Eric Demers (39 points) drives Gordon past Fisher 95-86

Eric Demers (39 points) leads Scots by Fisher

Eric Demers chased by Anthony Lewis (12 points,5 assists,8 rebounds)

(Wenham MA) Gordon finally registered a home win.

“Last year we only lost once at home,” explained Eric Demers afterwards.  “This year it took us four tries to get the first one!”

But the Scots (6-4) did get it defeating non-league Fisher, 95-86, on a rare Friday night game at the Bennett Center.

Besides a visit to Eastern Nazarene, the rest of the schedule is filled with Commonwealth Coast Conference matches.

“The league is really strong this year,” said Coach Murphy.  “There are literally 7-8 teams who could compete for the top spot.”

AJ Terry (15 points,9 rebounds)

The Scots showed again tonight that they will score points.  There may be occasional droughts, but they don’t last.

Eric Demers added thirty-nine points tonight and continues to lead all of Division 3 in scoring.

“With shooting,” said Eric, “you just have to stay the course.  We play forty minutes not five.”

Fisher (6-7) came out hot and Parker Omslaer came out fouling.  In less that two minutes, GC’s tallest player (6-11) had two fouls and eighteen minutes of first-half bench time awaiting him.

“Sitting on the bench was obviously something I didn’t like,” said Parker, “but it was nice to see that my teammates could get out there and do their thing while I was in foul trouble.”

Jason Augliera – sixteen first half points

Jason Augliera (16 first half points) was the spark as Fisher led 18-7 (13:43) and 48-38 (1:46).  But the Scots closed fast with seven unanswered points in the closing 1:46 to only trail by three at the half, 48-45.  Several of Gordon’s points in the final minute came on technical called on Fisher coach Rob Blouin.

Coach Murphy recalled feeling good about his team’s chances in this game’s second half: “For Parker to sit out eighteen minutes and we were only down three with the way they were shooting, I felt confident.”

Five minutes into the second half, however, the team from Boston (MA) still had a 59-58 advantage.  Then the D3’s top scorer went off.

Eric Demers breaks free

While Fisher missed three 3’s and had three turnovers, Eric started to consistently connect from long distance.

Eric’s hot shooting vaulted Gordon to a 77-63 lead and they had enough offense to keep Fisher at least five points away the rest of the game.

Eric, in the breakaway five-minute segment, notched four 3’s and three free throws for a nifty fifteen points.  Freshman Garrett Sattazahn (13 points) added a three.

Garrett Sattazahn (13 points) launches a three over Chris Sorapuru

Late in the game Fisher did get to within five points (88-83) but two AJ Terry steals turned things back Gordon’s way.

“The game got close late,” said AJ post-game.  “I’m good at jumping into passing lanes and that’s what happened.”

Jason Augliera led the Falcons with nineteen points and three assists.  Jhalen Lumpkins added eighteen points, four assists, and three steals.

“Out-stop” is not a word you’ll find in a dictionary, but Coach Murphy introduced it post-game: “We can’t rely on out-scoring teams.  I would rather ‘out-stop’ teams.  If we can hold a team under eighty points, I think we’ll win.”

Eric’s best move of the night that he made on the baseline in the first half.  He received a pass and spun so quickly to the basket that his defender hardly moved to defend.

Eric Demers spins free for two

Dylan, Luke, Josh, and Jaren

It was good to see recent graduates Jaren, Dylan, Josh, and Luke in the house.

Also nice to see Don Dempsey back on the GC bench.

Parker Omslaer flashes a new look

Parker came back from vacation with a new look.

Gordon will be back at the Bennett Center next Tuesday night against Western New England.

Box from the game

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Parker Omslaer up for a shot

Adam Konicki defended by Paul Oha

AJ Terry looks inside

Eric Demers glides into the lane

Eric Demers shoots technical free throws

Josh Crutchfield (1) down the middle

Parker Omslaer (20) gets into early foul trouble

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon stays undefeated with 80-77 win over Fisher

Eric Demers (19 points) set to launch the three that will tie the game in the last minute

Tyler Shular (31 points) at the rim for the Falcons

(Wenham MA) Gordon scored all of the points (nine) in the final three minutes and defeated Fisher College, 80-77, on Tuesday night at the Bennett Center in non-league action.

The Scots (2-0) had to withstand a remarkable performance by Falcons’ senior Tyler Shular (31 points, 4 assists, 6 steals) to pull this one out.

Gordon was down by eleven in the first half (31-20) and six (77-71) in the second half but shot and defended their way back to the lead at the end of each half.

Clutch shooting and strong defense combined to get the job done down the stretch. The Falcons missed all six shot attempts in crunch time thanks in part to blocks by Sam Johnson and Garrisson Divivier.

Big shot? Down three with less than a minute left, Jaren Yang (8 assists) found freshman Eric Demers open in the right corner for the tying three-spot.

The Falcons (2-1) had two more possessions. Darrell Grady missed a layup in heavy traffic, while a Kyle Holmes three (over Noah Szilagyi) misfired for the lead with six seconds to go. Meanwhile Gordon drained three of four pressure free throws (Jaren Yang 2 & Garrisson Duvivier 1) to ice the outcome.

Eric Demers defends Tyler Shular

Remarkable performance by 6-3 Tyler Shular. Credit Eric Demers and Jake Hart with “holding” him to thirty-one points. This guy could shoot from anywhere and had terrific speed. He logged thirty-nine minutes. A reason for the Gordon win? Tyler didn’t take a shot the final three minutes as GC rallied for the win. Credit Eric Demers’ defense for some of that.

This year’s team is so different from the Hans Miersma teams of the previous four seasons. Those teams were inside out and for good reason. This team is clearly outside in. And this team can make 3-point shots. Last year the high on made 3-pointers was seven. First game (Lesley) this year nine were made. Tonight it elevated to eleven.

A big part of tonight’s win was that the Scots had excellent stats from insiders Sam Johnson and Garrisson Duvivier as well. Garrisson was a startling 8-for-9 while both Sam and Garrisson blocked three shots. Forcing teams to defend the 3-point shooters on the perimeter opened space for Sam and Garrisson in closer.

Jaren Yang (eight assists) in traffic

Jaren Yang matched his season high (eight) in assists. He also had a huge rebound in the last minute.

Jason Dempsey was in the house.

Gordon lost to Fisher last year, 79-76, in a game that Jason, Hans, and Taylor combined for 55 points and 28 rebounds.

Efficiency Chart

Tyler Shular 38

Garrisson Duvivier 24 (17pts/6reb/3blocks)

Sam Johnson 17 (12pts/9reb/3blocks)

Jaren Yang 16 (10pts/8assists/3steals)

Aaron Penn 14 (12pts/2assists)

Noah Szilagyi 14 (13pts/5rebs)

Gordon travels to MIT on Thursday night (7PM). The Scots will open plenty of eyes with a strong show against the Engineers on the road.

Box Score

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Game on!

Sam Johnson (12 points) looks to pass

Eric Demers chased by Tyler Shular and Darrell Grady

Jaren Yang hit two free throws in the last minute of the game

Kyle Holmes fires a three with six seconds left

Garrisson Duvivier at the line in the closing seconds

Jaren Yang steals and seals the deal

Jake Haar defends Aaron Penn

Sam Johnson blocks

Garrisson Duvivier blocks

Garrisson Duvivier rebounds

Eric Demers (four 3’s) from the left

Darrell Grady in the paint

Noah Szilagyi (three 3’s) hits one

Luke Meyer plays the point

 

Turnovers key in Gordon’s 79-76 loss to nonleague Fisher

Hans Miersma (18 rebounds)

Taylor Bajema (21 points)

Jason Dempsey (18 points)

 

 

 

 

 

(Newtown CT) Gordon did almost everything right.

When the game with Fisher ended, however, an ongoing Scots’ deficiency overrode the positives and led to a 79-76 loss on Thursday night.

(My wife and I are in Newtown tending our granddaughters.)

Negligent ball care (26 turnovers) ruined the glow of outstanding performances by Hans Miersma, Jason Dempsey, and Taylor Bajema.

The contest was non-league and played in Lynn (MA).

Even factoring in the frightening turnover total, the Scots (2-6) were more efficient (96) than were the 8-3 Falcons (88).  For those new to what “efficient” means let me explain how the total is figured: I take the negative stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers) and subtract them from the positive stats (points, rebounds, blocks, steals, assists).  Usually the losing team comes out on the wrong end of the efficiency stats but not this time.

A look at the efficiency numbers however did reveal remarkable games by Hans (37), Jason (23), and Taylor (19).  If all you knew were those personal efficiency numbers you’d almost be certain a GC win had happened but instead even those numbers weren’t enough to avert a third straight loss.

Gordon had a field day in close to the basket getting 46 points in the paint.  Taking most of their shots in high-percentage areas helped the Scots shoot a remarkable 55.4%, which was a season high.

This game was close throughout.  The Falcons from Boston took the lead for good with five minutes left.  The rest of the way backbreaking 3’s by Kyle Holmes (2) and Tyler Shuler (1), plus seven straight made free throws in the last thirty-four seconds, denied GC comeback attempts.

Kyle ended up with sixteen points and four steals.  Tyler added eighteen points and three steals.

Carter Bras – 7 points and five rebounds vs Fisher

This was easily Gordon freshman Carter Bras’ best game.  The newcomer contributed seven points and five rebounds.

The Falcon’s game-long tenacity on defense was the ultimate game decider.  Fisher forced twenty-six Gordon turnovers and even more important turned the miscues into thirty-three points!  So the average cost to GC for every turnover was over one point.  That is very heavy price to pay.  From my long-range vantage point that looks like a game with an overdose of “steal-two’s” to me.

In the games I’ve actually seen, most of the turnovers have happened because guards try to dribble through double teams or because players in the paint are untuned to weakside defense giving help.  In both scenarios GC players are getting ganged up on by multiple defenders and are still trying to dribble in such a high risk setup.

The bottom line is that if Gordon had tamed the turnovers they would have won the game.  The Scots will get a chance to attempt some of that “taming” at 5PM on Saturday versus 1-5 Lesley in Cambridge.  Last game before the Christmas break.

Name drop for me from the Lesley roster: Casey Blanchard.  The name seemed familiar to me.  Sure enough research revealed that the last time I saw the Lesley junior play was in the Division 3 Massachusetts state baseball championship against Newburyport in June of 2011. Casey had two hits in Pioneer Valley’s 9-4 loss.  That game was played on the same day the Stanley Cup Boston Bruins had their parade through the streets of Boston.

It is hard to imagine a college, like Fisher, not having its own gymnasium, isn’t it.  But it wasn’t that long ago that Gordon played its home games at Beverly Memorial.  Okay, it was long ago but the luxury of having an on-campus athletic facility is not lost on those of us who go back to those off-campus days.

Efficiency
Hans Miersma 37 (16 points/18 rebounds/7 blocks)
Jason Dempsey 23 (18 points/8 rebounds)
Tyler Shular 21 (18 points/3 steals)
Taylor Bajema 19 (21 points/4 assists)
Kyle Holmes 15 (16 points/4 steals)

Gordon 96
Fisher 88

Boxscore