SPORTS

Men's b-ball can't compete

by Tuukka Hess

An early Friday the 13th erupted on the 17-2 Waynesburg Men's basketball team Monday night, and it scared the bejesus out of them.

Jumping out to an 8-0 lead, the unsuspecting Waynesberg Men emerged from the locker room with the strut that one might expect from a team with championship aspirations.

But senior Josh Ellison seemed to have developed a swagger of his own. Putting his team on the board with a put-back, Ellison began to display a long-awaited nasty streak. Connecting on a baseline jumper, Ellison's gritty play and tough rebounding gave the Yeomen grounding for the comeback that he capped off with two free-throws, tying the game at 12.

Then fellow post sophomore John Norris issued his own challenge. Scoring the next six Oberlin points, Norris drove Oberlin to an 18-14 lead with 12:32 remaining in the half. Following two baskets by senior Kiese Laymon and an 18 foot jumper by Norris, Oberlin led 24-19 with 10:23 left in the half, and Waynesburg called time-out.

Change in strategy led Waynesburg to extend their defense to 3/4 court, initially frustrating Oberlin with a 1-3-1 press. Buoyed by their defense, Waynesburg went on a six-point run and led 25-24.

The next five minutes were a battle, with Oberlin eventually allowing Waynesburg to press their advantage to seven points with 2:59 left in the half. Following a time-out, Oberlin came roaring back, tying the ballgame on an 18-foot wing jumper by first-year guard Maurice Elrod at 44 with 16 seconds left in the half. However, following an improbable 24-foot trey by Waynesburg guard Brad Moore at the buzzer, the Yeomen entered half-time down by three.

The second half was a battle. Attempting to confuse the younger Oberlin squad, Waynesburg deployed rapidly changing defenses. Elrod commented on the complexities of the Waynesburg defenses. "They threw a lot of different presses at us at different parts of the game. When we got the ball, we didn't know whether it was a 1-3-1 trap, a half-court trap, as with any defensive schemes, it take you time to recognize what is going on," he said.

Post first-year Zeljko Petrovic added, "They were a very well coached team."

Relying on a 3/4 court 1-3-1 press, and half court 2-1-2 and an especially potent 2-2-1 traps, Waynesburg forced Oberlin to improvise. And improvise they did. Forced to adjust to Waynesburg's rapidly changing defenses, the Yeomen relied on solid contributions from the entire squad, and displayed court vision rarely exhibited by an Oberlin team within the confines of Phillips gym.

The lead see-sawed for most of the second half, until Norris dumped on a basket on a pretty assist by Ellison, tying the game at 73 with 4:23 left. Then excitement, inexperience and questionable shot selection contributed to an ill-timed scoring drought. With 1:14 left in the game Waynesburg led by 10.

A series of foulshots allowed Waynesburg to weather one last desperate Oberlin comeback, and Waynesburg won 80-89.

After the game Sullinger expressed both his pleasure in his team's performance and the disappointment that comes with defeat.

"The effort is there. You can see yourself how hard the guys try on the court. But learning how to win at crunch time is learning that the team's objectives are more important than any individual goal that one might have. It's where you have to learn to become part of something that is bigger than yourself. That's the lesson I am teaching," Sullinger said.

On Wednesday, Oberlin played at Case Western Reserve University. Plagued by the loss of leading scorer first-year James Knight to injury and the absence of junior Jabali Sawicki during the second half, the Yeomen were not able to better, nor even repeat their performance of earlier in the week.

Sullinger said, "I'm challenging them to let go of the past and try something new. If we want different results, we're going to have to try new things. All we are right now is the same soup in a different bowl."

Forced to play extra minutes, the Oberlin regulars finished the game torn by a 24 point loss, 80-56.

Back // Sports Contents \\ Next

T H E   O B E R L I N   R E V I E W

Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 14, February 13, 1998

Contact us with your comments and suggestions.

U�