From the E-town College Website:
3/4/2009
Church, Flanagan named All-Conference in men's hoops
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Church, Flanagan Named All-Conference in Men's Hoops
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior center Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) and sophomore swingman Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) have been named to the All-Commonwealth Conference men's basketball team, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Church was a first-team selection while Flanagan was named to the second team, as the Blue Jays finished 14-12 overall (7-5 Commonwealth) and advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 2004.
Church averaged 12.8 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game, and scored in double figures 19 times in 26 games. He ranks eighth in the conference in scoring average and sixth in rebounding average, and averaged 1.5 blocked shots per game to lead the conference for the second straight season.
Flanagan led the Blue Jays in scoring at 14.3 points per game, and made a team-high 53 three-pointers in 127 attempts (41.7 percent). He scored in double figures 21 times in 26 games, including five games of 20 points or better, and made at least one three-pointer in all but one game. He ranks fifth in the Commonwealth Conference in scoring, seventh in three-pointers per game and sixth in three-point percentage (41.7 percent).
Charles Jones of conference champion Widener University was named Player of the Year, while the Pride's Chris Carideo was honored as Coach of the Year. Lebanon Valley College's Joe Meehan took home the Rookie of the Year award.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Blue Jays left with frustrating finish
From The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:
Blue Jays left with frustrating finish
Sluggish start proves costly in Commonwealth final loss to Widener
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Mar 02, 200900:00 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Somebody told Phil Schaffer late Saturday afternoon, just a few minutes after he became a former college basketball player, that when one door closes, another opens — meaning, of course, that another opportunity will come along for Elizabethtown's departing point guard.
It was much too soon for the Blue Jays' only senior to think about that, though. He and his teammates had just lost to Widener in the Commonwealth Conference championship game, an agonizing 67-65 affair in which they played sloppily much of the day and could never get over the hump down the stretch.
And after the final buzzer, after the Jays had met one last time, Schaffer and the other players filed out of a room not far from the court, betraying the emotions they might be expected to betray, Schaffer most of all.
The door did in fact close behind them.
"Coming to an end like this," Schaffer would say a little later, "just (stinks)."
Mike Church, the junior center from Solanco, had remained behind when everyone else had left the meeting room. He too had watched the door close.
He too was left to ponder the opportunity the Jays let slip away on this day, and could only wonder if another door would open for them, this time next year.
"We had them," he said. "We should have had them."
The Jays, who finished 14-12, had been especially brutal early in the game, turning the ball over time after time against the Pride's pressure.
"Everyone had the jitters," Church said.
They eventually found their footing. Sophomore guard Keith Fogel began making shots, wading into traffic, digging out loose balls. Church, en route to a 17-point, 12-rebound day, began scoring in the post.
And then, in the closing seconds of the first half, Josh Houseal, the junior forward from Hempfield, claimed a defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Fogel along the right sideline. He took a dribble or two, then fired from midcourt, just before the buzzer sounded.
The ball splashed through the net, and Fogel high-stepped off the court, his teammates not far behind.
E-town's deficit, once 12, was now 40-39.
They would take a brief lead immediately after halftime before falling behind again. Widener defenders were crawling inside Fogel's jersey by now; he still led all scorers with 18 points.
Church, meanwhile, was surrounded every time he caught the ball on the block; he managed just four points after the break.
It helped not a bit that the Jays' leading scorer, sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, had torn a ligament in his right pinky the day before, in practice. The Lancaster Mennonite grad shot just 2-for-10, and scored five points.
The game was nonetheless there for them, in the closing minutes. Down 61-59, and then 63-61, each of their possessions seemed more hurried than the one before, the result being that they never did draw even.
And while coach Bob Schlosser would take issue with the home timekeeper in the final seconds, when his team was again within two, he wouldn't blame the loss on that afterward. Nobody would.
"We had to make plays at the end," Church said. "It wasn't the last play, them messing up the clock."
As a result, the door closed, but not before Schaffer walked out. He is one of those try-hard guys — great to play with, a pain to play against — and a quick study. All year he had been conscious of each visit to a conference site, knowing it would be the last one for him.
And, he said, "Once we got in the playoffs, I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to lose. It's hard to imagine tomorrow I'll wake up and not put on the uniform again."
He hopes to open a new door, hopes to become a teacher and coach. And while the team he leaves behind looks to be a promising one, those who remain can only hope that some fresh opportunities await them, next year and beyond.
That Saturday didn't represent the best one they will have.
Blue Jays left with frustrating finish
Sluggish start proves costly in Commonwealth final loss to Widener
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Mar 02, 200900:00 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Somebody told Phil Schaffer late Saturday afternoon, just a few minutes after he became a former college basketball player, that when one door closes, another opens — meaning, of course, that another opportunity will come along for Elizabethtown's departing point guard.
It was much too soon for the Blue Jays' only senior to think about that, though. He and his teammates had just lost to Widener in the Commonwealth Conference championship game, an agonizing 67-65 affair in which they played sloppily much of the day and could never get over the hump down the stretch.
And after the final buzzer, after the Jays had met one last time, Schaffer and the other players filed out of a room not far from the court, betraying the emotions they might be expected to betray, Schaffer most of all.
The door did in fact close behind them.
"Coming to an end like this," Schaffer would say a little later, "just (stinks)."
Mike Church, the junior center from Solanco, had remained behind when everyone else had left the meeting room. He too had watched the door close.
He too was left to ponder the opportunity the Jays let slip away on this day, and could only wonder if another door would open for them, this time next year.
"We had them," he said. "We should have had them."
The Jays, who finished 14-12, had been especially brutal early in the game, turning the ball over time after time against the Pride's pressure.
"Everyone had the jitters," Church said.
They eventually found their footing. Sophomore guard Keith Fogel began making shots, wading into traffic, digging out loose balls. Church, en route to a 17-point, 12-rebound day, began scoring in the post.
And then, in the closing seconds of the first half, Josh Houseal, the junior forward from Hempfield, claimed a defensive rebound and fired an outlet pass to Fogel along the right sideline. He took a dribble or two, then fired from midcourt, just before the buzzer sounded.
The ball splashed through the net, and Fogel high-stepped off the court, his teammates not far behind.
E-town's deficit, once 12, was now 40-39.
They would take a brief lead immediately after halftime before falling behind again. Widener defenders were crawling inside Fogel's jersey by now; he still led all scorers with 18 points.
Church, meanwhile, was surrounded every time he caught the ball on the block; he managed just four points after the break.
It helped not a bit that the Jays' leading scorer, sophomore guard/forward Joe Flanagan, had torn a ligament in his right pinky the day before, in practice. The Lancaster Mennonite grad shot just 2-for-10, and scored five points.
The game was nonetheless there for them, in the closing minutes. Down 61-59, and then 63-61, each of their possessions seemed more hurried than the one before, the result being that they never did draw even.
And while coach Bob Schlosser would take issue with the home timekeeper in the final seconds, when his team was again within two, he wouldn't blame the loss on that afterward. Nobody would.
"We had to make plays at the end," Church said. "It wasn't the last play, them messing up the clock."
As a result, the door closed, but not before Schaffer walked out. He is one of those try-hard guys — great to play with, a pain to play against — and a quick study. All year he had been conscious of each visit to a conference site, knowing it would be the last one for him.
And, he said, "Once we got in the playoffs, I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to lose. It's hard to imagine tomorrow I'll wake up and not put on the uniform again."
He hopes to open a new door, hopes to become a teacher and coach. And while the team he leaves behind looks to be a promising one, those who remain can only hope that some fresh opportunities await them, next year and beyond.
That Saturday didn't represent the best one they will have.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Blue Jays edged by Widener in Commonwealth finals
From the E-town College Website:
2/28/2009
Men's basketball edged by Widener in Commonwealth finals
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Widener 67, Elizabethtown 65
Click here for the box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Top-seeded Widener University won the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball championship with a 67-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in the title game at the Schwartz Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Pride (22-5 overall) won their third consecutive Commonwealth Conference championship and earned the 17th NCAA tournament berth in program history, while the Blue Jays (14-12 overall) were denied in their bid to win their first conference title since 2004.
Charles Jones was named tournament Most Valuable Player for the Pride after finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in the title game, while Jamarr Johnson scored six of his 12 points in the final four minutes to thwart a late Blue Jay comeback bid.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) scored a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and five assists for Elizabethtown, while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) netted 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. However, the Blue Jays committed 21 turnovers and went just 3-for-7 at the foul line while the Pride finished 14-for-19 from the stripe.
Widener scored the game's first seven points, and took its biggest lead of the day at 33-21 on two foul shots by Johnson with 5:59 left in the first half. Elizabethtown closed the first half on an 18-7 run, capped by a three-pointer by Fogel as time expired to bring the Blue Jays within 40-39 at intermission.
Church led all players with 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Fogel went 3-for-4 from three-point range and tallied 11 points for the Blue Jays as part of a 53.3 percent (16-for-30) team shooting effort. Jones paced the Pride with nine points, as Widener shot 48.0 percent (12-for-25) from the field.
The Blue Jays took their first lead of the day at 41-40 on a layup by Fogel 29 seconds into the second half, and held a 43-40 advantage following a putback by Church with 18:09 to play. Widener answered with six straight points to take a 46-43 lead with 16:54 to go, and the teams exchanged the lead several times over the next couple minutes.
Widener went ahead for good at 54-51 following a three-pointer by Chris McDevitt with 13:07 left, sparking an 8-0 run that ended with the Pride holding a 59-51 advantage with 11:44 to play.
Elizabethtown crept back to within two at 61-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 7:21 to go, but went scoreless over the next five minutes on four missed shots and two turnovers.
The Blue Jays again cut the Pride lead to two at 63-61 as Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit a basket with 2:38 to go to snap the scoring drought, but Johnson responded with back-to-back steals and baskets to give Widener a 67-61 lead with 1:20 remaining.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) connected on a basket with 43 seconds remaining to shave the Widener lead to 67-63, and Fogel nailed a jumper with 6.2 seconds to go to pull Elizabethtown within 67-65.
A missed foul shot by Widener's Matt Sosna with 4.3 seconds left gave the Blue Jays life, but a desperation inbounds pass from midcourt with 0.4 seconds left went awry and the Pride came away with the title.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also finished in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Sosna tallied 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The Blue Jays finished at 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field as a team while Widener cooled off to 40.0 percent (22-for-55) after going 10-for-30 in the second half.
From the Widener University Website:
Men's Basketball Wins Third Straight Commonwealth Conference Title, 67-65 Over Elizabethtown
Charles Jones Named Tournament MVP
2/28/2009
(boxscore)
Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) scored 12 points to be named tournament MVP and fellow senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) notched a double-double for Widener, which captured its third straight Commonwealth Conference title with a 67-65 win over Elizabethtown at Schwartz Center.
Top-seeded Widener (22-5, 10-2 CC) won its 15th Middle Atlantic/Commonwealth Conference championship and is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in school history. It is the first time the Pride have won three straight titles since 1976-78 and first time they will play in four successive NCAA tournaments since 1975-78.
The pairings will be announced Monday on NCAA.com at 11:00 am.
Things look good early on for the Pride, who raced to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes and held a 33-21 cushion with 5:59 left. But the third-seeded Blue Jays (14-12), trailing 36-26 with 3:34 to go in the half, closed the period on a 13-4 spurt for a 40-39 Pride lead. The run was punctuated by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA) swishing a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The second half was even more nerve-wracking, especially when Phil Schaffer hit a layup with 2:38 left to bring Elizabethtown within 63-61. Junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) gave Widener some breathing room, making a layup with 1:31 remaining and adding a steal and layup 11 seconds later for a 67-61 game.
Elizabethtown’s Joe Flanagan hit a layup with 43 seconds left for a 67-63 game. Widener senior Nyere Miller (Washington, DC) was called for traveling with 39 seconds left, but the Blue Jays could not capitalize as Flanagan missed a layup.
Miller missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 14 seconds left and the drama continued as Fogel buried a jumper with 6.2 seconds to play for a 67-65 game.
Widener again misfired on the line as Sosna could not convert the first of a 1-and-1 with 4.3 seconds to play. The Pride had a foul to give and Sosna committed one with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Elizabethtown had the ball at midcourt and tried for a lob, but former Widener player Bryan Harrity threw it over the backboard. The Pride simply inbounded it and celebrated the title.
Widener’s defense played a key role, holding Elizabethtown to just 39 percent shooting (12-of-31) in the second half and 6-of-19 overall from 3-point range.
Jones’ award comes by virtue of posting 31 points and eight rebounds in the two tournament games. He was a second team all-district pick last season as well as first team all-conference.
Sosna closed with 11 points and 10 rebounds with Johnson posting 12 points and five steals over 22 solid minutes. Sophomore Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) scored eight points for Widener, which shot 40 percent (22-of-55) overall and notched its eighth straight win.
Fogel netted 18 points, Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA) had 17 and 12 rebounds and Josh Houseal scored 12 points for the Blue Jays.
With the women’s team also winning the conference title, it marks the first time since 1982 that both squads captured a league title and are headed to the NCAA Tournament in the same year.
From The Lancaster Sunday News:
Widener slips past E-town
Blue Jays take issue with timekeeping in 67-65 loss in Commonwealth final.
Sunday News
Published: Mar 01, 200900:16 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Asked to assess his team's 67-65 loss to Widener in Saturday afternoon's Commonwealth Conference championship game, Elizabethtown point guard Phil Schaffer — the team's lone senior — pulled out an old adage.
"We didn't lose," he said. "We just ran out of time."
A little quicker than coach Bob Schlosser would have preferred, actually.
Twice in the closing seconds Schlosser approached the scorer's table with gripes about timekeeping, and after the two teams exchanged congratulatory handshakes at game's end, he veered past the table and directed a parting shot at the clock operator.
But when asked later, Schlosser was not about to say his team got jobbed.
Rather, he said the difference was a late-game stretch when the Blue Jays, trailing 61-59, came up empty on four straight trips.
"We lost our composure a little bit on offense," he said.
Which, perhaps, stands to reason. While the Pride (22-5), which won its third straight conference title, starts three seniors and two juniors, the Jays (14-12) — making their first playoff appearance in three years — start two juniors and two sophomores alongside Schaffer.
"Our youth at times has been very good for us," Schlosser said. "It shows up in a game like this. ... It comes down to simple things. When we needed a bucket late, we couldn't get one. I thought our defense was good enough.
Our offense came up a little weak."
After the Jays' dry spell, Widener forward Jamarr Johnson scored all the Pride points in a 6-2 mini-run, making it 67-61 with 1:20 left. Baskets by E-town's Joe Flanagan and Keith Fogel (18 points) cut the gap to two with 6.3 seconds remaining.
The ball was inbounded to Matt Sosna, who was fouled immediately. But two full seconds clicked off the clock, leading Schlosser to lodge his first complaint at the table, to no avail.
Sosna missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Mike Church, the junior forward from Solanco, rebounded and rushed in the other direction. Church (17 points, 12 rebounds) was fouled as he crossed midcourt, with 0.4 of a second showing.
After a timeout, the Jays lined up to run their last-ditch sideline inbounds play. But just as they began making their cuts, a buzzer sounded.
Again Schlosser was miffed. Again there was a pause, as he and a referee approached the table.
When play resumed, Bryan Harrity lofted his pass beyond the baseline, giving Widener possession.
Asked later about Schlosser's beefs, Pride coach Chris Carideo noted that the clock operator is not a Widener employee, but an outside hire.
"The inadvertent buzzer, I've got no comment," Carideo said. "I don't know how that happened."
And, he added, "As far as the time going off, I don't know. If I'm on the other end (where it works in one's favor), I'm not going to complain — as I'm sure (Schlosser) wouldn't, if he was on the other end."
Johnson and Charles Jones had 12 points to pace the Pride, which opened a 33-21 lead late in the first half, courtesy of some loose play by the Jays.
They committed 10 of their 21 turnovers to that point.
But E-town closed the gap to 40-39 at the break, as Fogel tossed in a 3-point buzzer-beater from midcourt, and then moved to a three-point lead immediately afterward. That was erased almost immediately, and they found themselves fighting uphill the rest of the way.
2/28/2009
Men's basketball edged by Widener in Commonwealth finals
ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Widener 67, Elizabethtown 65
Click here for the box score
CHESTER, Pa. --- Top-seeded Widener University won the Commonwealth Conference men's basketball championship with a 67-65 victory over Elizabethtown College in the title game at the Schwartz Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Pride (22-5 overall) won their third consecutive Commonwealth Conference championship and earned the 17th NCAA tournament berth in program history, while the Blue Jays (14-12 overall) were denied in their bid to win their first conference title since 2004.
Charles Jones was named tournament Most Valuable Player for the Pride after finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in the title game, while Jamarr Johnson scored six of his 12 points in the final four minutes to thwart a late Blue Jay comeback bid.
Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) scored a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and five assists for Elizabethtown, while Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA/Solanco) netted 17 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. However, the Blue Jays committed 21 turnovers and went just 3-for-7 at the foul line while the Pride finished 14-for-19 from the stripe.
Widener scored the game's first seven points, and took its biggest lead of the day at 33-21 on two foul shots by Johnson with 5:59 left in the first half. Elizabethtown closed the first half on an 18-7 run, capped by a three-pointer by Fogel as time expired to bring the Blue Jays within 40-39 at intermission.
Church led all players with 13 points and five rebounds in the first half, while Fogel went 3-for-4 from three-point range and tallied 11 points for the Blue Jays as part of a 53.3 percent (16-for-30) team shooting effort. Jones paced the Pride with nine points, as Widener shot 48.0 percent (12-for-25) from the field.
The Blue Jays took their first lead of the day at 41-40 on a layup by Fogel 29 seconds into the second half, and held a 43-40 advantage following a putback by Church with 18:09 to play. Widener answered with six straight points to take a 46-43 lead with 16:54 to go, and the teams exchanged the lead several times over the next couple minutes.
Widener went ahead for good at 54-51 following a three-pointer by Chris McDevitt with 13:07 left, sparking an 8-0 run that ended with the Pride holding a 59-51 advantage with 11:44 to play.
Elizabethtown crept back to within two at 61-59 on a three-pointer by Fogel with 7:21 to go, but went scoreless over the next five minutes on four missed shots and two turnovers.
The Blue Jays again cut the Pride lead to two at 63-61 as Phil Schaffer (Marmora, NJ/Ocean City) hit a basket with 2:38 to go to snap the scoring drought, but Johnson responded with back-to-back steals and baskets to give Widener a 67-61 lead with 1:20 remaining.
Joe Flanagan (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) connected on a basket with 43 seconds remaining to shave the Widener lead to 67-63, and Fogel nailed a jumper with 6.2 seconds to go to pull Elizabethtown within 67-65.
A missed foul shot by Widener's Matt Sosna with 4.3 seconds left gave the Blue Jays life, but a desperation inbounds pass from midcourt with 0.4 seconds left went awry and the Pride came away with the title.
Josh Houseal (Landisville, PA/Hempfield) also finished in double figures for Elizabethtown with 12 points, while Sosna tallied 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. The Blue Jays finished at 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field as a team while Widener cooled off to 40.0 percent (22-for-55) after going 10-for-30 in the second half.
From the Widener University Website:
Men's Basketball Wins Third Straight Commonwealth Conference Title, 67-65 Over Elizabethtown
Charles Jones Named Tournament MVP
2/28/2009
(boxscore)
Charles Jones (Philadelphia, PA) scored 12 points to be named tournament MVP and fellow senior Matt Sosna (Stratford, NJ) notched a double-double for Widener, which captured its third straight Commonwealth Conference title with a 67-65 win over Elizabethtown at Schwartz Center.
Top-seeded Widener (22-5, 10-2 CC) won its 15th Middle Atlantic/Commonwealth Conference championship and is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in school history. It is the first time the Pride have won three straight titles since 1976-78 and first time they will play in four successive NCAA tournaments since 1975-78.
The pairings will be announced Monday on NCAA.com at 11:00 am.
Things look good early on for the Pride, who raced to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes and held a 33-21 cushion with 5:59 left. But the third-seeded Blue Jays (14-12), trailing 36-26 with 3:34 to go in the half, closed the period on a 13-4 spurt for a 40-39 Pride lead. The run was punctuated by Keith Fogel (Mifflinburg, PA) swishing a half-court shot at the buzzer.
The second half was even more nerve-wracking, especially when Phil Schaffer hit a layup with 2:38 left to bring Elizabethtown within 63-61. Junior Jamarr Johnson (Pittsgrove, NJ) gave Widener some breathing room, making a layup with 1:31 remaining and adding a steal and layup 11 seconds later for a 67-61 game.
Elizabethtown’s Joe Flanagan hit a layup with 43 seconds left for a 67-63 game. Widener senior Nyere Miller (Washington, DC) was called for traveling with 39 seconds left, but the Blue Jays could not capitalize as Flanagan missed a layup.
Miller missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 14 seconds left and the drama continued as Fogel buried a jumper with 6.2 seconds to play for a 67-65 game.
Widener again misfired on the line as Sosna could not convert the first of a 1-and-1 with 4.3 seconds to play. The Pride had a foul to give and Sosna committed one with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Elizabethtown had the ball at midcourt and tried for a lob, but former Widener player Bryan Harrity threw it over the backboard. The Pride simply inbounded it and celebrated the title.
Widener’s defense played a key role, holding Elizabethtown to just 39 percent shooting (12-of-31) in the second half and 6-of-19 overall from 3-point range.
Jones’ award comes by virtue of posting 31 points and eight rebounds in the two tournament games. He was a second team all-district pick last season as well as first team all-conference.
Sosna closed with 11 points and 10 rebounds with Johnson posting 12 points and five steals over 22 solid minutes. Sophomore Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) scored eight points for Widener, which shot 40 percent (22-of-55) overall and notched its eighth straight win.
Fogel netted 18 points, Mike Church (Peach Bottom, PA) had 17 and 12 rebounds and Josh Houseal scored 12 points for the Blue Jays.
With the women’s team also winning the conference title, it marks the first time since 1982 that both squads captured a league title and are headed to the NCAA Tournament in the same year.
From The Lancaster Sunday News:
Widener slips past E-town
Blue Jays take issue with timekeeping in 67-65 loss in Commonwealth final.
Sunday News
Published: Mar 01, 200900:16 EST
Chester
By GORDIE JONES, Correspondent
Asked to assess his team's 67-65 loss to Widener in Saturday afternoon's Commonwealth Conference championship game, Elizabethtown point guard Phil Schaffer — the team's lone senior — pulled out an old adage.
"We didn't lose," he said. "We just ran out of time."
A little quicker than coach Bob Schlosser would have preferred, actually.
Twice in the closing seconds Schlosser approached the scorer's table with gripes about timekeeping, and after the two teams exchanged congratulatory handshakes at game's end, he veered past the table and directed a parting shot at the clock operator.
But when asked later, Schlosser was not about to say his team got jobbed.
Rather, he said the difference was a late-game stretch when the Blue Jays, trailing 61-59, came up empty on four straight trips.
"We lost our composure a little bit on offense," he said.
Which, perhaps, stands to reason. While the Pride (22-5), which won its third straight conference title, starts three seniors and two juniors, the Jays (14-12) — making their first playoff appearance in three years — start two juniors and two sophomores alongside Schaffer.
"Our youth at times has been very good for us," Schlosser said. "It shows up in a game like this. ... It comes down to simple things. When we needed a bucket late, we couldn't get one. I thought our defense was good enough.
Our offense came up a little weak."
After the Jays' dry spell, Widener forward Jamarr Johnson scored all the Pride points in a 6-2 mini-run, making it 67-61 with 1:20 left. Baskets by E-town's Joe Flanagan and Keith Fogel (18 points) cut the gap to two with 6.3 seconds remaining.
The ball was inbounded to Matt Sosna, who was fouled immediately. But two full seconds clicked off the clock, leading Schlosser to lodge his first complaint at the table, to no avail.
Sosna missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Mike Church, the junior forward from Solanco, rebounded and rushed in the other direction. Church (17 points, 12 rebounds) was fouled as he crossed midcourt, with 0.4 of a second showing.
After a timeout, the Jays lined up to run their last-ditch sideline inbounds play. But just as they began making their cuts, a buzzer sounded.
Again Schlosser was miffed. Again there was a pause, as he and a referee approached the table.
When play resumed, Bryan Harrity lofted his pass beyond the baseline, giving Widener possession.
Asked later about Schlosser's beefs, Pride coach Chris Carideo noted that the clock operator is not a Widener employee, but an outside hire.
"The inadvertent buzzer, I've got no comment," Carideo said. "I don't know how that happened."
And, he added, "As far as the time going off, I don't know. If I'm on the other end (where it works in one's favor), I'm not going to complain — as I'm sure (Schlosser) wouldn't, if he was on the other end."
Johnson and Charles Jones had 12 points to pace the Pride, which opened a 33-21 lead late in the first half, courtesy of some loose play by the Jays.
They committed 10 of their 21 turnovers to that point.
But E-town closed the gap to 40-39 at the break, as Fogel tossed in a 3-point buzzer-beater from midcourt, and then moved to a three-point lead immediately afterward. That was erased almost immediately, and they found themselves fighting uphill the rest of the way.
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