MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[I_HAD_GAME]

No recaps today?

[hopefan]

notes love to have someone tell us about Fontbonnes incredible upset of Eureka  -  Amazingly, Eureka had done it at Fontbonne to the Griffs last year, now the Griffs turn it around this year!!

Notes on Mac at Webster
Webster comes out on fire, making their first 5 shots of the game, 2 by Nick Jones, to take a 12 point lead  -  They shoot 34% the rest of the game, and Jones didnt get another field goal until overtime...  I hate to seemingly pick on Nick, but as he goes, so go the Gorlocks....   and that performance kept Mac in it no matter what happened in OT.....
So Webster leads most of the first half, Mac finally catches them and goes ahead early in the 2nd and builds a 7 point lead..  Webster would cut it to two, Mac would respond...  and it was usually Ryan Sichting, whom Webster couldn't stop.
Bradfish scores at 8:20, to make it 48-46 Mac, Sichting with a 3 point play
Moore gets a 3 pointer at 6:10 to cut it to one, Sichting makes one of two, then Robertson scores to go up 4
Restoff makes a 3 pointer at 3:15, Sichting answers with a 3 point play at 2:40 to go up 4.
But then Moore scores on a move to the hole, Robertson misses for Mac, and Jones gets fouled on a drive and makes two fts to tie it 59-59 at 1:53.
Sichting gets blocked at the basket and Webster has it with 1:40 left...  

what ensues is the possession which may have a big determination on Webster's role in the SLIAC the rest of the year....
They have the ball with the shot clock running down and Mac fouls at 1:10, but not in the bonus, Webster gets a new shot clock...    Jones misses a 3, but Webster rebounds, a new shot clock.....Restoff misses a 3, but Webster rebounds AGAIN, a new shot clock.... Timeout Webster with 12.6 seconds....    Moore drives to the hole but loses it, it comes right back to him for a 10 footer from the side of the basket that misses, Brady Slagle of Mac shoots from half court at the buzzer off the back of the rim...   OVERTIME

The OT went back and forth...
Sichting, Jones, McCclelland,  Jones , Robertson 2 free throws, Jones 2 free throws for a one point lead 1:16

Then fate (and the refs) hit...  Slagle is fouled at 1 minute makes the first to tie, misses the 2nd, but Webster commits the cardinal sin of not checking the shooter... Slagle gets his own rebound and is fouled again - now its 68-66 with 0:58
Jones gets the ball on the wing, stars a move and the Mac defensive player Jerrel Robertson, does a typical flying backwards defensive flop...  this time, the man in the stripes, one of the 5 or 6 St Louis SLIAC officials that you always hate to see get a game, decides it's his minute, and calls the offensive foul....  HORRIBLE CALL, AT THIS TIME, AT ANYTIME...  if it was a hockey call, the defensive player would have been penalized for faking it...  Just a shame, that an exciting game is decided like that... as it is Webster fouls, Randall makes one of two but Mac offensive rebounds... McClelland is fouled at :24, and misses two!!!, and Webster can tie.  Moore gets a good look at a 3, but it rims out, Mac makes more Fts and its over.

Moore has a solid game, but misses the two biggest shots of the game....
Jones goes 38 minutes without a field goal
Another nice game for Ortworth, but in the close losses, he's had no impact at the end of the game..
Meeh a nice game off the bench

Another questionable call by the officials.... in the 2nd half, Webster's Whitcombe and Mac's Sichting were mixing it up big time - very rough, and the official is clearly watching - the same official who made the Jones call later... Whitcombe gets called for the intentional or flagrant foul, two free throws and possession... it seemed to clearly be a double foul situation  -  one team should not have been penalized.

Coach Bunch  is getting the most out of what he has  -  if it weren't for tough D, Webster would not be in these games...   ---quite honestly, the bench is really short - Besides Robbie Meeh, no one else can come in and consistently be counted on to pick it up... Bradfish is exciting but inconsistant, Miller is a defensive liability, Whitcombe is not the same guy we've seen in previous years.  And the bench is mandatory as Trippet and Restoff haven't had many 'up' moments, and Ortworth needs a break.....

Mac    The more I see them, the more I like the starting lineup...   I've now gotten a feel for CJ McClelland's game - very steady, gets to the basket nicely, another smart player....
Only thing I didn't like was that the offensive set has Sichting in the paint (where he is very good) and Marc Randall, at 6'8", roaming all around the place...  he had 6'1 Robbie Meeh guarding him yesterday, but never saw the ball... nothing set for him... surprised they don't go to a little high-low set where Sichting could turn and look for Randall low across the lane....

Not sure what Mac will do next year losing Randall and Sichting  -   no more inside presence at all

Slagle - right there for the mythical frosh of the year with the two guys from Westmin.  He is a very confident player who doesn't get rattled.

Coach Creal  -  firey   he does a lot of coaching!!!

Sichting and Slagle really dominated the 2nd half and OT.....

[hopefan]

And so... the immediate impact of yesterday's games.....

Wednesday   -  Greenville at Webster  -  if Greenville wins, they are both 6-5, and Greenville has two wins over Webster.
AND Mac takes over 2nd place by itself, as Eureka has now put itself in the 3rd and 4th place competition...

The Eureka -Fontbonne Box is interesting   
Fontbonne shoots over 50% from the field and 3s   Eureka is really getting the rep of no D

Fontbonne minutes are interesting   Rapp and Sheetz are down, Melloway Resse and Hamilton up... and it gets a win....

I heard a 3 pointer by Fontbonne won it.... WHO???

Also note Kam Bell got another T  -  1st Team All Conf  Senior Leader?

[I_HAD_GAME]

Crazy day of ball in the SLIAC. Fontbonne can't win at home, but go on the road and beat a top 4 team.

Hopefan, I've heard more discussion out of you about the zebra's, then all the years I've reading. Are they getting worse? Or, just more obvious bad calls?

If I am not mistaken Coach M needs one more win for 800. How many other DIII have recorded 800 career wins?

I thought 800 might get him into the MO. Hall of Fame. But, I found out last weekend he went into the Hall in '92. Must just like the game.

I was expecting Grinnell to be a possible win. But, just saw were they have beat Lawrence and ranked Carroll.

[hopefan]

Game  -  regarding Carroll and Lawrence  -  you're thinking of last year - this year they are both in the middle of the pack in the MWC - if Carroll was rated it was early in the season as they have 7 losses.... on the other hand, as Grinnell went over 150 against Fontbonne last year, not sure the Griffs quite yet know how to handle the system...

Don't remember initiating too much conversation about the refs  oh yeah, the one time about the old red head  -  as I said here, there are a handful of older SLIAC refs who you shudder when you see them - they seem to want the limelight - yesterday there was one and he made the two calls I mentioned...  no problem at all with the two younger guys or the rest of the game..... But I felt the call vs Whitcombe was unjust (it was clearly a dual happening), and the call vs Jones is a no call - unless the ref wants the limelite.....

Not sure of the split, but a large portion of Coach Mac's wins were NAIA  - he does not have 800 D3 wins...

[I_HAD_GAME]

Hopefan you are correct about Carroll. Don't know where I got that one. Yes, I do realize that Coach McKinney's total wins are whole career. Was just wondering how big of a milestone 800 career wins was compared to his company. I do remember he got his 500th College win last year.

Zebra's- The same ones are calling now as were when I played. Don't they move up or RETIRE?

[I_HAD_GAME]

I wonder if EC fan14 was in attendance yesterday?

[hopefan]

Got the scoop on Fontbonne  -  After Eureka scores to go two up with 4 seconds left, Fontbonne takes the ball out without a timeout, throws long to Nolan Zoelner who hits a 3 at the buzzer!!!!!!

Fontbonne hits 22 of 23 from the line!!

This is Coach's No 798 (from official source)  -  need 2 of 7 to get 800..  it would really be nice.....

[ec_fan14]

Fontbonne at Eureka

1st half Fontbonne comes out strong.  Chris Forrest was lighting it up.  I think he had 25 in the 1st half.  Im not sure if he missed a shot.  And its not like these shots were wide open.  Leppard was guarding him and had a hand right in his face almost every time, but even that didnt matter.  He helped Fontbonne go into the Break with a 12 point lead.

2nd half starts and all of a sudden Jahmall Thomas turns into Hakeem the Dream.  He scores 6 or 8 consecutive points on post moves after being virtually unnoticed in the first half.  FU gets up by 18 or so and then Zasada puts the team on his back.  He hits 4 3's on straight possessions.   Then Leppard and Kindred start knocking down shots as Eureka claws its way back into the game.  With about 3 min left a Kameron Bell layup puts Eureka up by 1.  However as someone already said Bell gets a T (not sure what he said but I think it was to the guy guarding him on FU and the ref must have over heard). 

Forrest goes to the line knocks down both and FU goes up 1.  The game gets tied up with 30 sec left and EC takes a timeout.  Kindred drives the lane with 4 sec left and scores a layup.  The ball is inbounded to Rapp who throws the ball up the court to Zoellner.  Zoellner throws up a high arching 3 at the buzzer and EC loses by 1.  The 2nd HEARTBREAKER in the last week.

My thoughts on a situation that happened to Eureka twice in the last to games.  EC up by 3 with less than 40 sec to play and they let someone hit a 3 on the them to tie the game.  Why not foul?  Worst case scenario is you get the ball back up by 1 and half to make free throws.... Just my opinion

Greenville is right back in the mix now only 1 game behind Webster and Eureka.  Eureka has Blackburn at home wednesday, which took them to OT the last time they played.  Every game from here on in is huge...

[hopefan]

There had been some discussion several days ago about Westminster's chances of either hosting an NCAA tourney game, or making the tourney as an at large team should they be upset in the conference tourney.   I responded that those chances were highly unlikely due to the exremely low OWP that Westminster carries- that is Opponent's winning %....  

In the Multiregion area, Pool C room, 'Knightslappy' has put in updated data through Sunday for all kinds of ratings stats  -  he has rated 8 to 10 teams in each region, trying to match the manner in which the NCAA does regional ratings.  

Wesstminster has the LOWEST OWP of any team he lists - primarily it shows that because so much of Westmin's schedule is conference games, and because SLIAC conference teams fare poorly when they play NCAA D3 non conference teams, that performance hurts Westmin when and if they rack up a 16-0 record vs SLIAC schools.

I note  Medaille in the Eastern region is in exactly the same position - and they've lost only once all year!!

Knightslappy's numbers have Westminster rated 9th in the region, even though they have the second best W-L regord in regional games  -  it is all in the OWP  -  It is highly likely that The regional rankings that start up soon from the NCAA will have a similar outcome, and in the long run, the selection commitee uses those ranking to make their picks.....

[hopefan]

EC thanks for writeup  -  Bell's T comes towards end of game--- that's awful -  a very costly t

[hopefan]

Another interesting point....   assuming things flow as they have, the last night of the regular season could loom huge in determination of who makes the conference tourney and what the matchups might be..    on that night, Eureka plays at Greenville, and Fontbonne plays at Webster.  With Macs win AT Webster last Saturday, they have a decided advantage in gaining 2nd place, and it would appear that Greenville, Webster, and Eureka will be battling for 3rd and 4th....  particularly if Greenville were to upset Webster at Webster this Wednesday.   Add to that the possibility that Fontbonne MAY be playing for Coach McKinney's 800th, and it's a night of real excitement......  Only can hope that fans and student bodies recognize it and come out and create a great atmosphere at Webster and Greenville.

[WUPHF]

Got the scoop on Fontbonne  -  After Eureka scores to go two up with 4 seconds left, Fontbonne takes the ball out without a timeout, throws long to Nolan Zoelner who hits a 3 at the buzzer!!!!!!

That is the Nolan I remember.  In high school, he was very good from three point range as long as he was quick to shoot.  If had time to think about it, he struggled.

[hopefan]

I think Zoelner has worlds of potential  -  he reminds me a little of Nick Jones of Webster, though he hasn't gotten the playing time Jones got as a sophomore.   I think that if Fontbonne is able to bring in a bunch of new faces next year to rebuild, he'll be the key upperclassman go to guy.....  I see exactly what you said... seems a little uptight about avoiding mistakes - he seems very good when he just lets it flow....

[WUPHF]

I think Zoelner has worlds of potential  -  he reminds me a little of Nick Jones of Webster, though he hasn't gotten the playing time Jones got as a sophomore.   I think that if Fontbonne is able to bring in a bunch of new faces next year to rebuild, he'll be the key upperclassman go to guy.....  I see exactly what you said... seems a little uptight about avoiding mistakes - he seems very good when he just lets it flow....

I am sure it is bad form to criticize a high school coach, but his JV coach did not understand the game and his varsity coach had a way of pulling players when they made mistakes, so most of them were on playing on edge with little incentive to take risks.