MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[mybleedinghands]

wow!

LC defeats E&H 131-118

Sophomore forward Mason Wooldridge (New Canton, VA/Fork Union) recorded Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) season-highs of 45 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 assists to lead the Lynchburg College men's basketball team to a 131-118 win over Emory and Henry College in ODAC action.

yep, you read that correct! lol. that was one of the most dominating individual performances I have ever seen in my life!

not to take anything away from that performance, because a triple double is ALWAYS impressive, playing against "the system" clearly leads to some stat inflation - mu 6th man travis mcbryde had 35 and 18 against ehc earlier in the year

35 and 15 actually, and he only had 2 assists, a lot of his board came on the offensive end, mason had 15 defensive boards, mcbryde only had 7, meaning mason's boards limited E&H's second and third chance opportunities, which is just as important as limiting their three pointers.

[allsky7]

Algernon-how about that year that Jack Jirak and company went 26-0 through the regular season up to the championship game in the ODAC final? Wow! What a record. However,  Roanoke threw up a triangle 2 against them and won the Tournament Title. Still, being top ranked in the region, H-SC got to host a sectional and lost in the first round AT HOME. I feel your pain. Bet you could not stand seeing your nets cut down either.
Pity

     Sometimes I get my years mixed up  but wasn't that the year the Tigers hosted Platteville, MS College, & NE Wesleyan. The Tigers advanced Friday beating NE Wesleyan but got dismantled by a physical and machine like Platteville team that went on to win the NC. Afer seeing both games Friday, I really thought the Tigers could beat Platteville. Boy was I wrong!! 

[algernon]

     Sometimes I get my years mixed up  but wasn't that the year the Tigers hosted Platteville, MS College, & NE Wesleyan. The Tigers advanced Friday beating NE Wesleyan but got dismantled by a physical and machine like Platteville team that went on to win the NC. Afer seeing both games Friday, I really thought the Tigers could beat Platteville. Boy was I wrong!! 

allsky7 ... yeh, you're thinking of 1995, when the Tigers were led by Tee Jennings at point, Nate Schwab, Ryan Odom, and Jason Leonard.  That was a great team, having gone to the Sweet Sixteen in 1994 and then losing only to the Platteville, the National Champion, in the Elite Eight in 1995.  A member of the 1995 team has said to me that his 1995 team was as good or better than the 1999 National Runnerup team ... and that's a reasonable enough idea, I think.

The Tigers have had 3 truly great teams over the past 15 years .... the 1995 team, the 1999 team, and the 2003 team.  While it's true that the 2000 team was also an excellent team, going 26-0 before losing two in a row to finish their season, they lacked the depth of the 1999 team ... having lost David Hobbs, Alex Robbins, and Kevin Garst to graduation.  They were really very shallow ... with their best future players (Brooks, McKeag, and Gregory) only freshmen at the time.

[algernon]

The Tigers are giving up too many points .... the defense needs some serious work, especially at the beginning of the game.  Each game that is lost is lost in the first 10 minutes.

At this point in the season, my own personal ranking of the teams is:

1) Randolph-Macon
2) Roanoke
3) Guilford
4) Virginia Wesleyan
5) Hampden-Sydney (despite their 2-point loss to Bridgewater)
6) Bridgewater and
     Washington & Lee
8 ) Eastern Mennonite
9) Lynchburg
10) Emory & Henry

[mybleedinghands]

http://www.lynchburg.edu/x11718.xml - Press Release
http://www.lynchburg.edu/documents/Athletics/basketball_m/2007-08%20stats/lcmen11.htm - Box Score

well if you like dunks, then you were in for a show last night at LC. there were 5 dunks. If interested in seeing three of them, including Eric Burnett's thunderous tomahawk-esque jam from the baseline, then click the WSET (local ABC affiliate) for a short snippet from the game.

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0108/488638_video.html?ref=newsstory

[Brian Hamilton]

yj424,

I'm not Algernon but wanted to correct a couple of things you said.  First, that game against Maryville was a second round game.  HSC received a first round bye.  Second, Maryville did not cut down the nets because it was only a second round game.  And I think I speak for Algernon and others when I say that that game was painful.  It was my senior year and it had been a great season until the last 2 games.

[algernon]

yj424,

I'm not Algernon but wanted to correct a couple of things you said.  First, that game against Maryville was a second round game.  HSC received a first round bye.  Second, Maryville did not cut down the nets because it was only a second round game.  And I think I speak for Algernon and others when I say that that game was painful.  It was my senior year and it had been a great season until the last 2 games.

Brian .... Thanks for your corrections.  I might add that, no offense to Jack at all, but no one has ever before referred to the 2000 team as "Jirak and company."   

You certainly speak for me when you say that the Maryville game was painful, even though no nets were cut down.  The Tigers, having returned their top four scorers from the 1999 National Runnerup team (Grimes, Fox, Harris, and Jirak) were the preseason #2 team in the country, garnering 3 of 25 first-place votes.  They gained the #1 ranking on January 3, after Wisconsin-Platteville lost its first game.  The Tigers remained unbeaten and, by January 13 -- when they were 13-0, had achieved the status of unanimous #1 team in the country.  Twice during the regular season, they defeated the Roanoke Maroons, a team that had been ranked #15 to #20 throughout the season.  The Tigers retained the unanimous national #1 ranking for 6 consecutive weeks as they went to 26-0.  Amazing!

Finally, Roanoke burst their bubble in the ODAC championship game, but the Tigers were still awarded a first-round bye and their fans expected that they would defeat Maryville at home and then host the sectional.  Who could ever forget the last 20 seconds of that painful Maryville game?  We were stunned ..... and couldn't believe it.   

[algernon]

Speaking of great teams of the past, some of you may be interested in this site: 

http://www.sportsstats.com/jazzyj/past/diviii.htm

[sludge]

I believe the Maroons knocked off Guilford 68-56!

Not to take anything away from Coach Page Moir - who certainly has a good team this season... but what is up with Guilford? Maybe my expectations for this team were way too high this season. But after what I saw them at the end of last season, knowing what they had coming back, and knowing how Coach P. changed up the roster to compensate for a loss of shooting on the outside, I still thought they would be a very good team this season.

Now... I am REALLY not sure!

I couldn't bear to listen.  The Quakers were 3 of 29 in the 1st half!  Losing 6'10" starter Tyler Sanborn since the HSC game has certainly hurt, but the shooting's streaky.  Also, for some reason, RC is simply a team that consistently has Guilford's number.  The same thing happened last season.  Anyway, I'm very disappointed, but not giving up on the Quakers for a good season.  Congratulations to the Maroons on a fine win. 

Whew, tough game at Roanoke, nothing worked right, Guilford even got out-rebounded.  Players had the wrong jerseys on, because no one could open the locker room.  A snakebit game, and well played by Roanoke.

I understand Dave's puzzlement, but inconsistent Guilford can get better from here.  They can still have a fine season.  If they want it, they'll have to dig deep and find it.

[sludge]

Congratulations to Mason Wooldridge on that remarkable game vs. E&H.  I'm hoping Guilford can pull a win at E&H on Saturday, wearing the right jerseys!

[wahoo]

 I just got finished reading this article about Tyler Fantin

http://www.vwc.edu/athletics/news/index.php?sport=mbb&disp=2037

[mybleedinghands]

Players had the wrong jerseys on, because no one could open the locker room.

Shouldn't there be at least ONE security guard that has a key somewhere on the campus???

[FortyFour]

I just got finished reading this article about Tyler Fantin

http://www.vwc.edu/athletics/news/index.php?sport=mbb&disp=2037

My thoughts and prayers are certainly with the young man at this time.

[hasanova]

Players had the wrong jerseys on, because no one could open the locker room.

Shouldn't there be at least ONE security guard that has a key somewhere on the campus???

I heard about this, too.  No locker room for the visitors - that's a heck of a home court advantage.  I wonder if Guilford will be unable to find a key on January 23 when RC comes to Greensboro?  lol 

[hasanova]

I just got finished reading this article about Tyler Fantin

http://www.vwc.edu/athletics/news/index.php?sport=mbb&disp=2037

My thoughts and prayers are certainly with the young man at this time.

Yeah, that's a tough week and game.  Time helps, but it sounds as though Tyler regained his focus for the HSC game.  Hang in there.