MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[sludge]

What a day.  If Guilford can be VWC while getting 3 from Pittman, then we can beat anybody.  The team is exceeding expectations and is officially dangerous.  Where did Akinsola learn to shoot free throws like that?

Of course, the surprise award goes to Randolph!

At 4-4 ODAC, EMU's #14 ranking has to be toast right about now.  At least for a while.

Hampden-Sydney show no quit, that's for sure.  Gotta stick a stake in those guys to consider a game over.

[hasanova]

Roanoke @ Bridgewater, 3:00 PM - Bridgewater was leading, 72-66, with 10 seconds left.  But the Maroons hit a 3 at 6 seconds and then, after the timeout, stole a pass and immediately hit another 3 with 2 seconds left.  72-72, and the game's going to overtime.  88-88 after the 1st OT.  The Marlins finally get the win in double OT, 108-98.
   
Virginia Wesleyan @ Guilford, 3:00 PM - Quakers block a last-second 3 by the Marlins, to give VWC its first loss of the season, winning by a score of 64-61.

I wasn't sure who won the Roanoke/BC game when I saw "Marlins finally get the win", so I looked it up.  Congratulations to the Maroons on their double OT victory.

Congratulations also to Randolph - what strides this program's made in just 3 years!

RMC & HSC - wow!  These guys really get up for each other in every sport.  Making a football or basketball game at either venue is definitely on my "bucket list".

E&H seems to have bottomed out this season.  I hope they can get back on track - it's not good for them or the ODAC when they're this far down.  Not to take anything away from Lynchburg, however, as I saw some good things from their team when I saw them play.  Congratulations to the Hornets.

Finally, over to VWC and GC.  I think it's also safe to say these two have a legitimate rivalry going.  From the players to the coaches to the fans, there is no doubt this game carries some emotion.  Both teams wanted this one and it was back and forth all day - 6 ties and 10 lead changes.  I was certainly glad the Quakers won what I think is, so far, their signature win of the the 2010-11 season.  Go Quakers!

[rmc1982]

I can't say I'm surprised by the Quakers win and I'm certainly not gonna talk any smack to any of my VWC buddies on here-We've gotta go to Ragan-Brown next weekend ourselves and we can certainly meet the same fate!We almost blew a 20 pt lead doing things we normally don't do-like choking free throws at the end of a game which will sink you faster than anything.The one that surprised me the most was the Randolph win over the EMU's.They have certainly opened some eyes on here! The kid that plays point guard for Randolph,Caleb Pearson, is from here(Franklin,Va) and played at my kid's school(Southampton Academy)His parents are friends and customers of mine.Interestingly, he started at EMU before tranferring to Randolph after his freshman year!Congrats to Randolph on a great win against a quality opponent yesterday!

[algernon]

Roanoke @ Bridgewater, 3:00 PM - Bridgewater was leading, 72-66, with 10 seconds left.  But the Maroons hit a 3 at 6 seconds and then, after the timeout, stole a pass and immediately hit another 3 with 2 seconds left.  72-72, and the game's going to overtime.  88-88 after the 1st OT.  The Marlins finally get the win in double OT, 108-98.
   
Virginia Wesleyan @ Guilford, 3:00 PM - Quakers block a last-second 3 by the Marlins, to give VWC its first loss of the season, winning by a score of 64-61.

I wasn't sure who won the Roanoke/BC game when I saw "Marlins finally get the win", so I looked it up.  Congratulations to the Maroons on their double OT victory.

Well, hasa, I guess that a Saturday without the normal Marlins' victory -- somewhere, someplace -- is almost inconceivable to me at this point, so I had to give the #2 Marlins credit for the Maroons' victory ....  

The game in Kirby Fieldhouse was played in front of a a loud standing-room-only crowd of 2,500.  It was the biggest crowd in Kirby in years, I think.

At the end of the game, with 1 second on the clock and the Yellow Jackets up by 2, with Croskey at the line for his 2nd of 2 free throw attempts, we were hoping for another ESPN-worthy play ... another intentionally-missed shot followed by a Snipes-like three to win the game by one!  (Harrison got the rebound and made a nice try, putting up a nice shot from 3/4 court just before the buzzer, but it was 2-3 feet off the basket.)  One has to wonder whether the Yellow Jackets could have recovered from another such event .... I had visions of Justin Wansley looking confused and almost stumbling after Snipes' basket in Crenshaw!

From the HSC game report:  
     George led all scorers with 20 points and also had six rebounds as he shot 8-14 from the field, converting on numerous looks in the paint. Ward posted 14 points, shooting 5-10 overall and 3-8 from three. Jessee scored 11 points and was 5-7 from the foul line and Corrigan tallied 10 points, shooting 3-6 overall and 2-4 from three range. White struggled shooting, making just two of eight shots, but found many other ways to contribute with six boards, six assists, three steals, and two blocks.
     Jones led the visitors with 18 points off the bench, going 4-7 from the floor and 10-12 from the free throw line. Braxton added 12 points and Jordan Brown had nine points and four assists. Four other Yellow Jackets had between 7-8 points for a balanced scoring effort.
     H-SC shot 42% (21-50) as a team compared to 47.7% (21-44) for R-MC. Randolph-Macon was 7-18 (38.9%) from three while Hampden-Sydney was 9-22 (40.9%). The big difference came at the charity stripe, with R-MC making 21-32 attempts compared to 17-23 for the Tigers. H-SC outrebounded Randolph-Macon 31-30 while each team had 12 assists, 11 turnovers, and five steals. Hampden-Sydney also had four blocks compared to three for the visitors. The Tigers held a 13-6 advantage in second chance points as they made the Yellow Jackets pay with 12 offensive rebounds.

George and Jones are definitely on my first-team all-conference "ballot" (along with others not on these two teams).  The Yellow Jackets are definitely the real deal and could get to the Final Four once again .... no question about it.  

[2RMCFans]

Congrats to the Jackets on a clutch road win that almost slipped away due to H-SC's persistence & talent.  Jones was 10-10 from the FT line until the last time he was fouled.... fortunately we didn't need those particular 2 that he missed.  

Can't even think about Guilford yet as Roanoke comes to town on Wed.  Congrats to both of them on their wins yesterday.  And, Randolph... wow, what can we say.  That is a serious recruiting/coaching effort they've got going.

On a related note the Jackets' women cement their seat at the top of the ODAC with a big win over Bridgewater yesterday.   These 2 basketball teams show the very best of R-MC Athletics--- how we get so much out of such small populations of both men & women students!  

GO JACKETS... you're really making us proud!!

[hsctigers2002]

Randolph has actually been playing for four years, three in the ODAC.

One additional note on the HSC game. After the Tigers got the ball with 26 seconds left, down two, they had one full time out remaining but did not use it and the quality of a shot attempt Randall Ward got would have required near perfection for it to go in. I thought the timeout should have been used to set up a play. R-MC's defense is too good to expect to get a good look at a three in that situation, especially when you got a young team on the court that is not used to that type of game and atmosphere going up against a very experienced team who has been through many games like that. Instead, the timeout was used in between Croskey's two FTs and at that point it would have taken a miracle for H-SC to win or tie the game.

[y_jack_lok]

These 2 basketball teams show the very best of R-MC Athletics--- how we get so much out of such small populations of both men & women students!  

So glad you pointed that out. I have been thinking the same thing for quite a few years.

[baselinejam]

Guilford Quakers over VW Marlins 64-61.  Josh Pittman had only 3 points, but Tobi Akinsola came up big with 26 to carry the Quakers to victory.  

Sweet....

My thoughts exactly.  I was there - hotly contested throughout.  Yippee!

Congrats Quakers!

[donho]

These 2 basketball teams show the very best of R-MC Athletics--- how we get so much out of such small populations of both men & women students! 

So glad you pointed that out. I have been thinking the same thing for quite a few years.

It is  good recruiting.

[y_jack_lok]

These 2 basketball teams show the very best of R-MC Athletics--- how we get so much out of such small populations of both men & women students! 

So glad you pointed that out. I have been thinking the same thing for quite a few years.

It is  good recruiting.

A long history (more than 50 years) of good recruiting and good coaching by Webb, Nunnally, Rhoades and now Davis.

[hasanova]

Quakers visit Randolph on Wednesday night - looks like a possible trap game to me!  The Wildcats are really playing well - and what an odd gym to play in.  I made the trip there last February and it was good to see the venue firsthand.  As Randolph matures as a coed school, I think they'll eventually need to consider a larger gym with more conventional seating.  As it is now, there are spots on the floor closest to the stands where the fans can't see the action.  Go Quakers!

[jdubyadubya]

Nova - give me your impressions of the Guilford/VWC game.

[hasanova]

Nova - give me your impressions of the Guilford/VWC game.

Hey, jww.  It was a fun, but nerve-wracking, game to watch from a fan's perspective.  As you know, VWC has historically dominated, but Guilford has won eight of the last nine in the Strong/Sanborn era.  If I was Macedo and his staff, I think they knew this would be a tough game before it even started.

On the court, it was a "chippy" game with a lot of intensity and fouls.  No one played dirty, but it was physcial.  Every rebound, every shot and every loose ball was contested.  Guilford shot poorly from three-point range.  If you'd told me prior to the game that Guilford would win with Josh Pittman going 1 for 9 and only scoring three points, I wouldn't have believed it.  For Guilford, the guy who put the game on his shoulders and won it was Tobi Akinsola.  He's only 6'2" or 6'3", but what an incredible leaper - and he's very quick.  He consistently beat VWC's taller men underneath.  VWC definitely won the outside game this day (Ford was terrific), but they went cold the last few minutes when it really mattered. 

There was a small amount of jawwing going on between a few Guilford fans and a few VWC fans (across the arena) mainly because Macedo appeared to be crossing the line on some of his arguments with the officials.  He got warned a couple of times and I guess some GC fans thought he should have gotten a T.  As a rule, however, both teams and fans were well-behaved and the officials kept it under control.

VWC can be beaten, obviously, but they're very quick and good shooters.  On this day, the Quakers did not try to run with them on fast breaks, but played a controlled half-court offense where the Quakers consistently tried to work it inside to either Stafford (6'9") or Akinsola.  I'm sure Coach Palombo and Coach Macedo didn't need to psych up their players because there was never a let up in effort. 

The fans were "into" the game and that intensity level seemed to fuel both teams.  There were 6 ties and 10 lead changes and the largest lead by either team was 7.  It was anyone's game with a minute to go, but, as mentioned earlier, VWC went cold from beyond the arc and GC hit 21 of 24 FT's.   I do not want to play VWC again in the ODAC tournament!

I put the HSC/RMC rivalry at the top of the ODAC list, but I think VWC/GC men's basketball may be closing the gap.  If these teams were 60-70 miles apart, I think the gyms would be full every time.

Good luck to VWC down the stretch.  They're a fine team, but ... I think they'll lose at least one more in the regular season ... just a hunch based on what I saw Saturday.

[jdubyadubya]

Thanks for your game analysis, Hasa. As I said before they even played, Ragan Brown is the toughest venue for the Marlins. I predicted it was going to be rough and it was. The rest of the season is going to be a barn burner. Some great games coming up including VWC at EMU and at W&L on Saturday. I hope to be at both.

[FISHTANKFAN]

 Over the last 5 or so years the Guilford and VWC games have been wars, with each team winning their share.  It will always be a great rivalry.  Both teams are very young and so the next few years will see the same players battling each other to the wire.  Congratulations to the Quakers on their win.  The Marlins were picked to come in 3rd this year in the ODAC and so far they have exceeded most expectations already.  It was only a matter of time until they had a loss.  It may turn out to be the best thing that has happened to them. We shall see what the next few grueling weeks bring. Hopefully they will rebound quickly and start a new win streak.  Still a lot of basketball to be played.  It's much easier to play as an underdog than the #2 team in the nation.  Since there are no seniors on the Marlins, the team has a great opportunity to learn from their loss or losses, and be even better in the future.  For such a young team they have shown great promise.   No games will be easy in the ODAC for any team.   It will be interesting to see who is still standing when the dust clears in a few weeks.  Good luck to all the teams.