MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hopefan]

Huge doubleheader Wednesday night as Westminster travels to Greenville...

The ladies game has the two teams tied for first place playing... both Westmin and Greenville are 8-2  (yes Iowa Wesleyan is 9-1, but ineligible for the conference tourney)... Westmin won the first meeting over in Fulton, rather easily, 78-64

The men's game has 1st place Westmin (again, Iowa Wesleyan is tied for first, but ineligible) playing Greenville who is in the large group of schools at 5-5... everyone in the conference will be rooting for a Greenville win to pull Westmin back closer to the pack..
Westminster won the first matchup, 95-90

I'm assuming that Greenville is still in their January term, which has cut down on their attendance... this will be a heck of an entertaining night of hoops, would be neat to have a packed house...

[hopefan]

I know you're all waiting for hopefan's Player of the Week...  let's go thru the process of elimination..

Eureka... Sam Feehan played super against Greenville, but they lost....NOPE


I'm giving the hopefan Player of the Week to Deavis Johnson...despite Long's continued incredible shooting (16 for 24 from the field), Johnson's two double-doubles, and his domination on the defensive boards (24 defensive rebounds) earn him the award... make room in the trophy case!!!!

SLIAC.org gives player of the week honors to Sam Feehan... as I said, Feehan played great vs Greenville, but EC lost, and his stats vs Prin, well, it's Prin...  There will be more deserving weeks for Sam...

I definitely like my pick of Deavis Johnson better.. at least SLIAC.org gave Deavis mention...

[hopefan]

Already mentioned the big midweek matchup of Westmin at Greenville.. let's look quickly at the others...

Tonight, Prin comes over to Webster... as things take shape, No one can afford a loss to Prin, yet they are capable of giving the opposition a battle on any given night.. If Webster starts jerking up an abundance of 3 pointers that are offline against
Prin's zone, Prin could stay in this game..  hoping Coach Bunch won't let this happen, and Gorlock speed and depth should overwhelm Prin.

Wednesday  Blackburn at Mac... I'm a fan of both, they're both playing intense defense, and both are on an uptick... matchups are pretty even, better perimeter shooting from BC, better inside game from Mac... I see a little more maturity, a little more 'know how to win' on the Mac side... of course, hopefan might be rootin' for BC, just to squeeze those standings a little more...

Iowa Wesleyan at Fontbonne.... I've kinda lost confidence in Fontbonne as a contender with the debacle vs Greenville and the 'fortunate' win over Prin, and then losing close to BC with best player Ben Kissing riding the bench... I've also commented on the minutes distribution of guards that are scoring vs guards that aren't.... I like this team, but the time is NOW for it to come together, get in line with Coach Thornhill's requirements, and play to their potential... if not, they could wind up in 9th place in this 10 team conference.   A win over Iowa Wesleyan would be looked at as an upset, but if the Griffs can keep Chris Fowler in check and not let Brock Butler shoot open 3 pointers all night, they can win this game... I'd love to see it happen...

Spalding on the long road trip to Eureka... that's tough, and Coach Gray still searching for that right combo of players... Spalding's Brandon Goeing usualy finds away to keep his team in the game, but lately, he's almost doing it alone... I can't see them matching Eureka's intensity, or being able to stop the Feehans... Eureka should win this one, putting them over .500 in conference....for Spalding to have a chance, big men Nick Trisko and Terez Smith have to contribute a whole lot more than I saw them do at Blackburn....

[y_jack_lok]

Westminster on the front page of d3hoops.com: http://www.d3hoops.com/columns/around-the-region/central/2015-16/westminster-surging-sliac

[hopefan]

Westminster on the front page of d3hoops.com: http://www.d3hoops.com/columns/around-the-region/central/2015-16/westminster-surging-sliac

Great article on Westmin... Coach Mitchell's quote,  "They're just energetic kids, who come in and play hard" is precisely why they've experienced success in the conference.. in a league where a number of the teams play with great energy and intensity, perhaps Westmin's level is a small step ahead.. and I give Tanner Cochrane, Tanner Gentges, Jimmy Villalabos, and Carter Wands credit.. all are ball handling guards with strong to the basket moves who are also willing to dish it off to open wings.  This team has come a country mile since the beginning of the season..

Incidentally, for readers of the SLIAC page who don't see SLIAC basketball in person, the Prin player no. 42 trailing Westmin's Tanner Cochrane in the front page picture is Adaku Asumu, the Prin Player who had back to back games of 43 points, and is currently averaging 27.9 points per game in conference, 26.5 ppg overall....

[hopefan]

No one can take Prin too lightly.. not to say that Webster took then lightly, but Prin played well enough to have the game tied at 62 with 4 minutes left....But they managed just one point the rest of the way and Webster takes the win, 70-63... Parker Davidson his best shooting night of the year, 6 for 8 from 3's, but not a single move to the basket, not a single free throw attempt...   Adaku Anumu has a dismal shooting night to really hurt Prin's chances... Evan Milligan leads the way for Webster with 15 points, most of them in the paint where Webster needed to be to beat the zone... Tevin Evans a short time on the court, but a hot 3 for 3 from 3's.. Adam Etter ices the game from the foul line in the last minute....

[hopefan]

Great night of SLIAC hoops.. lots to write about... TOMORROW

[hopefan]

Can this conference get any better? Both leaders go down to defeat last night, as Westmin falls at Greenville, and Iowa Wesleyan is shockingly CRUSHED at Fontbonne... I swear, sometimes I write a negative about a team (Fontbonne), and they say screw that know-nothin' hopefan, take this!, and wham INSTANT CONTENDER!!!

So we have 3 teams at 7-4, 4 teams at 6-5, 2 teams (both of which I still consider as contenders) at 5-6. and poor PRIN (who I still say can beat any team in this league but Greenville) at 0-11....

So I went to Greenville last night... heck, I could watch the system EVERY night... yes, if Greenville isn't shooting well enough to keep up, it might get ugly, but otherwise, the frantic back and forth nature of the system is so much fun to watch...
Anyway, after an outstanding women's game, won by Westminster with a big 4th quarter comeback (aided by a pretty major collapse by Greenville), fans were treated to a hotly contested 1st half in the men's game... Westmin had a lead, though it ended close at half time... Westmin kids go to the basket well, Carter Wands, Romo Tabb, and Stu Hollandsworth off the bench all had numerous drives to the hoop for layups.. Westmin defense keyed on Tim Daniel, forcing rushed shots that were well off, but balanced scoring picked up the slack.. 2nd half changed completely.. Daniel found the range, Kenny Greene returned to form hitting 3 long 3's, and Michael Hohm went to the basket at will... the lead quickly went to 20, and Westmin never was close... Westmin..turnovers (expected vs the system, but surprising for Westmin) and HORRIBLE foul shooting led to the break down...Greenville win is impressive when Daniel and Shane Smith both have off nights shooting...they both recovered in the 2nd half, and others picked it up tor the 114-97 win (and GC called off the system with 2 minutes left, otherwise they would have hit 120..)

from the box scores
Fontbonne over Iowa Wez 82-53.... WHAT??  I was hoping for a tight scoring win for the Griffs (hoping, ha!), but a slaughter from the get go seems unimaginable... Chris Fowler, 1 basket, NO assists in 20 minutes???  It took 3 minutes for ANYONE to score in the game, from then on it was all Fontbonne.  Kody Ettinger gets the start and has 22 points, 6 for 10 from 3's, but has 6 turnovers... Trey Watkins gets the start too, has 0 points, but pulls down 10 rebounds.. Coach's decisions are never easy!!  No Rich Dorhauer? the one constant in Fontbonne's lineup... and Ben Kissing has his 2nd inexplicably sour night in a row, what's going on?  Yet the Griffs win easy pulling IWC back to a 3 way tie for 1st, and putting the Griffs just one game back!!!

Mac wins at home over Blackburn, 83-75... remember, Mac has a big schedule advantage with 4 more games still at home... this one was likely a fun one to watch, BC trailed the whole 2nd half, but kept it close the whole way, cutting it to 3 several times, down 3 with just 1:27 left...looks like a Tim Frazier 3, putting Mac up by 6  with just under a minute left was the killer, and Mac iced it with free throws in the last minute... An incredible night for Mac's Brent Long, though almost expected (and he was a ROLE PLAYER NON STARTER last year!!!), goes 15 for 22, 36 points!!!  Jake Maestranzi, BC's diminutive point guard has a great night too, 8 for 10 from the field, 21 points, 7 assists, NO turnovers...

Eureka takes care of business at home, beating Spalding 83-72....EC built a huge 18 point lead in the first half, but Spalding is a team that doesn't quit, cut it to 10 by half, then a very competitive 2nd half.. bet the place was jumpin'... Spalding cut it to 1 at 12 minutes left, but never got closer as Eureka pulls away in final minutes... Eureka, nice scoring balance from the Feehans, Goulding, Gibson, each with 17 or more.. Eureka gets beat badly on boards by bigger Spalding, but more than offset it with outstanding perimeter shooting 10-16 from 3's and MOST IMPORTANT, taking care of the ball.. only 4 turnovers!!!  That's a BUNCH more possessions where they had shots that could score...Spalding, tough shooting nights for Turner and Goeing (I can imagine Eureka tight defense) and they're just not getting much scoring from big men Trisko and Smith.. 9 FGA between them?

[ecreddevils]

Eureka takes care of business at home, beating Spalding 83-72....EC built a huge 18 point lead in the first half, but Spalding is a team that doesn't quit, cut it to 10 by half, then a very competitive 2nd half.. bet the place was jumpin'... Spalding cut it to 1 at 12 minutes left, but never got closer as Eureka pulls away in final minutes... Eureka, nice scoring balance from the Feehans, Goulding, Gibson, each with 17 or more.. Eureka gets beat badly on boards by bigger Spalding, but more than offset it with outstanding perimeter shooting 10-16 from 3's and MOST IMPORTANT, taking care of the ball.. only 4 turnovers!!!  That's a BUNCH more possessions where they had shots that could score...Spalding, tough shooting nights for Turner and Goeing (I can imagine Eureka tight defense) and they're just not getting much scoring from big men Trisko and Smith.. 9 FGA between them?

EC controlled this game throughout with their high energy defense and attack mentality on offense.  Spalding looked a step slower though, maybe a result of three consecutive road games, but nonetheless Goering (say hello to Greg Kent) and Trisko were essentially rendered ineffective by ECs energy level, and even though SU did pull within one midway through the second half, EC was able to seize back the initiative when it mattered.  The Feehan brothers turned in their usual efficient scoring performances while Goulding and Gibson were on fire from beyond the arc. 

This is a dangerous team right now, bring on Webster this Saturday. 

The EC women also deserve a nod for winning their fourth straight with a dominant performance and putting themselves in serious conference tourney contention. 

[hopefan]

Eureka takes care of business at home, beating Spalding 83-72....EC built a huge 18 point lead in the first half, but Spalding is a team that doesn't quit, cut it to 10 by half, then a very competitive 2nd half.. bet the place was jumpin'... Spalding cut it to 1 at 12 minutes left, but never got closer as Eureka pulls away in final minutes... Eureka, nice scoring balance from the Feehans, Goulding, Gibson, each with 17 or more.. Eureka gets beat badly on boards by bigger Spalding, but more than offset it with outstanding perimeter shooting 10-16 from 3's and MOST IMPORTANT, taking care of the ball.. only 4 turnovers!!!  That's a BUNCH more possessions where they had shots that could score...Spalding, tough shooting nights for Turner and Goeing (I can imagine Eureka tight defense) and they're just not getting much scoring from big men Trisko and Smith.. 9 FGA between them?

Forgot to mention, Great meeting ECRed at the Eureka - Greenville game...  Always fun to meet another knowledgeable who also takes advantage of this forum....  Red, you may see me Saturday.. debating on Eureka vs Webster, or Greenville at Blackburn.... Awfully good doubleheader at Eureka may have me driving those extra miles....

EC controlled this game throughout with their high energy defense and attack mentality on offense.  Spalding looked a step slower though, maybe a result of three consecutive road games, but nonetheless Goering (say hello to Greg Kent) and Trisko were essentially rendered ineffective by ECs energy level, and even though SU did pull within one midway through the second half, EC was able to seize back the initiative when it mattered.  The Feehan brothers turned in their usual efficient scoring performances while Goulding and Gibson were on fire from beyond the arc. 

This is a dangerous team right now, bring on Webster this Saturday. 

The EC women also deserve a nod for winning their fourth straight with a dominant performance and putting themselves in serious conference tourney contention.

(modified by GS for formatting)

[y_jack_lok]

WOTS -- FU's Dorhauer was on crutches for Wednesday night's game vs IWC and Kissing went down with a knee injury during the game.

[hopefan]

WOTS -- FU's Dorhauer was on crutches for Wednesday night's game vs IWC and Kissing went down with a knee injury during the game.

THAT is a killer if both are out, particularly Kissing... though Fontbonne has played 4 guards on the floor at once with success, but one of those guards was always Dorhauer....  Still, without Dorhauer and without Kissing for over half the game, they still clobbered IWC, a team whose quickness, depth and athleticism would normally take advantage of a team that has a short bench... Zimmerman, McDowell or someone else off the bench will have to produce some positives...

[hopefan]

Five games tomorrow, with 9 teams in the race ***, well 8 teams in the race, but Iowa Wez needing wins to get selected for the USCAA tourney... means a bunch of big games tomorrow...

Mac at Prin... I keep on saying, no one can take Prin for granted, and Prin does the same thing every day.. give the opponent a great game, and fall short in the end... I can't imagine things will change tomorrow, but it's flu season.. if Long and Johnson are both ill..... Seriously, Mac better not take them for granted....

Iowa Wesleyan hosts Westmin... the two teams tied with Mac with 4 losses... I can't comprehend how Fontbonne took apart Iowa Wez on Wednesday, and no one else posts on this page except a rare YJack or ECred post, so I guess we won't find out... I do know that Westmin couldn't handle the system, but no one but Greenville plays it, so I think Westmin should be in pretty good shape in this game... they have the quickness defensively to keep with Fowler and rotate to cover IWC's perimeter game.  I was originally going to this game, but the two teams lost by a combined 40+ points the other night... I'll pass...

Greenville at Blackburn... so, I then thought, let's go see how Greenville does with the system on the cramped confines of the BC bubble.  Then I thought of the mismatched ladies game that will precede the men's game.. no, another bye on this one.. The question in my mind with Blackburn is can they limit their turnovers to the extent that they can stay in the game... My thought is no... But this could be another fun one to watch....

Webster at Eureka... Both teams coming off good wins that have their records at 6-5... Webster won the first matchup pretty easily, but this is a different Eureka team with the addition of Shea Feehan... I'm thinking Greg Kent all over Hunter Ward, that's his pride in the game, Kent doesn't have to worry about scoring, just defense and rebounding... Ward won't like it.. and the Feehan's are the kind of players who can cut up a zone defense to ribbons... It all points to Eureka in my mind....  and I'll be THERE!!!!... Incidentally, have had great meals twice at the restaurant right off the highway at the Eureka exit... looking forward to pregame brunch!!!  Oh... Expecting 2 good games.. women's game matchup is big too....

Fontbonne at Spalding... if this one had been at Fontbonne, I might have stayed here to watch.. no Louisville trip though... this is a MUST WIN for Spalding.. I still have confidence that they can find enough offense to get it..tough for Fontbonne to come off that trip and win at narrow Spalding court... and injury questions... who knows.. WOTS doesn't seem to reach me....

Everyone has 7 games left, 10 wins probably guarantees you a spot in conference tourney

Westmin and Mac need 3 of 7 to get to 10
Webster, Eureka, Greenville, Fontbonne need 4 of 7 to get to 10
Spalding, Blackburn need 5 of 7 to get to 10....  shows why BC and Spalding home games tomorrow are critical

[y_jack_lok]

Iowa Wesleyan hosts Westmin... the two teams tied with Mac with 4 losses... I can't comprehend how Fontbonne took apart Iowa Wez on Wednesday, and no one else posts on this page except a rare YJack or ECred post, so I guess we won't find out...

Fontbonne at Spalding... if this one had been at Fontbonne, I might have stayed here to watch.. no Louisville trip though... this is a MUST WIN for Spalding.. I still have confidence that they can find enough offense to get it..tough for Fontbonne to come off that trip and win at narrow Spalding court... and injury questions... who knows.. WOTS doesn't seem to reach me....

WOTS reached you yesterday because I made one of my rare posts. Unless you think the WOTS needs to reach you via the original source, I'm not sure what you're griping about. 

[hopefan]

Iowa Wesleyan hosts Westmin... the two teams tied with Mac with 4 losses... I can't comprehend how Fontbonne took apart Iowa Wez on Wednesday, and no one else posts on this page except a rare YJack or ECred post, so I guess we won't find out...

Fontbonne at Spalding... if this one had been at Fontbonne, I might have stayed here to watch.. no Louisville trip though... this is a MUST WIN for Spalding.. I still have confidence that they can find enough offense to get it..tough for Fontbonne to come off that trip and win at narrow Spalding court... and injury questions... who knows.. WOTS doesn't seem to reach me....

Griping that no one other than you and me posts... would be so much more interesting to have knowledge of some of the other programs... at least when Denny posted, there'd be a little additional info.. now, with neither of us connected, there's nothing.. I can guess your source on Fontbonne, and it was appreciated ...
WOTS reached you yesterday because I made one of my rare posts. Unless you think the WOTS needs to reach you via the original source, I'm not sure what you're griping about.