MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

The Eagles just defeated Lynchburg 85-82. BC was down by 11 in the second half, but pulled it out on the road. They move to 3-1 in the conference, 8-2 overall.

[mybleedinghands]

The Eagles just defeated Lynchburg 85-82. BC was down by 11 in the second half, but pulled it out on the road. They move to 3-1 in the conference, 8-2 overall.

actually it was 10.

[algernon]

HSC defeats EMU, 86-72, in Fleet Gym.

Guilford wins a big one over the Marlins by 16 points, greater even than the margin they beat the Tigers by.

Randolph-Macon picks up another one at Emory & Henry, winning 102-81.

Roanoke beats the Generals on the road, 71-64.

With each team having played 4-5 conference games, Randolph-Macon, Bridgewater, Roanoke, and Guilford lead in conference play, with just 1 loss apiece.

Hampden-Sydney, Virginia Wesleyan, and Washington & Lee are close behind, with 2 losses apiece.

[sludge]

An attempt at an objective report of the Guilford-Voldemort game.

Interesting game with VWC visiting Guilford.  Lovely win for Guilford!
I thought Guilford played good defense, not allowing too much of the easy stuff.  Exception was a stretch at the end of the first half where I think Guilford went to a zone, and VWC got into a we-eat-zones-for-breakfast mode with 3 pointers.  I was surprised to see that both Guilford and VWC shot 11-25 from 3 point range!  I thought we had the edge there.

VWC did a good job on the boards; Guilford only had a +3 margin there.  Guilford killed VWC at the foul line, and in general played tougher or at least as tough.  Kimbrough and Henson were studs.  And VWC had no real answer for Ben Strong, especially because he was hitting the free throws, as he often does.

VWC never gave up; almost to an extreme with a bit of a wrestling match there on the floor with short time remaining.

[hasanova]

http://www.guilford.edu/athletics/mbball/releases/2007-08/VWC1.html

I attended the GC/VWC game this afternoon, but just now getting a chance to post.  Obviously, a big win for the Quakers ... and one that had me worried after yesterday's 69-60 loss to RMC.  I didn't see yesterday's game, but RMC must be the real deal.  Congratulations to the Jackets.

When asked to give an objective report on today's game, I agreed.  Now, please understand there's no team I'd rather beat than VWC (or dislike losing to), so this will be as objective as I can make it.

On this day, Guilford was a better team than VWC.  With that said, about 6 points of the final 16-point margin was because the Marlins inexplicably kept fouling when the outcome was no longer in doubt.  Guilford's a good FT shooting team (26 of 29 today) and matched the Marlins behind the arc (both 11 of 25).  Clearly, the Marlins had no real match for Strong (and got into some foul trouble), but did hold him to 7 of 11 FGs.  On one memorable play, he went up for a dunk, got fouled from behind, missed the dunk but it bounced off the rim, off the backboard and went in anyway.  Ben completed the old-fashioned three-point play (Strong was 9 of 9 on FTs for 23 points and 15 boards).

I was worried about the individual match-ups for a couple of reasons.  Guilford's 6'10" sophomore starter Tyler Sanborn was hurt versus HSC and didn't play yesterday or today.  Also, key reserve Ray Edmond got a concussion versus HSC and didn't play vs RMC.  He did today.  Finally, I thought VWC would win the guard match-up, but they didn't.  Henson and Kimbrough got 22 and 13, respectively.  Tucker played well with 14, but Tonton Balenga got zero.  Yes, zero!  Fantin and Fields got 19 and 17, respectively, and Hassell chipped in 11, but he only played 18 minutes due to fouls.

The game was "chippy."  I don't think the players like each other - heck, I don't think the coaches really like each other!  VWC's been the better team the past few years, but they clearly miss Adair.   Guilford may lose at Virginia Beach, but today the Quakers deserved to win.  I'm disappointed the Quakers lost yesterday, but if you'd told me last Wednesday GC would be 2-1 this week, I'd have been happy.  RMC, by going 3-0, with two road wins, was the clear winner this week!

One of the things I do not enjoy about VWC/GC games is fan behavior.  To be honest, there was some from both sides, but you could clearly hear the sour grapes from behind the VWC bench.  Look, I realize the people who make the weekend road trips are probably parents and close friends, but you were beaten fair and square - take it like adults.  To the guy who kept yelling "prima donna" every time Strong got mugged underneath, get a grip.  Adair was an All-American because he had talent and worked hard, not because the refs thought he deserved it.  You sounded like a little spoiled child.  And to the lady with the video camera ... I'm sorry your son's crayon drawing didn't win today.  He got the Blue Ribbon two years ago and a smiley face last year, so enjoy it.  That's more than most of us ever get!   You're a good team, but you're not invincible - you'll lose a few more this year and so may Guilford.  Peace

[mybleedinghands]

LC may not be winning games right now, but don't let the great play of Mason Wooldridge be lost in the L's. This guy is doing special things this year as just a sophomore. The 6'6" power forward is averaging 18 points and 7.2 boards a game while shooting 47.4% from the field overall, 38.2% from three, and 84.8% from the free throw line.

In ODAC games - and keep in mind he has played against BC, GC, RMC, and EMU so he's played some tough teams - he has upped his scoring to 22.5 a game while averaging 6.8 rebounds. He's also shooting 54.5% overall, 50% from 3, and 81.8% from the charity stripe in ODAC games. He did have his fair share of struggles against Guilford, but he was guarded by Ben Strong for most of the game so struggling against a guy 4 inches taller than you and as good as Strong is to be expected.

He has looked truly dominant this week against Macon, EMU, and Bridgewater. This week, he has averaged 24.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while committing just five turnovers, shooting 12-14 from FT (85.7%), 7-12 from three (58.3%), and 27-43 (62.8%) overall from the field.

There are only three players averaging more points and rebounds than him: Brad Parkes, Ben Strong, and Greg Bienneman. Two of them were first-team all-odac last year while the other was HM all-ODAC. LC may not be winning games, but so far he has shown that he is one of the top 10 players in the ODAC and if he continues his strong play, he should receive heavy consideration for first-team all-ODAC regardless of what LC's win-loss record is.

[DeWayneCarter]

I think that the game was closer than the score indicated, with GC getting about 6 or 7 points near the end sinc VWC kept fouling...

But I think that the first half was a great one. Guilford came out blazing hot, hitting 3s from all over the place. In the first half, the Marlins were physical with Ben Strong and it looked like early on they had hm locked down, but they allowed Henson and other GC guards to get hot. To start the 2nd half, Gc hit two threes to go up by 9 and from that point on it was all Guilford. Also, TonTon Balenga wasn't his normal self, which also hindered VWC's performance.

But VWC has to bounce back, as they host Hampden-Sydney on Wednesday.

[Pat Coleman]

Hasanova, what you describe is something I have found to be typical of parents everywhere.

[hasanova]

Hasanova, what you describe is something I have found to be typical of parents everywhere.

True.  I don't mean to imply it's only GC and VWC.  My brother has a son who starts for a DII team and he describes the same things at many venues.

[GP05]

You sounded like a little spoiled child.  And to the lady with the video camera ... I'm sorry your son's crayon drawing didn't win today.  He got the Blue Ribbon two years ago and a smiley face last year, so enjoy it.  That's more than most of us ever get! 

I understand your aggravation. Criticizing disrespect by disrespecting isn't something I've noticed common of you on this board Hasanova so I'll assume it must've been particularly frustrating. I think Pat is right though, similar actions can be found amongst the parents/passionate fans of most any team. It'd certainly be nice if people would realize the bond all fans/players share and respect each other accordingly.

As for the game, congrats to Guilford. It seems to me that both teams are capable of beating anyone in the nation. It also appears they can stumble any given night. Adair's consistency made VWC stumbles far less common. Without him VW needs a good game from everyone to beat great competition like GC. This time Balenga, among others, didn't quite step up. I wouldn't expect any more O's for TonTon but don't confuse his big shot reputation for a big game rep.

[baselinejam]

Hasanova, what you describe is something I have found to be typical of parents everywhere.

True.  I don't mean to imply it's only GC and VWC.  My brother has a son who starts for a DII team and he describes the same things at many venues.

There's class and then there's classless. I've been to about many ODAC games in the last few years and I really haven't seen any fans get out of line nasty. That being said ODAC officiating might make  Mother Theresa a ref baiter.

[hasanova]

You sounded like a little spoiled child.  And to the lady with the video camera ... I'm sorry your son's crayon drawing didn't win today.  He got the Blue Ribbon two years ago and a smiley face last year, so enjoy it.  That's more than most of us ever get! 

I understand your aggravation. Criticizing disrespect by disrespecting isn't something I've noticed common of you on this board Hasanova so I'll assume it must've been particularly frustrating. I think Pat is right though, similar actions can be found amongst the parents/passionate fans of most any team. It'd certainly be nice if people would realize the bond all fans/players share and respect each other accordingly.

As for the game, congrats to Guilford. It seems to me that both teams are capable of beating anyone in the nation. It also appears they can stumble any given night. Adair's consistency made VWC stumbles far less common. Without him VW needs a good game from everyone to beat great competition like GC. This time Balenga, among others, didn't quite step up. I wouldn't expect any more O's for TonTon but don't confuse his big shot reputation for a big game rep.

With all due respect to my many friends at VWC, I apologize if some thought my comments went too far.  As I mentioned earlier, there were some inappropriate calls from the stands on both sides.  It's frustrating to see adults - from both sides! - making comments that aren't constructive or even true.  When you have 500 people in the stands, however, it's relatively easy to spot who says what.  I've been to hundreds of games in my life and this was nothing too serious, but it does take away from what I believe is - and always should be - the spirit of DIII sports.  "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."  With that famous biblical passage in mind, I'm sorry if I inappropriately singled anyone out.   Suffice it to say it was a hard-fought game and emotions - and good judgment - can sometimes get the best of players and fans on both sides of the court.  Peace

[jdubyadubya]

GP05, baslinejam, Nova - thanks for your comments on that game. I listened to some of it on the net but it became too painful....kind of like bouncing down a pothole-filled road with hemorrhoids. OUCH! Why apologize Nova? It is what it is...unruly, mouthy fans. Every gym has them. We haven't heard from Rev. Matty yet and he said he would be there. I think that was a season-defining game for the Marlins...they needed the win for the momentum. I can't imagine Balenga going 0 for nothing. Good defense by Guilford if that was the case. The Tigers come to the Batten Center on Wednesday. We'll see.

[hasanova]

With this week's success, it seems to me RMC (10-2, 3-1) should start getting a few Top 25 votes ... thoughts?

[jdubyadubya]

absolutely. The Jackets have my vote!