Gordon finishes strong defeats Wentworth 66-53 for first conference win

Park Thomas (20 points) had a career game against Wentworth

Hans Miersma (12 points) puts in two.

(Wenham) Gordon enlarged a narrow lead down the stretch and defeated Wentworth, 66-53, for their first Commonwealth Coast Conference win and a nice ending to the 2012 part of their season.

The crowd at the Bennett Center had plenty to cheer about as Gordon took over late and won going away.

The victory may not remove the hurt of the last Gordon/Wentworth get together (loss in OT in the CCC quarterfinals at Wentworth) but it certainly showed off plenty of positives.

Park Thomas had a career-high twenty points and Hans Miersma had his fourth double/double to pace the Scots.

The final score, and its thirteen-point margin, are totally misleading in describing how this game went.  It was a two-point game (47-45) with five minutes left with the ultimate winner far from determined.

Corey Therriault ends the first half with a three

But down that final five-minute stretch, the Scots (5-4) were terrific.  They made a few outside shots but it was the foul shooting late (14-for-16) that carried Gordon to their third straight win.

What a difference a year makes!  The 2011-12 team all too often ran into one sort of difficulty or another in that season and found losses where wins looked possible.  This time around, with another year of experience, the ability to hang in under pressure has shown up late in second halves.

Within two (47-45), Wentworth had four straight empty possessions while Gordon was collecting seven points.  That was where the game got away from the Leopards who had won five straight.

Park Thomas

This was best game I have seen Park play and his efficiency stat (+22) backs me up.  Park had twelve of his twenty points in the second half including 9-of-10 free throws.  More impressive to me was his ZERO turnovers.  Considering how the junior was hounded by denial defense most of the way, this was a major accomplishment.

Taylor Bajema (15 points) had eleven of his points in the second half.  The sophomore made four straight free throws in the last five minutes.

The Leopards (5-3) struggled with their shooting in the second half.  John-Michael Fragnoli was the lone bright light with eleven second-half points on 4-for-7 shooting.  His teammates combined to shoot 4-for-20 in the second half.

Wentworth carried the lead through much of the first half and the game appeared to be heading for a down-the-stretch close one.  The late, consistent shooting of the Scots, however, made for a different ending.

Hans Miersma draws contact

6-9 Hans Miersma had ten rebounds and twelve points.  Those who suspect that basketball is a contact sport, after all, would see/hear plenty of evidence to back up that conclusion down in the low post where Hans hangs out.

Corey Therriault had twelve points for the Leopards.

Wentworth next plays in the NYU Holiday Classic on December 29th against Clark University.

The Scots will be off for nineteen days before facing Wheelock College on the road at 7:30PM on January 3rd.

Top Five Players in Efficiency in Wentworth/Gordon game:
Park Thomas +22
Taylor Bajema +17
John-Michael Fragnoli +17
Corey Therriault +17
Hans Miersma +12

Team Stat? Gordon +74  Wentworth +44

#1 –  good stats (rebounds, points, assists, blocks, steals). #2 –  bad stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers).

A player’s efficiency in a particular game is arrived at by subtracting the sum of the bad stats from the sum of good stats.

box score

A special thanks to those of you showing us support regarding the tragedy in Newtown.  Our daughter and son-in-law live there with our two granddaughters.  Neither of the girls (Sarah/Maddie) are in the Newtown schools but they know students who have connections to victims.  Julie and I will be traveling to Newtown next Sunday to be with Adam/Stephanie/Sarah/Maddie through Christmas.  Your prayers will be greatly appreciated as we attempt to provide God’s comfort.

(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

opening tip

David Dempsey (10 points) gets inside

Gordon dance team

Taylor Bajema (15 points) gets an open look

Cam Sennick gets a rebound in front of Jordan Kelly

Shaun Roach chased by Matt Harte

Luke Hamilton blocks Corey Therriault

Sophomore John-Michael Fragnoli had thirteen points

Chris Alderson and Nico Donato battle

Hans Miersma’s double/double drives Gordon past Lesley 62-61

Hans Miersma (pictured against Curry) hit a free throw with no time left to defeat Lesley by one point

(Newburyport)  Hans, there you go again with the last-second heroics while I’m elsewhere!

Hans Miersma made a free throw with no time left on the clock to give Gordon (4-4) an exciting, 62-61, win over Lesley University (3-6) on Tuesday night.

David Dempsey (pictured against Curry) had a season-high eighteen points against Lesley

The Lynx do not have a gymnasium.  They play their games at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols in Cambridge.  On the BBN website, parking was described as, “very limited,” with the best alternative being to park across the Charles River and wait for the hourly shuttle.  This information convinced me to seek alternate transportation that didn’t materialize.

Anyhow, the game was at BBN.  The game stat sheets reveal a game that could have been won/lost by either team.

Hans had a huge game (12 points/12 rebounds/5 blocks) and his play in the final two minutes was key to the Gordon victory.

Hans had four rebounds in those last two minutes and none bigger than his offensive rebound of a Park Thomas miss in the closing seconds in a tie (61-61) game.

After Hans took down the rebound he was fouled by Brian Glodowski just before the game-ending buzzer went off.  According to the LU website, the officials discussed the timing of the foul before giving Hans a chance to win the game……which he did.

For those paying attention at home, this is the second time this season that Hans has come up big near the end of a game.  Remember the Salem State game?  Hans converted Dave Dempsey’s miss in the closing second as the Scots edged the Vikings, 69-68, on November 20th.

This game has some serious ups and downs for both teams.  After a 25-25 first half, the Scots put together a 20-10 segment during the first seven minutes and led 45-35.  David Dempsey (18 points) put up eight to pace Gordon while Park Thomas (15 points) nailed two 3’s.

However, somebody pressed the off button on the Scot scoring and over the next 7 ½ minutes they tallied only two points!  Not surprising, that ten-point lead vanished into a seven point deficit (54-47) with 5 ½ minutes remaining in the game.  (Matt Gibson had ten points during the Lynx comeback)

Park Thomas (pictured against Curry) had fifteen points for the Scots

The Scots rallied to regain the lead with a 10-2 spurt featuring layups by Hans and Taylor Bajema as well as 3’s from Tom Hurley and Park Thomas.

David Dempsey had a block in the final minute before Hans’ free throw clinched the win.

David had a season-high in points (18).  The team had season highs in blocks (9) and offensive rebounds (19).

Tom Hurley went from observer to contributor with five points (his first points at Gordon) in fourteen minutes of playing time.

Appearing for the first time this season was senior Jordan Kelly.  His rebounding and inside presence is sure to help the Scots as the season progresses.

Last year the 9-17 Scots lost eleven conference games in which they led in the second half.  A year older, Gordon has lost only two such games (Curry & Lynchburg) overall in a similar manner.  So in six of this season’s eight games, the Scots have been in a position to win late and have done it four times.  None of Gordon’s four wins have been by more than seven points.

Top Five Players in Efficiency in the Gordon/Lesley game:
Hans Miersma +27
David Dempsey +21
Matt Gibson +16
Brian Godowsky +15
Park Thomas +11

Team totals: Gordon +70  Lesley +62

When NBA coaches evaluate a player’s game performance they use the following stats:

#1 –  good stats (rebounds, points, assists, blocks, steals). #2 –  bad stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers).

A player’s efficiency in a particular game is arrived at by subtracting the sum of the bad stats from the sum of good stats.

A well-known sports line, regarding a traded player who returns to play well against the team that traded him, is: “Why can’t we get players like that?”   There was senior point guard Matt Gibson of Lesley producing a stat line against Gordon that included; two assists, four steals, and no turnovers in twenty-seven minutes.  Yes, Matt was at Gordon two years ago.  He played very rarely and scored only twenty points during the 2010-11 Scot season.

Gordon returns to Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Saturday (3PM) at the Bennett Center against Wentworth.  Last time the Leopards were at Gordon was Seniors Day.  The five Gordon seniors came off the bench to start and, led by the Herod twins, rushed off to a nice lead in a game the Scots won by twenty-three points.  One week later, however, in the opening round of the CCC tournament the Scots lost to Wentworth to end their season.

The Scots are 0-2 in the CCC so far and would surely enjoy the Christmas break a whole lot more with a win in their last game of 2012.

Wentworth (5-2) has won five straight games.

box score

Gordon defeats Berkeley 80-77 to win consolation game in New York tournament

Kaseem Williams (24) of Berkeley takes the last shot of the game as Taylor Bajema (2) defends

Park Thomas (15 points) made two free throws with four seconds left to give Gordon a three-point lead

(Purchase NY)  This should make the Saturday night bus ride home to Wenham a lot more pleasant.

The Scots (3-4) broke a tie in the final minute and defeated Berkeley, 80-77, on Saturday afternoon to take the consolation game in the First Annual AJ Buchanan Classic at Manhattanville College.

Playing a second game in less than a day, you expected sloppy play but this game was anything but that.  Both teams shot well and the defense was intense. It wasn’t until Kaseem Williams’ buzzer-beating, potentially game-tying three, missed that this game officially became a Gordon victory.

If the efficiency rating means anything then this was by far the Scots best game of the season as they registered a +95.  The keys to that good number were a season high in assists (22) and a season low in turnovers (11).

The Scots’ offense was impressive as their constant screening and moving turned up plenty of high-percentage, interior shots.

Six Scots ended up in double figures – David Dempsey (16), Jason Dempsey (15), Park Thomas (15), Luke Hamilton (12), Taylor Bajema (12), and Hans Miersma (10).  I wonder when the last time that happened was.

Don Dempsey (David & Jason’s father) reminded me that Gordon had played Berkeley before.  Sure enough, two years ago (December 10th) they were at the Bennett Center.

The Knights, in that one, took Gordon into overtime before losing.  Big scorers for Berkeley were Kaseem Williams and Jose Stable.  Kaseem, in fact, sent the game into overtime with a layup at the buzzer.

Two years later, Kaseem was in the same position to extend a Gordon/Berkeley game but his shot from the left rimmed wide.

Kaseem Williams (28 points) and Jose Stable (23 points/14 rebounds) were key performers in the consolation game.  That was why it was surprising that neither one was able to make a big play for Berkeley in the final minute.

Jose Stable (12) drives right in the last ten seconds guarded by David Dempsey

Jose’s turnover looked, from the other end of the court, as if the ball just slipped out of his hands as he went up for a shot along the baseline.

Gordon led for the first thirty-one minutes but never comfortably.  The lead did reach nine a couple of times (32-23 in the first half and 61-52 in the second half) but the Knights (3-4) never gave up.

That Gordon, 61-52, advantage disappeared into a 64-63 deficit in 2 ½ minutes, thanks to a 12-2 run with Jovan Bovell’s layup pushing the team from New York City ahead.

Gordon rallied right back to get a six-point lead (72-66) with 4:40 left only to have the Knights to come all the way back to tie it with a minute left.

One of my favorite plays to watch is a backdoor cut that leads to a layup.  That was exactly the play that Berkeley ran on the game-tyer as Kaseem Williams beat Taylor Bajema on a backdoor cut and Jose Stable made the perfect pass.

But the Scots were able to thrive in the last minute and took home a nice win.

Jason Dempsey (15 points) gets the ball in the paint

Sophomore Jason Dempsey had a career high with his fifteen points.  Brother David may well have had (I didn’t bring my stat books to Newtown) a career high with seven assists.

The Knights spent a lot of time conversing with the referees.  Maybe they were trying a new approach with officials after getting two technical fouls late in their close opening-round loss to host Manhattan College on Friday night.

Gordon next plays on Tuesday night (7PM) versus non-league Lesley College at a gym I hope to find in Boston.

A big thanks from me to Steve Sheridan (Manhattanville Sports Information Director) for supplying me with the statistical paperwork I needed to summarize the two games in two days.  He’s a good one!

Top Five Players in Efficiency for Gordon/Berkeley game:
Jose Stable +31
David Dempsey +24
Kaseem Williams +22
Luke Hamilton +18
Park Thomas +18
Taylor Bajema +12
Jason Dempsey +12

Teams?  Gordon +95  Berkeley +79

When NBA coaches evaluate a player’s game performance they use the following stats:

#1 –  good stats (rebounds, points, assists, blocks, steals). #2 –  bad stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers).

A player’s efficiency in a particular game is arrived at by subtracting the sum of the bad stats from the sum of good stats.

box score

(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Luke Hamilton (12 points) lines up a three

team unity down the stretch

Park Thomas gets into the lane

Jovan Bovell chats with referee

Park Thomas steals from Jose Stable

David Dempsey glides in for two of his sixteen points

Kaseem Williams (28 points) gets a layup

defensive reminder

Lynchburg downs Gordon 69-54 in tourney opener in New York

Michael Wims (22 points) defends a stumbling David Dempsey

Park Thomas pressured by Tyri Morring (11)

(Purchase NY)  The Lynchburg Hornets (6-2) took the lead for good thirty seconds into the game and defeated Gordon, 69-54, on Friday night in the first round of the 1st Annual AJ Buchanan Classic.

The combination of good passing and great pressure gave the Scots (2-4) fits for the first 13 ½ minutes of the first half and later in the final ten minutes of the second half.  How does a 54-23 difference sound?

However, during the minutes in the middle, the Scots played really well.  How does 31-15 sound?

But Lynchburg’s beginning and ending were more than enough to do in Gordon.

Tomorrow the Scots play in the consolation game against Berkeley at 2PM.

This game had blowout written all over it in the first half as the visitors from Virginia had there way on both ends of the court forcing turnovers (26 for the game) and displaying unselfishness (18 assists in 26 baskets for the game).

All this good Hornet play had them up, 30-13, with 6 ½ minutes left in the first half.

But credit the team from Wenham.  Instead of giving up, the Scots played a terrific next seventeen minutes of playing time stretching into the second half.

Taylor Bajema (11 points) lays one in

During this positive Gordon segment, the Scots outscored Lynchburg, 31-15, getting nine points from Taylor Bajema, seven from David Dempsey, and six from Luke Hamilton.

All this good stuff had Gordon trailing by just one point (45-44) with nearly ten minutes left.

The rest of the way?  Let’s just say that one team ran out of gas and the other team started harvesting points off of nine Gordon turnovers.  Lynchburg closed out the game with a 24-10 run and will now face host Manhattanville tomorrow in the finals at 4PM.

Senior Michael Wims (22 points) paced the Hornets.  Brandan Connor added ten points to go along with six steals.

David Dempsey (13) and Taylor Bajema (11) led the Scots.

David Dempsey (13 points) beats Alex Graves to the rim

The Hornet pressure was intense from end to end.  They often had Gordon going at a faster pace then they would have liked.

Lynchburg’s interior pressure was so effective that usual Gordon scoring option (Hans Miersma) was only able to get off three shots.

One thing that wasn’t good by either team was 3-point shooting.  Lynchburg was 5-for-26 while Gordon shot 3-for-14.

David Dempsey, Luke Hamilton, and Park Thomas all played at least thirty minutes versus Lynchburg.  You have to wonder what their legs will feel like tomorrow afternoon in the consolation game.

Box score

Top Five Players in Efficiency in Lynchburg/Gordon game:
Michael Wims +22
Brandan Connor +19
David Dempsey +12
Alex Graves +11
Gary Boone +9

Team Scores?  Lynchburg +82 Gordon +46

When NBA coaches evaluate a player’s game performance they use the following stats:

#1 –  good stats (rebounds, points, assists, blocks, steals). #2 –  bad stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers).

A player’s efficiency in a particular game is arrived at by subtracting the sum of the bad stats from the sum of good stats.

(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

David Dempsey gets shot blocked by Gary Boone (25)

Harry West (0) and Tyri Morring (11)

Park Thomas gets into the lane

Brandan Connor (10 points and 6 steals) looks for an opening

Xavier Parham (2) breaks away after a steal

Xavier Parham (2) on the baseline guarded by Chris Alderson (1)

Manny Hernandez (24) puts up a floater in the lane

Gordon holds off Wheaton 72-65 with clutch free throws

Taylor Bajema had a career game with nineteen points and eight rebounds. Here he is defended by Eddie Capstick (14) and Mike OLoughlin (23)

free throws made the difference

(Norton)  Gordon (2-3) squandered most of a fourteen point lead down the stretch but free throw shooting (You read that right!) saved the day as the Scots defeated Wheaton, 72-65, in non-league action on Tuesday night.

Gordon led, 57-43, with 6:20 left before things slide into the nail-biting zone.  Greasing the slide were six turnovers and three missed field goals.  You feared that this one might slip away but there to the rescue came Scot free throw shooting.

Remember that after four games Gordon was barely shooting 50% from the foul line.  With a history like that it make perfect sense to send the Scots free throwing.

But over the last 6+ minutes of the game your Scots made fifteen-of-eighteen pressure free throws to secure the win.

The Lyons (5-2) got close but their poor shooting did them in.  They were within five (68-63) with thirty-nine seconds left but both Mike O’Loughlin and Scott Faucher missed three’s before Luke Hamilton secured a rebound for Gordon.

Hans Miersma (18 rebounds) defended by Ryan Clinesmith (20 points)

The sophomores from Whitinsville Christian were terrific in the second half.  Taylor Bajema had fifteen points while Hans Miersma collected twelve rebounds.

Taylor, who scored twenty-four points all of last season as a freshman, ended this game with nineteen points and eight rebounds.

Hans had plenty of trouble shooting (4-for-15) but owned the boards collecting eighteen.  (Not mentioning his air-ball free throw would probably be the right thing to do.)

Gordon got separation from Wheaton midway through the second half.  A 42-39 advantage expanded to 49-39 in a two-minute span as the only offense was two free throws each from David Dempsey and Taylor Bajema as well as a three from Taylor.

David Dempsey heads for bench with fifth foul

One of the reasons things got a bit dicey down the stretch was that David Dempsey fouled out with 4+ minutes to go.

The matchup worth watching was Hans against 6-5 Ryan Clinesmith.  “Basketball is not a contact sport,” went out the window based on the way those two went at it!  Ryan could shoot from the outside and ended up with a game-high twenty points.

Gordon next plays on Friday night (6PM) in Purchase, New York as part of a tournament at Manhattanville College.

I was very impressed with the Wheaton College campus.

Got my first look at Tom Hurley and Richie Armand.

Wheaton was 5-for-17 from the free throw line and some of those were the front ends of one-and-one’s.

Judge Laban Wheaton founded a female seminary in 1834 to memorialize his daughter.  One of the women who set up that seminary was Mary Lyon.  That’s where the nickname, Lyons, comes from.

Noted children’s author Jean Fritz went to Wheaton as well as the current King of Bhutan.

Wheaton’s baseball team was ranked 9th in the country this past season.  They lost to Marietta in the championship game.

The motto of Wheaton College is: “that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”  No mention of the Bible reference but it does come from John 10:10.

I got a sense that things might go Gordon’s way in the second half when Taylor was dribbling past half-court and Coach Murphy is yelling, “Laker, Laker.”  Taylor doesn’t get the message that a set play should be run and instead drives past his defender for a basket.

Anyhow, nice win for Gordon.  The arrival of Hans and Taylor as significant contributors has been noted.

Top Five Players in Efficiency in Gordon/Wheaton game:

Taylor Bajema +17
Hans Miersma +15
Ryan Clinesmith +14
David Dempsey +13
Jason Dempsey +12
Scott Faucher +12

Team totals?  Gordon +84 Wheaton +63

When NBA coaches evaluate a player’s game performance they use the following stats:

#1 –  good stats (rebounds, points, assists, blocks, steals). #2 –  bad stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers).

A player’s efficiency in a particular game is arrived at by subtracting the sum of the bad stats from the sum of good stats.

(The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

David Dempsey (25) defended by Brian Johnson (11)

Coach Tod Murphy afterwards

Wheaton cheerleader

late trap on Park Thomas

Hans Miersma (32) and Richie Armand (12)

Shaun Roach (11) defended by Jaycob Morales

looking for a rebound

box score

Curry trio orchestrates 73-62 win over Gordon

AJ Stephens (32) had fourteen points and sixteen rebounds in the Curry victory.

David Dempsey gives his 1000-point ball to his sister Megan

(Wenham) I’m betting that few folks at the Gordon/Curry game knew that Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) was Curry’s first chancellor.

I’m also betting most folks could pick out the heroes for Curry (3-3) in their 73-62 Commonwealth Coast Conference win over Gordon (1-3) on Saturday afternoon.

AJ Stephens (14 points/16 rebounds), Sedale Jones (17 points/10 rebounds), and point guard Lambros Papalambros (13 points/4 assists/1 turnover) had exceptional games for the Colonels.

But as good as that trio was, there were the Scots down only by three (61-58) with 2:51 remaining.   However, that was as close as Gordon would get.

After two Sedale Jones free throws (he was 12-for-14), a steal by senior Eric Guglielmello (off David Dempsey) sent Lambros Papalambros away for a layup and a seven-point lead less than a minute later.  Game-set-match!

Curry is now 2-0 in the CCC while the Scots are 0-2.

Sedale Jones (17 points) defended in the corner

Sedale Jones was a first-team CCC player last year carrying a 21-point per game average.  Against the Scots the points were expected (17) but the rebounds weren’t.  He also played 39 minutes.

AJ Stephens is listed at 6-5/255 pounds on the Curry website.  The 6-5 the Scots could deal with.  His weight enabled him to establish position close to the basket.  Once he got the ball he was strong/agile enough to score or get fouled.  He had both Hans Miersma and David Dempsey in foul trouble midway through the second half and that put two of Gordon’s top scorers on the bench instead of on the floor for way too many minutes.

Lambros Papalambros performed the point-guard role very well.  He had just one turnover despite handling the ball most of the time.

The Colonel trio combined to shoot 12-for-23 from the floor and 18-for-22 from the foul line.

Gordon was able to hang around in this one because the rest of the Colonels did not shoot as well.

Speaking of shooting, where has Gordon’s touch gone?  36-for-71 from the foul line so far.  That a little over 50%!  (In a bad dream I imagine Gordon with a twenty-point lead in a second half with ten minutes left and the other team starts fouling on every possession.)

When the talk is of 3’s, it is often said that you can live by them and you can die by them.  That shot was available against Curry but as 5-for-23 suggests the long-ball wasn’t falling.

Hans Miersma awaits an entry pass

I was impressed with the play of sophomores Taylor Bajema and Hans Miersma.  Taylor looks comfortable playing starter’s minutes.  Hans has improved his positioning on offense and once he gets the ball has shot a dazzling 20-for-26 so far.

Luke Hamilton had two surprises (to me) on offense.  One time he took the ball to the basket – was this a first?  Another time he put in a three-point shot off the backboard.

David Dempsey was honored before the game.  He reached 1000 points in February at Nichols.  His sister Megan was instrumental in getting the ball from that game for her brother.

AJ Stephens (32) and David Dempsey (25) in action under the basket

With his fifteen points versus Curry, David’s point total is now (by my unofficial count) at 1089 which puts him one point ahead of Justin Kauffman on the all-time Gordon scoring list.

Gordon travels to Wheaton (MA) on Tuesday for a non-league 7PM game.  Wheaton is 5-1 after losing to Bridgewater State today.

JT Himmelstein was in the house today.  The 2012 graduate is a student at Gordon Conwell.

Myra/Jim Marstaller were also on hand.  Jim reported that son Jon is working in Hawaii.  Why didn’t I think of that when I was his age?

box score

Top five players in efficiency in Gordon/Curry game:

Sedale Jones +23
AJ Stephens +23
Lambros Papalambros +21
Hans Miersma +16
Taylor Bajema +10

Team efficiency?
Curry +82  Gordon +59

When NBA coaches evaluate a player’s game performance they use the following stats:

#1 –  good stats (rebounds, points, assists, blocks, steals). #2 –  bad stats (missed field goals, missed free throws, turnovers).

A player’s efficiency in a particular game is arrived at by subtracting the sum of the bad stats from the sum of good stats.

The pictures above and below enlarge considerably if you click on them.

Luke Hamilton shoots a three in front of the Gordon bench

David Dempsey leaps to defend a shot

Sedale Jones defended by Taylor Bajema

Pam Bajema and Val Gin

Curry coach Malcolm Wynn

David Dempsey heavily defended

action under the basket

Eric Guglielmello (14)

Lambros Papalambros (24)