriors (11-9, 4-4), with three games left. Only the top four teams qualify for the Commonwealth playoffs.
Here's what led up to it:
Thursday, Jan. 29, Grantham
Brad Karli, seated in the stands in Messiah College's gym, does not expect to learn too much about the Warriors — who on this night are facing the host Falcons — that he doesn't already know. That's because E-town has already seen Lycoming, having beaten them 68-61 on Jan. 7 in Williamsport.
It's also because he still has a copy of the seven-page scouting report compiled weeks before by Marty Hasenfuss, the former high school coach who scouts for the Jays.
And the truth is, Karli is just as interested in what Messiah is doing, since E-town will visit the Falcons the following Tuesday. Where the Warriors are concerned, he might pick up a new set play, a new substitution pattern, a new tendency or two — especially since their coach, Guy Rancourt, is in his first year.
The 32-year-old Karli, a Cedar Crest graduate, played point guard at E-town, ending in 1998. He has been part of Bob Schlosser's staff ever since. He admits that he aspires to be a head coach someday, that Division I holds a particularly strong allure — "the different type of kids you recruit, the different type of play, and with that, the pressure."
But that's a down-the-road ambition. On this night he watches Messiah jump out to an early lead. Then Lycoming guard Eric Anthony comes off a screen and buries a 3-pointer from the right wing.
"That's what he does well," Karli says.
Anthony began the night averaging 16.8 points a game. The Warriors' only other double-figure scorer is Greg Sye (13.8), a bruising forward.
But Sye, Anthony and everyone else shuttle in and out of the game, as Rancourt makes liberal use of his bench.
"He didn't sub like this when he played us," Karli says. "Some of these guys, I just don't remember."
The Falcons continue to build their lead. It is obvious that Anthony is, as Karli says, "all left hand." That neither he nor Sye are great defenders.
But really, nobody's having a good night for the Warriors, who trail 34-17 at the half.
They do no better after the break. With 4:23 left Messiah has built a 58-37 advantage, en route to a 75-53 victory.
Karli puts his notes away. One thing is sure, he says: "They'll never play this bad against us."
Tuesday, Feb. 10, Thompson Gym, Elizabethtown
Schlosser, standing at midcourt, has been watching his team practice baseline inbounds plays for over four minutes.
"And," he says, "Blue doesn't have a basket yet."
That team, comprised of the E-town starters, takes a break moments later.
When another group scores, he turns toward the regulars and pointedly says, "Pretty good, huh?"
He is 54 and in his 19th year as Jays coach, but remains the competitor he was, growing up in Tamaqua and playing point guard at Marian Catholic and East Stroudsburg. His teams, it seems, always play hard.
This particular one hasn't won lately, though. Its three-game skid started with a 69-65 overtime loss to Albright, and continued with road losses at Messiah (by a 67-64 score) and first-place Widener (66-62).
Schlosser is encouraged that his guys are still getting after it. They would like to see results, though. When someone tells Mike Church, the junior center from Solanco, that Schlosser was particularly pleased with the effort against first-place Widener, Church is unmoved.
"The only thing we take out of it is we can definitely beat Widener," he says. "We played 37 minutes, and they played 40. We hope to see them again."
To do that, E-town would have to make the conference tournament for the first time in three years.
"Especially being a senior, I'm conscious of it," says point guard Phil Schaffer, the only senior on the team. "We talk about playing one at a time, but in the back of my mind, we need these three."
The Jays do some other drills, then work on inbounds plays again. Again they struggle.
In time they repair to a classroom. Everybody grabs a copy of Lycoming's stats, and Hasenfuss' scouting report. Schlosser, standing at the front of the room and addressing his seated players, notes Anthony's willingness to launch 3-pointers, and reminds the Jays that the Warriors guard is left-handed.
"At least up there," he says, "he couldn't go right at all."
And Sye, Schlosser notes, is averaging just 22 minutes a game. Part of that is foul trouble; the Lycoming forward has committed nearly three personals a night.
The other part, the coach says, is this: "He gets gassed. We want to make them run."
They go over their defensive matchups. Sophomore guard Keith Fogel will start out on Anthony, though the Jays will, as always, switch constantly on defense. Church will play Sye, but will have double-team help.
While reviewing video of the teams' earlier game, Schlosser mentions the opening tip — how Sye always back-taps the ball, meaning the Jays standing on either side of the center-jump circle would do well to cheat in that direction, in an attempt to gain possession.
Then everyone huddles at the front of the room.
"Tomorrow's not a playoff game," Schlosser says, "but it sure is close to it. ... We still control our own destiny. We're gonna get after it. I believe we deserve it, but we've still gotta make it happen."
Wednesday, Feb. 11, Thompson Gym
True to form, Sye back-taps the opening tip. But Josh Houseal, a junior forward from Hempfield, is anticipating that, and deflects the ball to Fogel. E-town has the night's first possession, and will cash in, courtesy of Fogel's wing jumper.
Then Fogel, with help, forces Anthony right. The Lycoming guard throws an errant pass, leading to a 3-pointer by Joe Flanagan, a sophomore guard from Lancaster Mennonite, at the other end.
Rancourt calls a 30-second timeout, a little over a minute into the game.
The bad practice of the day before had not been an omen. Schlosser, for one, isn't surprised.
"I don't do a good job the day before a game," he says later, "usually because I'm wound up."
"I always like to think," Fogel says, "that if you have a bad practice the day before a game, you're due the next day."
The game is close for the first 15 minutes, but E-town scores 11 of the first half's last 14 points to take a 38-28 lead at the break. Flanagan already has 15 points by then, en route to 20. The Jays' defense has been active, alive. Anthony has three points at intermission, and four turnovers. Sye is 3-for-9 from the field.
Ninety seconds into the second half, the Jays are confronted with a baseline inbounds play, their bugaboo the day before. This time Schaffer pitches it to Fogel, who has been left standing all by himself beyond the arc, near the top of the circle.
Fogel hits the triple, and will tack on five more points over the next seven minutes, as E-town opens up a 55-35 lead.
Fogel is en route to a 14-point night, his biggest output in four games, and will help limit Anthony to 10. It comes two days after Schlosser had asked him to come over to the gym to shoot, and to talk."
It was more for his confidence, to be honest," Schlosser says. "Not his confidence in his shooting; his confidence in me."
Fogel acknowledges that such confidence is "100 percent what I felt when he talked to me." No longer, he says, does he feel he's looking over his shoulder, every time he makes a mistake. Now he's playing free and easy.
The Jays close out the victory. Church has played better than his 2-for-8, five-point, six-rebound stat line would indicate, limiting Sye to 11 points, on 5-for-14 shooting.
"We did what we wanted to do," Church says. "Our guys were there to help. ... He did make two good moves on me. Other than that, I felt good about the battle."
Schlosser briefly meets with his players, then excuses them for the night.
And as his assistants gather around him, he mentions Lebanon Valley, the opponent in three days, on the road. The Dutchmen had played man-to-man against the Jays earlier in the season, but last year at LVC, they had gone zone.
"And," Schlosser says, "we couldn't make a shot.
"There's always something to think about, always another detail that demands attention.
Always.
The Jays' blueprint
In college basketball, victories don't happen in just 40 minutes. Here's how Elizabethtown scouted and put together the game plan that resulted in last Wednesday's crucial win over Lycoming.
Sunday News
Published: Feb 15, 200900:17 EST
Elizabethtown
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
The end result came on Wednesday night, when Elizabethtown — playing as if its season depended on it (because, well, it did) — pounded Lycoming, 76-56.
Untold time and energy went into it. Time spent scouting, drilling and scheming. Energy expended on ego massaging, educated guessing and finger-crossing. And all within the confines of the practice-practice-game rhythm of the season, where there are other opponents to confront, other matters to consider.
The Sunday News examined the manner in which the Blue Jays, fighting for a Commonwealth Conference playoff spot, prepared for this game against the Warriors, which came at a critical point in E-town's season.
Losers of three straight — all in the conference, all by four points or fewer — the Jays began the night 4-5 in league play (and 10-11 overall), leaving them in fifth place, a half-game behind the Warriors (11-9, 4-4), with three games left. Only the top four teams qualify for the Commonwealth playoffs.
Here's what led up to it:
Thursday, Jan. 29, Grantham
Brad Karli, seated in the stands in Messiah College's gym, does not expect to learn too much about the Warriors — who on this night are facing the host Falcons — that he doesn't already know. That's because E-town has already seen Lycoming, having beaten them 68-61 on Jan. 7 in Williamsport.
It's also because he still has a copy of the seven-page scouting report compiled weeks before by Marty Hasenfuss, the former high school coach who scouts for the Jays.
And the truth is, Karli is just as interested in what Messiah is doing, since E-town will visit the Falcons the following Tuesday. Where the Warriors are concerned, he might pick up a new set play, a new substitution pattern, a new tendency or two — especially since their coach, Guy Rancourt, is in his first year.
The 32-year-old Karli, a Cedar Crest graduate, played point guard at E-town, ending in 1998. He has been part of Bob Schlosser's staff ever since. He admits that he aspires to be a head coach someday, that Division I holds a particularly strong allure — "the different type of kids you recruit, the different type of play, and with that, the pressure."
But that's a down-the-road ambition. On this night he watches Messiah jump out to an early lead. Then Lycoming guard Eric Anthony comes off a screen and buries a 3-pointer from the right wing.
"That's what he does well," Karli says.
Anthony began the night averaging 16.8 points a game. The Warriors' only other double-figure scorer is Greg Sye (13.8), a bruising forward.
But Sye, Anthony and everyone else shuttle in and out of the game, as Rancourt makes liberal use of his bench.
"He didn't sub like this when he played us," Karli says. "Some of these guys, I just don't remember."
The Falcons continue to build their lead. It is obvious that Anthony is, as Karli says, "all left hand." That neither he nor Sye are great defenders.
But really, nobody's having a good night for the Warriors, who trail 34-17 at the half.
They do no better after the break. With 4:23 left Messiah has built a 58-37 advantage, en route to a 75-53 victory.
Karli puts his notes away. One thing is sure, he says: "They'll never play this bad against us."
Tuesday, Feb. 10, Thompson Gym, Elizabethtown
Schlosser, standing at midcourt, has been watching his team practice baseline inbounds plays for over four minutes.
"And," he says, "Blue doesn't have a basket yet."
That team, comprised of the E-town starters, takes a break moments later.
When another group scores, he turns toward the regulars and pointedly says, "Pretty good, huh?"
He is 54 and in his 19th year as Jays coach, but remains the competitor he was, growing up in Tamaqua and playing point guard at Marian Catholic and East Stroudsburg. His teams, it seems, always play hard.
This particular one hasn't won lately, though. Its three-game skid started with a 69-65 overtime loss to Albright, and continued with road losses at Messiah (by a 67-64 score) and first-place Widener (66-62).
Schlosser is encouraged that his guys are still getting after it. They would like to see results, though. When someone tells Mike Church, the junior center from Solanco, that Schlosser was particularly pleased with the effort against first-place Widener, Church is unmoved.
"The only thing we take out of it is we can definitely beat Widener," he says. "We played 37 minutes, and they played 40. We hope to see them again."
To do that, E-town would have to make the conference tournament for the first time in three years.
"Especially being a senior, I'm conscious of it," says point guard Phil Schaffer, the only senior on the team. "We talk about playing one at a time, but in the back of my mind, we need these three."
The Jays do some other drills, then work on inbounds plays again. Again they struggle.
In time they repair to a classroom. Everybody grabs a copy of Lycoming's stats, and Hasenfuss' scouting report. Schlosser, standing at the front of the room and addressing his seated players, notes Anthony's willingness to launch 3-pointers, and reminds the Jays that the Warriors guard is left-handed.
"At least up there," he says, "he couldn't go right at all."
And Sye, Schlosser notes, is averaging just 22 minutes a game. Part of that is foul trouble; the Lycoming forward has committed nearly three personals a night.
The other part, the coach says, is this: "He gets gassed. We want to make them run."
They go over their defensive matchups. Sophomore guard Keith Fogel will start out on Anthony, though the Jays will, as always, switch constantly on defense. Church will play Sye, but will have double-team help.
While reviewing video of the teams' earlier game, Schlosser mentions the opening tip — how Sye always back-taps the ball, meaning the Jays standing on either side of the center-jump circle would do well to cheat in that direction, in an attempt to gain possession.
Then everyone huddles at the front of the room.
"Tomorrow's not a playoff game," Schlosser says, "but it sure is close to it. ... We still control our own destiny. We're gonna get after it. I believe we deserve it, but we've still gotta make it happen."
Wednesday, Feb. 11, Thompson Gym
True to form, Sye back-taps the opening tip. But Josh Houseal, a junior forward from Hempfield, is anticipating that, and deflects the ball to Fogel. E-town has the night's first possession, and will cash in, courtesy of Fogel's wing jumper.
Then Fogel, with help, forces Anthony right. The Lycoming guard throws an errant pass, leading to a 3-pointer by Joe Flanagan, a sophomore guard from Lancaster Mennonite, at the other end.
Rancourt calls a 30-second timeout, a little over a minute into the game.
The bad practice of the day before had not been an omen. Schlosser, for one, isn't surprised.
"I don't do a good job the day before a game," he says later, "usually because I'm wound up."
"I always like to think," Fogel says, "that if you have a bad practice the day before a game, you're due the next day."
The game is close for the first 15 minutes, but E-town scores 11 of the first half's last 14 points to take a 38-28 lead at the break. Flanagan already has 15 points by then, en route to 20. The Jays' defense has been active, alive. Anthony has three points at intermission, and four turnovers. Sye is 3-for-9 from the field.
Ninety seconds into the second half, the Jays are confronted with a baseline inbounds play, their bugaboo the day before. This time Schaffer pitches it to Fogel, who has been left standing all by himself beyond the arc, near the top of the circle.
Fogel hits the triple, and will tack on five more points over the next seven minutes, as E-town opens up a 55-35 lead.
Fogel is en route to a 14-point night, his biggest output in four games, and will help limit Anthony to 10. It comes two days after Schlosser had asked him to come over to the gym to shoot, and to talk."
It was more for his confidence, to be honest," Schlosser says. "Not his confidence in his shooting; his confidence in me."
Fogel acknowledges that such confidence is "100 percent what I felt when he talked to me." No longer, he says, does he feel he's looking over his shoulder, every time he makes a mistake. Now he's playing free and easy.
The Jays close out the victory. Church has played better than his 2-for-8, five-point, six-rebound stat line would indicate, limiting Sye to 11 points, on 5-for-14 shooting.
"We did what we wanted to do," Church says. "Our guys were there to help. ... He did make two good moves on me. Other than that, I felt good about the battle."
Schlosser briefly meets with his players, then excuses them for the night.
And as his assistants gather around him, he mentions Lebanon Valley, the opponent in three days, on the road. The Dutchmen had played man-to-man against the Jays earlier in the season, but last year at LVC, they had gone zone.
"And," Schlosser says, "we couldn't make a shot.
"There's always something to think about, always another detail that demands attention.
Always.
Big Win at LVC!
Congrat's to the Blue Jays on a job well done at LVC on Saturday! Following are game stories taken from around the web.
First from the E-town College Website:
2/14/2009
Men's hoops clinches playoff berth with 78-74 win at LVC
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Elizabethtown 78, Lebanon Valley 74
Click here for the box score
ANNVILLE, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) sank four three-pointers and finished with 22 points as Elizabethtown College clinched a Commonwealth Conference playoff berth with a 78-74 victory at Lebanon Valley College in men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 17 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:22 left, as the Blue Jays (12-11 overall, 6-5 Commonwealth) secured their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season with the win and Lycoming College's 70-55 loss at Widener University earlier in the day.
Elizabethtown shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) overall from the field, including a season-high 11 three-pointers, and put the game away with six foul shots in the final minute to finish the sweep of the season series with the Dutchmen (11-12 overall, 4-7 Commonwealth).
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) hit the clinching free throws with 4.5 seconds left and finished with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) drilled all three of his three-point attempts and finished with a career-high 10 points in 11 minutes off the Blue Jay bench.
Joe Meehan led Lebanon Valley with 23 points while Kyle Enoch added 18 points and Eric Humphrey chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Dutchmen, who shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field as a team and went 16-for-23 from the foul line compared to 11-for-20 by the Blue Jays.
The Dutchmen tied the game at 69-69 on a layup by Humphrey with 2:39 to go, but Fogel drilled a three-pointer on the Blue Jays' next possession to put Elizabethtown on top 72-69 with 2:22 left.
Flanagan made two foul shots with 50.0 seconds remaining to extend the Elizabethtown lead to 74-69, but Enoch responded with a three-pointer to pull the Dutchmen back to within 74-72 with 27.5 seconds to go. Flanagan hit two more free throws with 16.3 seconds left to push the Blue Jays on top 76-72, and Meehan hit a layup with 8.7 seconds to go to cut the Etown advantage to 76-74.
Elizabethtown missed two free throws with 8.0 seconds left, but Church came down with the offensive rebound and made both free throws with 4.5 seconds to play to clinch the win.
The Blue Jays got off to a scorching start, making their first four three-point attempts and nine of their first 10 shots overall to take a 22-13 lead with 13:00 left in the first half. Lebanon Valley came back to take a 26-25 lead on a steal and layup by Enoch with 9:44 left in the half, and the lead swapped back and forth the rest of the half before the teams went to intermission tied at 41-41.
Meehan and Enoch shared the team lead in scoring for Lebanon Valley with 12 points apiece, while Elizabethtown was paced by 11 points from Flanagan and 10 points by Fogel. The Blue Jays shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the field including 7-for-12 from three-point range, while the Dutchmen were 15-for-30 from the floor in the half.
The Blue Jays led by five early in the second half, but the Dutchmen came back to take a 60-56 lead on a basket by Meehan with 7:27 to play. Jones tied the game on a three-pointer with 5:51 left, and Fogel gave Elizabethtown a 64-62 advantage on a steal and layup with 5:24 remaining.
From the Lebanon Valley College Website:
E-town Holds Off Dutchmen, 78-74
2/14/2009 5:58:23 PM
Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. - Elizabethtown's Keith Fogel hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:27 left and the Blue Jays held off a late Lebanon Valley comeback attempt to win, 78-74, in a Commonwealth Conference men's basketball game on Saturday.
The Blue Jays (12-11, 6-5 CC) clinched a playoff berth with the win, while the Dutchmen (11-12, 4-7 CC) would now need serious help to get in. To grab the fourth seed, LVC would need to beat Widener on Tuesday and hope for Messiah to lose their last two games and Lycoming to beat Messiah and lose to Albright. (Read more playoff analysis on the GoDutchmen.com Blog)
The 113th edition of the rivalry didn't disappoint, with 11 lead changes and eight ties in the course of the game giving an electric LVC Gymnasium all it could handle. Many LVC fans came dressed in white to support the Coaches vs. Cancer program, and a portion of the proceeds from the game will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
The game was also the 25th Annual "Hot Dog" Frank Day, and the "Hot Dog" Frank Athletic Service Award was presented at halftime to Bob and Judy Hamilton. Bob recently retired as LVC's vice president of administration, and the Hamiltons have been ardent supports of LVC athletics over the past two decades.
Joe Meehan dropped a career-high 23 points to go with seven assists, while Kyle Enoch added 18 points for the Dutchmen. Joe Flanagan drained 22 points, including four three-pointers, and Fogel ended with 17 for E-town.
Both teams shot well, with LVC making 49.1 percent of its shots and E-town shooting 50.9 percent.
LVC set the tempo early with back-to-back Enoch three's in the first minute, but the Blue Jays responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead. The Dutchmen eventually cut the lead and went up late in the half, and the sides traded the lead four times in the final minute as Meehan's game-tying jumper made it 41-41 at the break.
Elizabethtown held the lead for the most of the second half before Zach Hoover's jumper put LVC up three with 6:07 to go. Chris Jones came back with a three-pointer to tie the game, however, and Fogel picked off Enoch and cruised in for a go-ahead layup seconds later to go up 64-62.
E-town clung to the lead until Eric Humphrey's inside bucket tied the game at 69 with 2:42 to go, but Fogel took a cross-court pass from Jones and buried a three-pointer 15 seconds later to go on top.
Flanagan made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to five, but Enoch breathed life into the Dutchmen with a three-pointer to make it a two-point game. After another two Flanagan freebies, Meehan made a layup with eight seconds left and sent Josh Houseal to the line.
With a chance to ice the game, Houseal missed his first free throw, but E-town big man Mike Church came up with the rebound, then made both his free throws with four seconds left to secure the win.
LVC will head to Widener in a must-win game Tuesday night.
From the Lebanon Daily News:
Dutchmen on brink of elimination
By PAT HUGGINS
Daily News Sportswriter
Lebanon Daily News
Updated: 02/14/2009 11:08:07 PM EST
ANNVILLE — It was only one play in a game filled with countless big plays and potentially defining moments and momentum swings.
But ultimately, it served as a fitting and frustrating symbol of a Lebanon Valley College men’s basketball season that never really got started.
And one that is now essentially finished.
LVC’s failure to secure a critical defensive rebound of a missed foul shot in the closing seconds was the final missed opportunity in a season littered with them and led to a crushing 78-74 Hot Dog Frank Day defeat to Elizabethtown that all but eliminated the Flying Dutchmen from the Commonwealth Conference playoff race.
Despite putting up a spirited fight highlighted by the superb play of freshman point guard Joe Meehan, Lebanon Valley’s playoff hopes were on life support when E-town’s Josh Houseal headed to the foul line with eight seconds left and the Blue Jays clinging to a 76-74 lead.
Oh, but wait. The basketball gods appeared willing to give the Dutchmen a reprieve after Houseal clanked the first free throw off the back iron, allowing the contest to remain a one-possession game.
Maybe it would have been better for LVC if Houseal had made the second charity toss. But he missed that one, too, and instead of grabbing the carom, LVC watched helplessly as E-town’s Mike Church snared the offensive rebound.
Church was subsequently fouled, but unlike Houseal buried both free throws with four ticks left and LVC’s season in the process.
Now 4-7 in the Commonwealth, the Valley (11-12 overall) must now beat first-place Widener on Tuesday and pray for a ridiculous amount of help to qualify for the postseason.
E-town, meanwhile, clinched a Commonwealth playoff berth and improved to 6-5 in the conference and 12-11 overall with the win.
“Yeah, I think so,” said LVC coach Brad McAlester, when asked if the rebound that wasn’t summed up his team’s frustrating season. “There were just a ton of plays where we were a dollar short, you know. It’s tough.
“We didn’t box out. They wanted the ball more than we did. They went up and got it.”
The play that was not made in the closing seconds unfortunately marred what was a gritty performance by LVC, which was drilled 70-53 by E-town in the first meeting between the two.
This time, though, the Dutchmen, led by Meehan’s 23 points and seven assists and strong performances by Kyle Enoch (18 points) and Eric Humphrey (15 points, seven rebounds) were in the thick of the fight from start to finish.
Two quick 3’s from Enoch to open the game gave LVC an early 6-0 lead, but the Jays were even hotter, draining nine of their first 10 field goal attempts en route to opening up a 22-13 lead seven minutes in.
But LVC stood its ground, and eventually got to the half locked in a 41-41 tie with the help of a dozen points apiece from Meehan and Enoch.
“We kept playing and got back in it,” said McAlester. “I thought we had chances to lead going into half. But we’ve done that, we’ve had a lead in a lot of games and given it back. Usually just from bad plays or a lazy pass.”
“Lebanon Valley, recently, has played everybody tough,” said E-town coach Bob Schlosser. “And they did it to us. I was upset with our guys, but the truth of the matter is you gotta give them some credit. The Meehan kid played an outstanding game; we couldn’t guard him.”
Indeed, it was Meehan who nearly pulled LVC to the finish line in time.
After Cedar Crest grad Kyle McConnell (four points, three rebounds, two assists in 11 minutes) scored in transition to give the Blue Jays a 51-46 lead with 16:12 to go, Meehan led a 20-9 LVC spurt and capped it with a drive to the hoop for two and a 60-56 lead with 7:17 left.
But with E-town staggering a bit and on the ropes, the Dutchmen couldn’t deliver the knockout blow.
And eventually the Jays came back with a flurry of their own, pulling ahead to stay at 72-69 on a Keith Fogel ‘3’ with 2:22 to go.
An Enoch ‘3’ with 27 seconds left and a Meehan bucket with eight ticks remaining, kept the outcome in doubt until Church grabbed the rebound that officially choked the life out of LVC’s season.
“It’s not just that one play,” said McAlester, summing up the game and the season. “We never really put it together. Sometimes that’s how it is.”
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Elizabethtown clinches conference playoff berth
Men's basketball
Sunday News
Published: Feb 15, 200900:14 EST
Lebanon
By STAFF
Lancaster Mennonite grad Joe Flanagan sank four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points as Elizabethtown clinched a Commonwealth Conference playoff berth Saturday with a 78-74 victory at Lebanon Valley.
Keith Fogel added 17 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:22 left, as the Blue Jays (12-11, 6-5) secured their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season.
Elizabethtown shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field, including a season-high 11 3-pointers, and put the game away with six foul shots in the final minute to sweep the season series with the Dutchmen (11-12, 4-7).
Mike Church (Solanco) hit the clinching free throws with 4.5 seconds left and finished with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Chris Jones drilled all three of his 3-point attempts and finished with a career-high 10 points in 11 minutes off the Blue Jay bench.
Joe Meehan led Lebanon Valley with 23 points while Kyle Enoch (Hempfield) added 18 points and Eric Humphrey chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Dutchmen, who shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field.
Elizabethtown will wrap up the regular season at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at home against Arcadia.
First from the E-town College Website:
2/14/2009
Men's hoops clinches playoff berth with 78-74 win at LVC
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Elizabethtown 78, Lebanon Valley 74
Click here for the box score
ANNVILLE, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) sank four three-pointers and finished with 22 points as Elizabethtown College clinched a Commonwealth Conference playoff berth with a 78-74 victory at Lebanon Valley College in men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 17 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:22 left, as the Blue Jays (12-11 overall, 6-5 Commonwealth) secured their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season with the win and Lycoming College's 70-55 loss at Widener University earlier in the day.
Elizabethtown shot 50.9 percent (28-for-55) overall from the field, including a season-high 11 three-pointers, and put the game away with six foul shots in the final minute to finish the sweep of the season series with the Dutchmen (11-12 overall, 4-7 Commonwealth).
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) hit the clinching free throws with 4.5 seconds left and finished with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) drilled all three of his three-point attempts and finished with a career-high 10 points in 11 minutes off the Blue Jay bench.
Joe Meehan led Lebanon Valley with 23 points while Kyle Enoch added 18 points and Eric Humphrey chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Dutchmen, who shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field as a team and went 16-for-23 from the foul line compared to 11-for-20 by the Blue Jays.
The Dutchmen tied the game at 69-69 on a layup by Humphrey with 2:39 to go, but Fogel drilled a three-pointer on the Blue Jays' next possession to put Elizabethtown on top 72-69 with 2:22 left.
Flanagan made two foul shots with 50.0 seconds remaining to extend the Elizabethtown lead to 74-69, but Enoch responded with a three-pointer to pull the Dutchmen back to within 74-72 with 27.5 seconds to go. Flanagan hit two more free throws with 16.3 seconds left to push the Blue Jays on top 76-72, and Meehan hit a layup with 8.7 seconds to go to cut the Etown advantage to 76-74.
Elizabethtown missed two free throws with 8.0 seconds left, but Church came down with the offensive rebound and made both free throws with 4.5 seconds to play to clinch the win.
The Blue Jays got off to a scorching start, making their first four three-point attempts and nine of their first 10 shots overall to take a 22-13 lead with 13:00 left in the first half. Lebanon Valley came back to take a 26-25 lead on a steal and layup by Enoch with 9:44 left in the half, and the lead swapped back and forth the rest of the half before the teams went to intermission tied at 41-41.
Meehan and Enoch shared the team lead in scoring for Lebanon Valley with 12 points apiece, while Elizabethtown was paced by 11 points from Flanagan and 10 points by Fogel. The Blue Jays shot 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the field including 7-for-12 from three-point range, while the Dutchmen were 15-for-30 from the floor in the half.
The Blue Jays led by five early in the second half, but the Dutchmen came back to take a 60-56 lead on a basket by Meehan with 7:27 to play. Jones tied the game on a three-pointer with 5:51 left, and Fogel gave Elizabethtown a 64-62 advantage on a steal and layup with 5:24 remaining.
From the Lebanon Valley College Website:
E-town Holds Off Dutchmen, 78-74
2/14/2009 5:58:23 PM
Box Score
ANNVILLE, Pa. - Elizabethtown's Keith Fogel hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:27 left and the Blue Jays held off a late Lebanon Valley comeback attempt to win, 78-74, in a Commonwealth Conference men's basketball game on Saturday.
The Blue Jays (12-11, 6-5 CC) clinched a playoff berth with the win, while the Dutchmen (11-12, 4-7 CC) would now need serious help to get in. To grab the fourth seed, LVC would need to beat Widener on Tuesday and hope for Messiah to lose their last two games and Lycoming to beat Messiah and lose to Albright. (Read more playoff analysis on the GoDutchmen.com Blog)
The 113th edition of the rivalry didn't disappoint, with 11 lead changes and eight ties in the course of the game giving an electric LVC Gymnasium all it could handle. Many LVC fans came dressed in white to support the Coaches vs. Cancer program, and a portion of the proceeds from the game will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
The game was also the 25th Annual "Hot Dog" Frank Day, and the "Hot Dog" Frank Athletic Service Award was presented at halftime to Bob and Judy Hamilton. Bob recently retired as LVC's vice president of administration, and the Hamiltons have been ardent supports of LVC athletics over the past two decades.
Joe Meehan dropped a career-high 23 points to go with seven assists, while Kyle Enoch added 18 points for the Dutchmen. Joe Flanagan drained 22 points, including four three-pointers, and Fogel ended with 17 for E-town.
Both teams shot well, with LVC making 49.1 percent of its shots and E-town shooting 50.9 percent.
LVC set the tempo early with back-to-back Enoch three's in the first minute, but the Blue Jays responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead. The Dutchmen eventually cut the lead and went up late in the half, and the sides traded the lead four times in the final minute as Meehan's game-tying jumper made it 41-41 at the break.
Elizabethtown held the lead for the most of the second half before Zach Hoover's jumper put LVC up three with 6:07 to go. Chris Jones came back with a three-pointer to tie the game, however, and Fogel picked off Enoch and cruised in for a go-ahead layup seconds later to go up 64-62.
E-town clung to the lead until Eric Humphrey's inside bucket tied the game at 69 with 2:42 to go, but Fogel took a cross-court pass from Jones and buried a three-pointer 15 seconds later to go on top.
Flanagan made a pair of free throws to extend the lead to five, but Enoch breathed life into the Dutchmen with a three-pointer to make it a two-point game. After another two Flanagan freebies, Meehan made a layup with eight seconds left and sent Josh Houseal to the line.
With a chance to ice the game, Houseal missed his first free throw, but E-town big man Mike Church came up with the rebound, then made both his free throws with four seconds left to secure the win.
LVC will head to Widener in a must-win game Tuesday night.
From the Lebanon Daily News:
Dutchmen on brink of elimination
By PAT HUGGINS
Daily News Sportswriter
Lebanon Daily News
Updated: 02/14/2009 11:08:07 PM EST
ANNVILLE — It was only one play in a game filled with countless big plays and potentially defining moments and momentum swings.
But ultimately, it served as a fitting and frustrating symbol of a Lebanon Valley College men’s basketball season that never really got started.
And one that is now essentially finished.
LVC’s failure to secure a critical defensive rebound of a missed foul shot in the closing seconds was the final missed opportunity in a season littered with them and led to a crushing 78-74 Hot Dog Frank Day defeat to Elizabethtown that all but eliminated the Flying Dutchmen from the Commonwealth Conference playoff race.
Despite putting up a spirited fight highlighted by the superb play of freshman point guard Joe Meehan, Lebanon Valley’s playoff hopes were on life support when E-town’s Josh Houseal headed to the foul line with eight seconds left and the Blue Jays clinging to a 76-74 lead.
Oh, but wait. The basketball gods appeared willing to give the Dutchmen a reprieve after Houseal clanked the first free throw off the back iron, allowing the contest to remain a one-possession game.
Maybe it would have been better for LVC if Houseal had made the second charity toss. But he missed that one, too, and instead of grabbing the carom, LVC watched helplessly as E-town’s Mike Church snared the offensive rebound.
Church was subsequently fouled, but unlike Houseal buried both free throws with four ticks left and LVC’s season in the process.
Now 4-7 in the Commonwealth, the Valley (11-12 overall) must now beat first-place Widener on Tuesday and pray for a ridiculous amount of help to qualify for the postseason.
E-town, meanwhile, clinched a Commonwealth playoff berth and improved to 6-5 in the conference and 12-11 overall with the win.
“Yeah, I think so,” said LVC coach Brad McAlester, when asked if the rebound that wasn’t summed up his team’s frustrating season. “There were just a ton of plays where we were a dollar short, you know. It’s tough.
“We didn’t box out. They wanted the ball more than we did. They went up and got it.”
The play that was not made in the closing seconds unfortunately marred what was a gritty performance by LVC, which was drilled 70-53 by E-town in the first meeting between the two.
This time, though, the Dutchmen, led by Meehan’s 23 points and seven assists and strong performances by Kyle Enoch (18 points) and Eric Humphrey (15 points, seven rebounds) were in the thick of the fight from start to finish.
Two quick 3’s from Enoch to open the game gave LVC an early 6-0 lead, but the Jays were even hotter, draining nine of their first 10 field goal attempts en route to opening up a 22-13 lead seven minutes in.
But LVC stood its ground, and eventually got to the half locked in a 41-41 tie with the help of a dozen points apiece from Meehan and Enoch.
“We kept playing and got back in it,” said McAlester. “I thought we had chances to lead going into half. But we’ve done that, we’ve had a lead in a lot of games and given it back. Usually just from bad plays or a lazy pass.”
“Lebanon Valley, recently, has played everybody tough,” said E-town coach Bob Schlosser. “And they did it to us. I was upset with our guys, but the truth of the matter is you gotta give them some credit. The Meehan kid played an outstanding game; we couldn’t guard him.”
Indeed, it was Meehan who nearly pulled LVC to the finish line in time.
After Cedar Crest grad Kyle McConnell (four points, three rebounds, two assists in 11 minutes) scored in transition to give the Blue Jays a 51-46 lead with 16:12 to go, Meehan led a 20-9 LVC spurt and capped it with a drive to the hoop for two and a 60-56 lead with 7:17 left.
But with E-town staggering a bit and on the ropes, the Dutchmen couldn’t deliver the knockout blow.
And eventually the Jays came back with a flurry of their own, pulling ahead to stay at 72-69 on a Keith Fogel ‘3’ with 2:22 to go.
An Enoch ‘3’ with 27 seconds left and a Meehan bucket with eight ticks remaining, kept the outcome in doubt until Church grabbed the rebound that officially choked the life out of LVC’s season.
“It’s not just that one play,” said McAlester, summing up the game and the season. “We never really put it together. Sometimes that’s how it is.”
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Elizabethtown clinches conference playoff berth
Men's basketball
Sunday News
Published: Feb 15, 200900:14 EST
Lebanon
By STAFF
Lancaster Mennonite grad Joe Flanagan sank four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points as Elizabethtown clinched a Commonwealth Conference playoff berth Saturday with a 78-74 victory at Lebanon Valley.
Keith Fogel added 17 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:22 left, as the Blue Jays (12-11, 6-5) secured their first postseason appearance since the 2005-06 season.
Elizabethtown shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field, including a season-high 11 3-pointers, and put the game away with six foul shots in the final minute to sweep the season series with the Dutchmen (11-12, 4-7).
Mike Church (Solanco) hit the clinching free throws with 4.5 seconds left and finished with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Chris Jones drilled all three of his 3-point attempts and finished with a career-high 10 points in 11 minutes off the Blue Jay bench.
Joe Meehan led Lebanon Valley with 23 points while Kyle Enoch (Hempfield) added 18 points and Eric Humphrey chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Dutchmen, who shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field.
Elizabethtown will wrap up the regular season at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at home against Arcadia.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Saturday Afternoon Hoops
BIG game at Lebanon Valley this afternoon!
If you can't make it to the game you can follow all the action on Lebanon Valley's state-of-the-art Live Stats!
Go Blue Jays!
If you can't make it to the game you can follow all the action on Lebanon Valley's state-of-the-art Live Stats!
Go Blue Jays!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Big Win Last Night!
Yeah, yeah, everyone knows that Carolina handled the Dukies last night. The real action was taking place in E-town, PA! Following are the game recaps from around the Web:
First, from the E-town College Website:
2/11/2009
Men's hoops blows past Lycoming, 76-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Elizabethtown 76, Lycoming 56
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) scored a game-high 20 points as Elizabethtown College posted a 76-56 victory over Lycoming College in a key Commonwealth Conference men's basketball game on Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 14 points for the Blue Jays (11-11 overall, 5-5 Commonwealth), who moved past the Warriors (11-10 overall, 4-5 Commonwealth) into the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference standings with two games remaining.
Elizabethtown used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to take control, and went 7-for-14 from three-point range as a team to sweep the season series from Lycoming.
Brandon Wilkinson hit four three-pointers off the bench for Lycoming and finished with a team-high 12 points, but the Warriors shot just 42.6 percent (20-for-47) overall from the field despite going 9-for-15 from three-point range.
Other than brief ties at 10-10 and 15-15, the Blue Jays led the entire first half, taking their largest lead into the locker room at 38-28 as Flanagan led all players with 15 points.
In the second half, the Blue Jays led 43-35 with 15:42 remaining before scoring the next 13 points, with Flanagan and Fogel each hitting three-pointers during the run to give Elizabethtown a 56-35 advantage with 10:29 remaining.
Mark Vogel (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) led the Blue Jay reserves with eight points in 15 minutes off the bench, while Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) and Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) tallied six points apiece.
Joining Wilkinson in double figures for Lycoming were Greg Sye, who scored 11 points on 5-for-14 shooting, and Eric Anthony with 10 points. Three players shared the team lead in rebounding for the Warriors with five, as Elizabethtown finished with a 37-29 edge in the glass.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored just five points in 31 minutes for the Blue Jays, but added game highs of six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
From the Lycoming College Website:
Warriors fall in Commonwealth match-up 76-56
- 2-11-09 -
Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Lycoming College men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College in a conference match up Wednesday, Feb, 11 by a score of 76-56. While the Warriors shot at a 42.6 (20-47) percent clip, the shots that did not find the bottom of the net were grabbed by Blue Jay defenders, Who out-rebounded the Warriors, 37-29.
With the loss, Lycoming is now 11-10 overall and fall to 4-5 in the Commonwealth Conference. Elizabethtown improves to 11-11, and 5-5 in the conference.
The majority of the Warrior offense was on the shoulders of Brandon Wilkinson, Greg Sye and Eric Anthony. Wilkinson was the points-leader for Lycoming with 12, going 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Sye had 11 points and was tied with Will Kelly for team-high rebounds (5) while Anthony recorded 10 points.
On the Elizabethtown offense, Joe Flanagan was the game-high scorer with 20. Keith Fogel scored a second best 14. Mike Church played big on the glass, grabbing six while Josh Houseal had five. Four other Blue Jays had four rebounds.
With the results, there are three teams vying for the fourth playoff spot in the conference.
Elizabethtown is 5-5 with two conference games left to play, Lycoming is 4-5 with three Commonwealth games remaining, and Lebanon Valley is 4-6, also with two games slated.
Lycoming’s next game will be Saturday, Feb. 14 in Chester, Pa. when they face-off against Widener at a 3 p.m. tipoff.
From the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Jays look to peak as playoffs near
Elizabethtown routs Lycoming in men’s basketball; eyes CC berth
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Feb 12, 200901:18 EST
Elizabethtown
By MATT BLYMIER, Sports Writer
Elizabethtown College men's basketball team has found itself climbing peaks before falling into valleys this season.
The Blue Jays headed into Wednesday night's Commonwealth Conference showdown opposite Lycoming College in one of those aforementioned valleys — a three-game losing streak.
Following the 76-56 win over the Warriors — the Jays' largest margin of victory this season — Elizabethtown appears to be heading up another peak, mainly toward a berth into the Commonwealth Conference playoffs.
"This game was so critical for us because we were right around that fourth spot (in the conference standings)," said E-town coach Bob Schlosser, who earned his 290th career win. "So we had to come out and play with some energy and we did."
The victory moves the Blue Jays (5-5 CC, 11-11 overall) ahead of Lycoming (4-5, 11-10) into the fourth spot in the conference with the top four teams at the end of the season earning playoff berths.
Elizabethtown has two games left against the bottom two teams in the conference, Lebanon Valley and Arcadia. Lycoming has three games remaining versus the top three teams — Widener, Albright and Messiah.
"It takes pressure off of us," said Solanco grad Mike Church, who scored five points with six rebounds, five assists and four steals. "The past two years we haven't performed very well in the conference at all. To have our destiny in our hands, it gives us a new energy. Every game is a real big deal."
Lycoming kept it interesting in the first half by tying the contest two different times, but never taking the lead.
Austin Smith's layup at the 14:30 mark knotted the score at 10-10 before the Jays responded with five unanswered points with Church hitting a free throw and Bryan Harrity and Keith Fogel (14 points) each scoring a pair.
The Warriors fought back again to even the score at 15-15 but the Jays quickly retook the lead with a pair of threes from Mark Vogel (8) and Josh Houseal (5). Houseal's trey came after Church blocked Greg Sye at the other end of the court.
Lancaster Mennonite alum Joe Flanagan pumped in 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half as Elizabethtown headed into the locker room leading 38-28.
The Blue Jays picked up in the second half where they left off in the first as they gradually wore down the Warriors on defense and continued hitting their shots. E-town slowly ran away with the game thanks in large part to an 11-0 scoring run with 10:29 left in the game.
With his team seemingly on its mark and two games left to play, Schlosser likes his chances of reaching the playoffs after a two-year drought.
"We have two games left and we control our own destiny," explained Schlosser. "That's what we have to deal with.
"I like to think that we are in a pretty good position."
First, from the E-town College Website:
2/11/2009
Men's hoops blows past Lycoming, 76-56
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Elizabethtown 76, Lycoming 56
Click here for the box score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) scored a game-high 20 points as Elizabethtown College posted a 76-56 victory over Lycoming College in a key Commonwealth Conference men's basketball game on Wednesday night at Thompson Gymnasium.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) added 14 points for the Blue Jays (11-11 overall, 5-5 Commonwealth), who moved past the Warriors (11-10 overall, 4-5 Commonwealth) into the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference standings with two games remaining.
Elizabethtown used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to take control, and went 7-for-14 from three-point range as a team to sweep the season series from Lycoming.
Brandon Wilkinson hit four three-pointers off the bench for Lycoming and finished with a team-high 12 points, but the Warriors shot just 42.6 percent (20-for-47) overall from the field despite going 9-for-15 from three-point range.
Other than brief ties at 10-10 and 15-15, the Blue Jays led the entire first half, taking their largest lead into the locker room at 38-28 as Flanagan led all players with 15 points.
In the second half, the Blue Jays led 43-35 with 15:42 remaining before scoring the next 13 points, with Flanagan and Fogel each hitting three-pointers during the run to give Elizabethtown a 56-35 advantage with 10:29 remaining.
Mark Vogel (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) led the Blue Jay reserves with eight points in 15 minutes off the bench, while Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) and Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) tallied six points apiece.
Joining Wilkinson in double figures for Lycoming were Greg Sye, who scored 11 points on 5-for-14 shooting, and Eric Anthony with 10 points. Three players shared the team lead in rebounding for the Warriors with five, as Elizabethtown finished with a 37-29 edge in the glass.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored just five points in 31 minutes for the Blue Jays, but added game highs of six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
From the Lycoming College Website:
Warriors fall in Commonwealth match-up 76-56
- 2-11-09 -
Box Score
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Lycoming College men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College in a conference match up Wednesday, Feb, 11 by a score of 76-56. While the Warriors shot at a 42.6 (20-47) percent clip, the shots that did not find the bottom of the net were grabbed by Blue Jay defenders, Who out-rebounded the Warriors, 37-29.
With the loss, Lycoming is now 11-10 overall and fall to 4-5 in the Commonwealth Conference. Elizabethtown improves to 11-11, and 5-5 in the conference.
The majority of the Warrior offense was on the shoulders of Brandon Wilkinson, Greg Sye and Eric Anthony. Wilkinson was the points-leader for Lycoming with 12, going 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Sye had 11 points and was tied with Will Kelly for team-high rebounds (5) while Anthony recorded 10 points.
On the Elizabethtown offense, Joe Flanagan was the game-high scorer with 20. Keith Fogel scored a second best 14. Mike Church played big on the glass, grabbing six while Josh Houseal had five. Four other Blue Jays had four rebounds.
With the results, there are three teams vying for the fourth playoff spot in the conference.
Elizabethtown is 5-5 with two conference games left to play, Lycoming is 4-5 with three Commonwealth games remaining, and Lebanon Valley is 4-6, also with two games slated.
Lycoming’s next game will be Saturday, Feb. 14 in Chester, Pa. when they face-off against Widener at a 3 p.m. tipoff.
From the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Jays look to peak as playoffs near
Elizabethtown routs Lycoming in men’s basketball; eyes CC berth
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Feb 12, 200901:18 EST
Elizabethtown
By MATT BLYMIER, Sports Writer
Elizabethtown College men's basketball team has found itself climbing peaks before falling into valleys this season.
The Blue Jays headed into Wednesday night's Commonwealth Conference showdown opposite Lycoming College in one of those aforementioned valleys — a three-game losing streak.
Following the 76-56 win over the Warriors — the Jays' largest margin of victory this season — Elizabethtown appears to be heading up another peak, mainly toward a berth into the Commonwealth Conference playoffs.
"This game was so critical for us because we were right around that fourth spot (in the conference standings)," said E-town coach Bob Schlosser, who earned his 290th career win. "So we had to come out and play with some energy and we did."
The victory moves the Blue Jays (5-5 CC, 11-11 overall) ahead of Lycoming (4-5, 11-10) into the fourth spot in the conference with the top four teams at the end of the season earning playoff berths.
Elizabethtown has two games left against the bottom two teams in the conference, Lebanon Valley and Arcadia. Lycoming has three games remaining versus the top three teams — Widener, Albright and Messiah.
"It takes pressure off of us," said Solanco grad Mike Church, who scored five points with six rebounds, five assists and four steals. "The past two years we haven't performed very well in the conference at all. To have our destiny in our hands, it gives us a new energy. Every game is a real big deal."
Lycoming kept it interesting in the first half by tying the contest two different times, but never taking the lead.
Austin Smith's layup at the 14:30 mark knotted the score at 10-10 before the Jays responded with five unanswered points with Church hitting a free throw and Bryan Harrity and Keith Fogel (14 points) each scoring a pair.
The Warriors fought back again to even the score at 15-15 but the Jays quickly retook the lead with a pair of threes from Mark Vogel (8) and Josh Houseal (5). Houseal's trey came after Church blocked Greg Sye at the other end of the court.
Lancaster Mennonite alum Joe Flanagan pumped in 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half as Elizabethtown headed into the locker room leading 38-28.
The Blue Jays picked up in the second half where they left off in the first as they gradually wore down the Warriors on defense and continued hitting their shots. E-town slowly ran away with the game thanks in large part to an 11-0 scoring run with 10:29 left in the game.
With his team seemingly on its mark and two games left to play, Schlosser likes his chances of reaching the playoffs after a two-year drought.
"We have two games left and we control our own destiny," explained Schlosser. "That's what we have to deal with.
"I like to think that we are in a pretty good position."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday Night Hoops
Big game tonight in E-town as Lycoming College pays a visit. Lycoming is 1/2 game ahead of the Blue Jays for 4th place in the Conference which would mean a trip to the playoffs. You can read more about tonight's match-up in the Game Program.
If you can't make it to the game, be sure to follow the Live Stats online.
ESPN Radio from Williamsport may also be broadcasting the game tonight. Click here to listen in to their broadcast.
Go Blue Jays!
If you can't make it to the game, be sure to follow the Live Stats online.
ESPN Radio from Williamsport may also be broadcasting the game tonight. Click here to listen in to their broadcast.
Go Blue Jays!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday Morning News Coverage
From the Lancaster Sunday News:
Widener edges Elizabethtown, 66-62
Men's basketball
Sunday News
Published: Feb 08, 200900:12 EST
Chester
By STAFF
Charles Jones finished with a game-high 22 points, including a key tie-breaking 3-pointer, to lead Widener past Elizabethtown 66-62 in Commonwealth Conference action Saturday.
Jones added six assists and four steals for the Pride (16-5, 6-2), who hold a one-game lead over Albright for the top spot in the conference.
Mike Church (Solanco) scored 11 points to lead the Blue Jays (10-11, 4-5), who overcame a seven-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as five points in the second half before the Pride regained the advantage late.
The Blue Jays are a half game behind Lycoming for the fourth and final conference playoff spot with three games remaining. They host the Warriors at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Thompson Gymnasium.
A 12-2 run turned a 36-31 Widener lead into a 43-38 Elizabethtown advantage following a 3-pointer by Keith Fogel with 15:38 to go. Widener responded with seven of the next nine points to knot the contest at 45 with 13:17 left, and the teams traded the lead until Nyere Miller's 3-pointer gave the Pride a 51-50 lead with 9:30 to go.
Elizabethtown tied the game at 57 on a layup by Chris Hill with 6:02 remaining, but Jones' 3-pointer with 4:25 left ignited a 7-0 run that gave the Pride a 64-57 lead with 3:07 to go.
The Blue Jays cut the deficit to 64-62 on a 3-point play by Church with 1:11 remaining, but Elizabethtown turned the ball over on its final three possessions and Bobby Edmunds hit two free throws for Widener with 25 seconds left to close out the scoring.
Fogel and Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) scored nine points each for the Blue Jays, while Phil Schaffer recorded seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and held a 35-27 edge in rebounding over Widener.
Jones was the lone player to score in double figures for Widener, with Jarrell Nelson chipping in nine points off the bench and Jamarr Johnson, Sosna and Edmunds scoring eight points each. The Pride shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field and hit 7-of-18 from 3-point range.
Widener edges Elizabethtown, 66-62
Men's basketball
Sunday News
Published: Feb 08, 200900:12 EST
Chester
By STAFF
Charles Jones finished with a game-high 22 points, including a key tie-breaking 3-pointer, to lead Widener past Elizabethtown 66-62 in Commonwealth Conference action Saturday.
Jones added six assists and four steals for the Pride (16-5, 6-2), who hold a one-game lead over Albright for the top spot in the conference.
Mike Church (Solanco) scored 11 points to lead the Blue Jays (10-11, 4-5), who overcame a seven-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as five points in the second half before the Pride regained the advantage late.
The Blue Jays are a half game behind Lycoming for the fourth and final conference playoff spot with three games remaining. They host the Warriors at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Thompson Gymnasium.
A 12-2 run turned a 36-31 Widener lead into a 43-38 Elizabethtown advantage following a 3-pointer by Keith Fogel with 15:38 to go. Widener responded with seven of the next nine points to knot the contest at 45 with 13:17 left, and the teams traded the lead until Nyere Miller's 3-pointer gave the Pride a 51-50 lead with 9:30 to go.
Elizabethtown tied the game at 57 on a layup by Chris Hill with 6:02 remaining, but Jones' 3-pointer with 4:25 left ignited a 7-0 run that gave the Pride a 64-57 lead with 3:07 to go.
The Blue Jays cut the deficit to 64-62 on a 3-point play by Church with 1:11 remaining, but Elizabethtown turned the ball over on its final three possessions and Bobby Edmunds hit two free throws for Widener with 25 seconds left to close out the scoring.
Fogel and Joe Flanagan (Lancaster Mennonite) scored nine points each for the Blue Jays, while Phil Schaffer recorded seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and held a 35-27 edge in rebounding over Widener.
Jones was the lone player to score in double figures for Widener, with Jarrell Nelson chipping in nine points off the bench and Jamarr Johnson, Sosna and Edmunds scoring eight points each. The Pride shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field and hit 7-of-18 from 3-point range.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
From the E-town College Website:
2/7/2009
Widener defeats Etown in men's hoops, 66-62
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Widener 66, Elizabethtown 62
Click here for the box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Charles Jones finished with a game-high 22 points, including the tiebreaking three-pointer with 4:25 remaining, as Widener University defeated Elizabethtown College 66-62 in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
Jones added six assists and four steals to lead the Pride (16-5 overall, 6-2 Commonwealth), who hold a one-game lead over Albright College for the top spot in the conference standings with four games remaining.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored 11 points to lead the Blue Jays (10-11 overall, 4-5 Commonwealth), who overcame a seven-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as five points in the second half before the Pride regained the advantage late.
The Blue Jays are a half-game behind Lycoming College for the fourth and final Commonwealth Conference playoff spot with three games remaining, and host the Warriors on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.
A 12-2 run turned a 36-31 Widener lead into a 43-38 Elizabethtown advantage following a three-pointer by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) with 15:38 to go. Widener responded with seven of the next nine points to knot the contest at 45-45 with 13:17 left, and the teams traded the lead until Nyere Miller's three-pointer gave the Pride a 51-50 lead with 9:30 to go.
Elizabethtown tied the game for the final time at 57-57 on a layup by Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) with 6:02 remaining, but Jones' three-pointer with 4:25 left ignited a 7-0 run that gavae the Pride a 64-57 lead with 3:07 to go.
The Blue Jays pulled to within 64-62 on a three-point play by Church with 1:11 remaining, but Elizabethtown turned the ball over on its final three possessions and Bobby Edmunds hit two free throws for Widener with 25 seconds left to close out the scoring.
Fogel and Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) each scored nine points for the Blue Jays, while Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) recorded seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and held a 35-27 edge in rebounding over Widener.
Jones was the lone player to score in double figures for Widener, as Jarrell Nelson chipped in with nine points off the bench and Jamarr Johnson, Sosna and Edmunds all scored eight points apiece. The Pride shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field and hit 7-of-18 from three-point range.
From the Widener University Website:
Charles Jones' 22 Points Lift Men's Basketball to 66-62 Win Over Elizabethtown
2/7/2009
(boxscore)
Senior Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) scored 22 points and was the catalyst in a late run for Widener, 66-62 winners over Commonwealth Conference foe Elizabethtown at Schwartz Center.
Kyle McConnell hit a layup for the Blue Jays with 6:39 left and Chris Hill followed suit 37 seconds later to make it 57-57, the game’s 10th tie. After several empty possessions for both teams, Jones began the 7-0 spurt by nailing a 3-pointer for a 60-57 Pride lead with 4:25 left.
Senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) made a layup with 3:38 to play for Widener (16-5, 6-2 CC) and junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) notched one of his own with 3:07 remaining for a 64-57 game.
Elizabethtown (10-11, 4-5) netted five straight for a 64-62 contest. Joe Flanagan hit a jumper and Mike Church converted a three-point play with 1:11 left.
After Sosna missed the front end of a one-and-one with 50 seconds left, the Blue Jays went for the tie. But they never got the opportunity as McConnell’s pass was deflected and Jones came up with the steal.
Junior Bobby Edmunds (Linwood, NJ) hit a pair from the stripe with 25 seconds left for the final and the Pride’s sixth victory in their last seven outings.
Jones shot 9-of-16 from the field for Widener, which hit 48 percent (24-of-50) overall and 7-of-18 from 3-point range. Sophomore Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD) poured in nine points off the bench with Sosna, Johnson and Edmunds netting eight apiece.
Church scored 11 points with Flanagan and Keith Fogel posting nine apiece for Elizabethtown, which shot 46 percent (26-of-57) from the field but only 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Widener sits one game ahead of idle Albright (5-3) for first in the conference. The two battle Wednesday in Reading, PA at 8:00 pm, following the women’s contest at 6:00 pm.
2/7/2009
Widener defeats Etown in men's hoops, 66-62
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Widener 66, Elizabethtown 62
Click here for the box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Charles Jones finished with a game-high 22 points, including the tiebreaking three-pointer with 4:25 remaining, as Widener University defeated Elizabethtown College 66-62 in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
Jones added six assists and four steals to lead the Pride (16-5 overall, 6-2 Commonwealth), who hold a one-game lead over Albright College for the top spot in the conference standings with four games remaining.
Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) scored 11 points to lead the Blue Jays (10-11 overall, 4-5 Commonwealth), who overcame a seven-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as five points in the second half before the Pride regained the advantage late.
The Blue Jays are a half-game behind Lycoming College for the fourth and final Commonwealth Conference playoff spot with three games remaining, and host the Warriors on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. in Thompson Gymnasium.
A 12-2 run turned a 36-31 Widener lead into a 43-38 Elizabethtown advantage following a three-pointer by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) with 15:38 to go. Widener responded with seven of the next nine points to knot the contest at 45-45 with 13:17 left, and the teams traded the lead until Nyere Miller's three-pointer gave the Pride a 51-50 lead with 9:30 to go.
Elizabethtown tied the game for the final time at 57-57 on a layup by Chris Hill (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) with 6:02 remaining, but Jones' three-pointer with 4:25 left ignited a 7-0 run that gavae the Pride a 64-57 lead with 3:07 to go.
The Blue Jays pulled to within 64-62 on a three-point play by Church with 1:11 remaining, but Elizabethtown turned the ball over on its final three possessions and Bobby Edmunds hit two free throws for Widener with 25 seconds left to close out the scoring.
Fogel and Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) each scored nine points for the Blue Jays, while Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) recorded seven points, seven rebounds and nine assists. As a team, Elizabethtown shot 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the field and held a 35-27 edge in rebounding over Widener.
Jones was the lone player to score in double figures for Widener, as Jarrell Nelson chipped in with nine points off the bench and Jamarr Johnson, Sosna and Edmunds all scored eight points apiece. The Pride shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field and hit 7-of-18 from three-point range.
From the Widener University Website:
Charles Jones' 22 Points Lift Men's Basketball to 66-62 Win Over Elizabethtown
2/7/2009
(boxscore)
Senior Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) scored 22 points and was the catalyst in a late run for Widener, 66-62 winners over Commonwealth Conference foe Elizabethtown at Schwartz Center.
Kyle McConnell hit a layup for the Blue Jays with 6:39 left and Chris Hill followed suit 37 seconds later to make it 57-57, the game’s 10th tie. After several empty possessions for both teams, Jones began the 7-0 spurt by nailing a 3-pointer for a 60-57 Pride lead with 4:25 left.
Senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) made a layup with 3:38 to play for Widener (16-5, 6-2 CC) and junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) notched one of his own with 3:07 remaining for a 64-57 game.
Elizabethtown (10-11, 4-5) netted five straight for a 64-62 contest. Joe Flanagan hit a jumper and Mike Church converted a three-point play with 1:11 left.
After Sosna missed the front end of a one-and-one with 50 seconds left, the Blue Jays went for the tie. But they never got the opportunity as McConnell’s pass was deflected and Jones came up with the steal.
Junior Bobby Edmunds (Linwood, NJ) hit a pair from the stripe with 25 seconds left for the final and the Pride’s sixth victory in their last seven outings.
Jones shot 9-of-16 from the field for Widener, which hit 48 percent (24-of-50) overall and 7-of-18 from 3-point range. Sophomore Jarrell Nelson (Waldorf, MD) poured in nine points off the bench with Sosna, Johnson and Edmunds netting eight apiece.
Church scored 11 points with Flanagan and Keith Fogel posting nine apiece for Elizabethtown, which shot 46 percent (26-of-57) from the field but only 3-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Widener sits one game ahead of idle Albright (5-3) for first in the conference. The two battle Wednesday in Reading, PA at 8:00 pm, following the women’s contest at 6:00 pm.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Saturday Afternoon Hoops
The Blue Jays travel to the greater Philadelphia area to take on the 1st place Widener University Pride.
If you can't make the game, be sure to follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
If you can't make the game, be sure to follow the Live Stats online.
Go Blue Jays!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Messiah holds off Blue Jays, 67-64 in men's hoops battle
From the E-town College Website:
2/3/2009
Messiah holds off Etown, 67-64 in men's hoops battle
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Messiah 67, Elizabethtown 64
Click here for the box score
GRANTHAM, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College nearly erased a 17-point second-half deficit, but host Messiah College held on for a 67-64 victory in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night.
Andy Hawk led all players with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Falcons (6-14 overall, 4-4 Commonwealth), who led 42-25 with 16:20 remaining before the Blue Jays (10-10 overall, 4-4 Commonwealth) rallied behind the play of their bench, which cut the deficit to three in the final seconds.
Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) finished with 11 points and four assists for Elizabethtown, while Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) and Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) added nine points each off the Blue Jay bench, which outscored the Falcon reserves 30-11.
Four players scored in double figures for Messiah, which shot 48.9 percent (22-for-45) from the field overall and hit seven of their 10 three-pointers in the opening half en route to a 35-20 lead at intermission.
Trailing by 17, the Blue Jays cut the Falcon lead to 50-42 on a foul shot by Allport with 9:46 to go. Allport nailed a three-pointer with 4:57 left to bring the Blue Jays within 58-53 and a three-pointer by Jones, his third of the game, pulled Elizabethtown to within 60-56 with 3:25 to go.
But, the Blue Jays could muster just two field goals in the final 2:24, both on layups by McConnell, while the Falcons went 5-for-8 from the foul line to keep Elizabethtown at bay.
Jamie Yoder tallied 13 points and six assists for Messiah, while Drew Sneeringer hit three three-pointers and tallied 11 points and Josh Hartman added 10 points off the bench.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) shared the team scoring lead for Elizabethtown with McConnell at 11 points, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) and Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with eight points apiece as the Blue Jays went 23-for-51 (45.1 percent) from the field but matched Messiah with 10 three-pointers.
From the Messiah College Website:
Messiah Gets Big Lead, Hangs On For Life In Big Win Over E'Town
Posted: 2/3/2009
Box Score
Grantham, PA — A college basketball game lasts 40 minutes.
Fortunately for Messiah, they’re not a moment longer.
The host Falcons withstood a deliberate, methodical comeback from arch rival Elizabethtown College Tuesday night, hanging on for a 67-64 win amid the nut house that was Brubaker Auditorium. As much as a 17-point Messiah lead was whittled away over the game’s final 16 minutes, leaving head coach Rick Van Pelt thankful that Tuesday’s MAC Commonwealth contest was not a minute longer.
“A minute? Try seven seconds,” Van Pelt said to open the post-game press conference. “E’Town is at their best when things get fast. Offensively, they’re great when the ball is flying down the floor, and defensively they excel when they’re running people at the ball and trying to speed you up. They really got after it late, but I thought the difference for us was our first half. To hold them to just 20 points really set the table for the rest of the night.”
Messiah (6-14, 4-4) claimed a 35-20 lead at the intermission thanks to some stingy defense (Elizabethtown shot just eight of 21 from the field, 38.1 percent) and some brilliant offensive execution. Junior Andy Hawk paced a 52 percent cumulative shooting effort from the field scoring 11 points, burying a trio of threes that ignited the boisterous and “whited out” student crowd.
A three-ball from junior Jamie Yoder started the evening, and — as close as Elizabethtown (10-10, 4-4) would get — they would never take a lead. A trey from senior Drew Sneeringer followed, and when Sneeringer hit on a nifty pull-up jumper less than four minutes into play, Messiah had an 8-3 lead and the type of start it had hoped for.
E’Town cut the lead to just five points (14-9) at the midway point of the period, but a barrage of Messiah trifectas would help the hosts to a comfortable halftime lead. Sneeringer buried his second long ball of the night on the Falcons’ next possession, while sophomore Josh Hartman followed with another. When Hawk buried back-to-back threes on Messiah’s ensuing possessions, the hosts led by a 26-13 score and Brubaker appeared to be coming unglued at the seams.
A quick, 7-0 run from the Blue Jays dampened the mood only slightly before halftime, as another series of heart rate-inciting plays gave Messiah all the momentum at the intermission. A strong layup from junior Kyle Snyder pushed the Falcons’ lead back to 28-20 with 2:23 to go, while a emotional three-point play from senior Jason Miller helped the hosts to a 32-20 lead with 1:30 on the clock.
When Hawk buried his third three of the half with 35 seconds left — all of which coming from within a hoola hoop-sized spot on the left wing — the Pelties were back in crazy mode.
“I thought we did a really good job in transition (defense) in the first half, and did a really good job against E’Town’s flex (offense),” Van Pelt said. “Of course, it helps to make shots. I thought the only real difference between our first half tonight and our first half at Arcadia University (in Saturday’s loss) was that we made shots.”
Van Pelt’s squad continued to do that with efficiency to start Tuesday’s second half, converting on its first three attempts from the field to claim a game-high 42-25 lead with 16:20 to play. A driving layup from Hartman provided that difference, and it appeared that things had the chance to turn punchy in one of the league’s best rivalries.
E’Town, however, had other ideas.
Blue Jays’ head coach Bob Schlosser called a timeout following Hartman’s layup, and from that moment Elizabethtown’s entire scheme seemed to change. The Blue Jays began utilizing a high-risk, high-reward run-and-jump press following made baskets, a tactic that seemingly changed the pace of the game — and the momentum.
In perhaps one of the most methodical, meticulous runs in basketball history, Elizabethtown was able to close to the final three-point margin behind a 39-25 run that encompassed the game’s final 16:20. A three-pointer from E’Town’s Chris Jones cut a 45-30 deficit to a 45-33 difference at the 14:07 mark. A layup from the Jays’ Josh Houseal made it a 45-37 deficit with 12:23 to go. A three from Houseal was followed by a layup from teammate Kyle McConnell with 7:56 remaining, and Elizabethtown was down by only a 53-47 margin.
Messiah was answering E’Town runs with clutch baskets, but not often enough to keep the point spread. When Hawk made a huge baseline jumper to pull the Falcons back ahead with 4:28 on the clock, E’Town answered with another long ball on its next possession to pull within a 60-56 score with three and a half minutes left.
Suddenly, it was anyone’s game.
“We obviously played well enough to win, but I thought we just played some ugly basketball in the second half,” Van Pelt said. “We were fairly disorganized out there, but that’s what E’Town wants to get you into. People are open (against their press), you just have to find a way to get them the ball. E’Town works very hard defensively. I thought we were able to take advantage of some areas of their defense just enough.”
In the end, Van Pelt’s squad was able to stave off defeat by making just enough free throws, as the squad made five of its final eight attempts in the game’s final 2:24. Messiah’s last field goal came at the 3:28 mark — courtesy of a post move from Hawk — and the Blue Jays looked to extend the game by fouling.
Hartman hit one of two charity tosses with 16 seconds to play — making it a 67-62 ballgame — but E’Town’s McConnell scored a layup with under four seconds left, and the visitors called a timeout. Following a series of inbound efforts that were deflected back out of bounds by the Blue Jays, Messiah was able to inbound the ball to Hartman. An official blew his whistle split seconds before the final horn went off — it remains unclear if a charge call against Hartman or a block against E’Town would have been called — but the game was signaled as over.
Messiah had escaped. By mere seconds.
“A couple times we dribbled into corners and we got ourselves into some predicaments with the ball,” Van Pelt said. “I thought bringing Kyle Snyder up to help out with some of the ball-handling against E’Town’s press was a great adjustment. (Assistant coach) Scott Barton suggested that, and I think it paid huge dividends for us.”
Hawk led all scorers in the contest with 18 points on seven of 11 shooting, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year and ninth overall. Yoder chipped in 13 on a four of eight performance from the floor, while Sneeringer had 11 points on a four of six effort.
Hartman scored 10 points, giving Messiah at least four double-figure scorers for the third time in the last four games.
Statistically, the game was nearly even as overall shooting, rebounds, fouls and turnovers were all nearly identical. Neither team helped itself from the free throw line (E’Town: eight of 15, Messiah: 13 of 21), a category that could have easily changed the outcome.
Messiah’s win further complicates the league standings, as just a game and a half separates first from third — a difference that encompasses six teams.
“I thought Sneeringer really came to life offensively tonight, which was great to see,” Van Pelt said. “Andy obviously was huge for us, and I thought that Drew and Jason did a good job defensively. Every game is big, especially with as much parody as there is in the league. This was a big one for us, and we’ve got another big league game on Saturday.”
Messiah will host MAC Commonwealth rival Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, but will first travel to Penn State University-Harrisburg for a rare out-of-league February contest Thursday. The Falcons will take on the Lions at 7 p.m.
2/3/2009
Messiah holds off Etown, 67-64 in men's hoops battle
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Messiah 67, Elizabethtown 64
Click here for the box score
GRANTHAM, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College nearly erased a 17-point second-half deficit, but host Messiah College held on for a 67-64 victory in Commonwealth Conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night.
Andy Hawk led all players with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Falcons (6-14 overall, 4-4 Commonwealth), who led 42-25 with 16:20 remaining before the Blue Jays (10-10 overall, 4-4 Commonwealth) rallied behind the play of their bench, which cut the deficit to three in the final seconds.
Kyle McConnell (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) finished with 11 points and four assists for Elizabethtown, while Chris Jones (Airville, PA/Kennard-Dale) and Brian Allport (Quarryville, PA/Solanco) added nine points each off the Blue Jay bench, which outscored the Falcon reserves 30-11.
Four players scored in double figures for Messiah, which shot 48.9 percent (22-for-45) from the field overall and hit seven of their 10 three-pointers in the opening half en route to a 35-20 lead at intermission.
Trailing by 17, the Blue Jays cut the Falcon lead to 50-42 on a foul shot by Allport with 9:46 to go. Allport nailed a three-pointer with 4:57 left to bring the Blue Jays within 58-53 and a three-pointer by Jones, his third of the game, pulled Elizabethtown to within 60-56 with 3:25 to go.
But, the Blue Jays could muster just two field goals in the final 2:24, both on layups by McConnell, while the Falcons went 5-for-8 from the foul line to keep Elizabethtown at bay.
Jamie Yoder tallied 13 points and six assists for Messiah, while Drew Sneeringer hit three three-pointers and tallied 11 points and Josh Hartman added 10 points off the bench.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) shared the team scoring lead for Elizabethtown with McConnell at 11 points, while Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) and Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) finished with eight points apiece as the Blue Jays went 23-for-51 (45.1 percent) from the field but matched Messiah with 10 three-pointers.
From the Messiah College Website:
Messiah Gets Big Lead, Hangs On For Life In Big Win Over E'Town
Posted: 2/3/2009
Box Score
Grantham, PA — A college basketball game lasts 40 minutes.
Fortunately for Messiah, they’re not a moment longer.
The host Falcons withstood a deliberate, methodical comeback from arch rival Elizabethtown College Tuesday night, hanging on for a 67-64 win amid the nut house that was Brubaker Auditorium. As much as a 17-point Messiah lead was whittled away over the game’s final 16 minutes, leaving head coach Rick Van Pelt thankful that Tuesday’s MAC Commonwealth contest was not a minute longer.
“A minute? Try seven seconds,” Van Pelt said to open the post-game press conference. “E’Town is at their best when things get fast. Offensively, they’re great when the ball is flying down the floor, and defensively they excel when they’re running people at the ball and trying to speed you up. They really got after it late, but I thought the difference for us was our first half. To hold them to just 20 points really set the table for the rest of the night.”
Messiah (6-14, 4-4) claimed a 35-20 lead at the intermission thanks to some stingy defense (Elizabethtown shot just eight of 21 from the field, 38.1 percent) and some brilliant offensive execution. Junior Andy Hawk paced a 52 percent cumulative shooting effort from the field scoring 11 points, burying a trio of threes that ignited the boisterous and “whited out” student crowd.
A three-ball from junior Jamie Yoder started the evening, and — as close as Elizabethtown (10-10, 4-4) would get — they would never take a lead. A trey from senior Drew Sneeringer followed, and when Sneeringer hit on a nifty pull-up jumper less than four minutes into play, Messiah had an 8-3 lead and the type of start it had hoped for.
E’Town cut the lead to just five points (14-9) at the midway point of the period, but a barrage of Messiah trifectas would help the hosts to a comfortable halftime lead. Sneeringer buried his second long ball of the night on the Falcons’ next possession, while sophomore Josh Hartman followed with another. When Hawk buried back-to-back threes on Messiah’s ensuing possessions, the hosts led by a 26-13 score and Brubaker appeared to be coming unglued at the seams.
A quick, 7-0 run from the Blue Jays dampened the mood only slightly before halftime, as another series of heart rate-inciting plays gave Messiah all the momentum at the intermission. A strong layup from junior Kyle Snyder pushed the Falcons’ lead back to 28-20 with 2:23 to go, while a emotional three-point play from senior Jason Miller helped the hosts to a 32-20 lead with 1:30 on the clock.
When Hawk buried his third three of the half with 35 seconds left — all of which coming from within a hoola hoop-sized spot on the left wing — the Pelties were back in crazy mode.
“I thought we did a really good job in transition (defense) in the first half, and did a really good job against E’Town’s flex (offense),” Van Pelt said. “Of course, it helps to make shots. I thought the only real difference between our first half tonight and our first half at Arcadia University (in Saturday’s loss) was that we made shots.”
Van Pelt’s squad continued to do that with efficiency to start Tuesday’s second half, converting on its first three attempts from the field to claim a game-high 42-25 lead with 16:20 to play. A driving layup from Hartman provided that difference, and it appeared that things had the chance to turn punchy in one of the league’s best rivalries.
E’Town, however, had other ideas.
Blue Jays’ head coach Bob Schlosser called a timeout following Hartman’s layup, and from that moment Elizabethtown’s entire scheme seemed to change. The Blue Jays began utilizing a high-risk, high-reward run-and-jump press following made baskets, a tactic that seemingly changed the pace of the game — and the momentum.
In perhaps one of the most methodical, meticulous runs in basketball history, Elizabethtown was able to close to the final three-point margin behind a 39-25 run that encompassed the game’s final 16:20. A three-pointer from E’Town’s Chris Jones cut a 45-30 deficit to a 45-33 difference at the 14:07 mark. A layup from the Jays’ Josh Houseal made it a 45-37 deficit with 12:23 to go. A three from Houseal was followed by a layup from teammate Kyle McConnell with 7:56 remaining, and Elizabethtown was down by only a 53-47 margin.
Messiah was answering E’Town runs with clutch baskets, but not often enough to keep the point spread. When Hawk made a huge baseline jumper to pull the Falcons back ahead with 4:28 on the clock, E’Town answered with another long ball on its next possession to pull within a 60-56 score with three and a half minutes left.
Suddenly, it was anyone’s game.
“We obviously played well enough to win, but I thought we just played some ugly basketball in the second half,” Van Pelt said. “We were fairly disorganized out there, but that’s what E’Town wants to get you into. People are open (against their press), you just have to find a way to get them the ball. E’Town works very hard defensively. I thought we were able to take advantage of some areas of their defense just enough.”
In the end, Van Pelt’s squad was able to stave off defeat by making just enough free throws, as the squad made five of its final eight attempts in the game’s final 2:24. Messiah’s last field goal came at the 3:28 mark — courtesy of a post move from Hawk — and the Blue Jays looked to extend the game by fouling.
Hartman hit one of two charity tosses with 16 seconds to play — making it a 67-62 ballgame — but E’Town’s McConnell scored a layup with under four seconds left, and the visitors called a timeout. Following a series of inbound efforts that were deflected back out of bounds by the Blue Jays, Messiah was able to inbound the ball to Hartman. An official blew his whistle split seconds before the final horn went off — it remains unclear if a charge call against Hartman or a block against E’Town would have been called — but the game was signaled as over.
Messiah had escaped. By mere seconds.
“A couple times we dribbled into corners and we got ourselves into some predicaments with the ball,” Van Pelt said. “I thought bringing Kyle Snyder up to help out with some of the ball-handling against E’Town’s press was a great adjustment. (Assistant coach) Scott Barton suggested that, and I think it paid huge dividends for us.”
Hawk led all scorers in the contest with 18 points on seven of 11 shooting, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year and ninth overall. Yoder chipped in 13 on a four of eight performance from the floor, while Sneeringer had 11 points on a four of six effort.
Hartman scored 10 points, giving Messiah at least four double-figure scorers for the third time in the last four games.
Statistically, the game was nearly even as overall shooting, rebounds, fouls and turnovers were all nearly identical. Neither team helped itself from the free throw line (E’Town: eight of 15, Messiah: 13 of 21), a category that could have easily changed the outcome.
Messiah’s win further complicates the league standings, as just a game and a half separates first from third — a difference that encompasses six teams.
“I thought Sneeringer really came to life offensively tonight, which was great to see,” Van Pelt said. “Andy obviously was huge for us, and I thought that Drew and Jason did a good job defensively. Every game is big, especially with as much parody as there is in the league. This was a big one for us, and we’ve got another big league game on Saturday.”
Messiah will host MAC Commonwealth rival Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, but will first travel to Penn State University-Harrisburg for a rare out-of-league February contest Thursday. The Falcons will take on the Lions at 7 p.m.
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