(Game #26 – Salve Regina) Gordon Can’t Close Deal Season Ends

By Peter McClelland

(Newport) – With the game/season on the line Gordon came up small (as opposed to big) and lost in the first round of the Commonwealth Coast Conference playoffs to host Salve Regina, 67-60, on Tuesday evening.

With two minutes left the Scots had the ball and momentum (they’d scored five points in a row) and only trailed 56-54.  They had as good a chance as the Seahawks to win this thing.

But an “inexplicable,” to use Gordon Coach Mike Schauer’s word, 10-second violation gave the ball back to Salve Regina and Matt Coute (junior-Somerset MA) followed with a game-on-the-line three.  Now down five (59-54) the Scots were forced to foul and the Seahawks answered every hurried Gordon basket with successful free throws – they were eight-for-eight in the last minute – and put themselves into the CCC semi-finals.

The Scots finish the season at 15-11 and for the third year in a row couldn’t get a first round win in the tournament.  All of those losses have been on the road.  Moral?  Gordon has to find a way to finish in the top two in their division to get that opening round home game.

The Scots wasted a real nice second half comeback.  Down 49-34 with 12 minutes left Coach Schauer found answers on the bench (John Beebe/Mike Schnackenberg/Aaron Vogelzang) and his team played its best basketball of the night over the next ten minutes.  Some serious defense was exhibited and a 20-7 run happened.

“It was the kids who don’t play much who were involved in the comeback,” explained Coach Schauer afterwards.  “Their play made it hard for me to decide who to play at the end of the game.  I thought we made the wrong decision.  I probably should have continued with (Mike) Schnackenberg and the others.”

That comeback didn’t surprise Salve Regina Coach Sean Foster.  “Gordon is a tremendous team.  We certainly didn’t think they’d lie down once we got the lead.  They have good shooters and are well coached.”

Star of the Game??  Jon Hazzard (sophomore-North Kingstown RI) by a unanimous vote.  This young 6’5” leaper poured in 24 points (15 in the second half) in what Coach Foster claimed was, “easily his finest game of the season.”  Gordon ran out of defenders for him. 

“Jon’s a sophomore who’s played a lot more this year than last year.  He’s had a few games where he’s shown promise and potential but nothing like this.  His aggressiveness in getting to the glass was key for him because it gave him a lot of close shots.”

Jon picked up right where Curry’s Raheim Lamb had left off last game by finishing with authority.  He had three jams along the way.  Not bad for a player who came in averaging 8.7 points per game.

NOTES

Where did the Gordon 3-point touch go in the second half?  They were 1-for-10!  “They shot the three real well in the first half (5-for-11) and one of the keys in the second half was how well we would come out and contest their shots,” said Coach Foster.  “If we could do that I thought we had a real advantage on the glass and we could hold them off.”

Coach Schauer was quick to take the blame for the grievous 10-second violation.  “It was my fault.  I was calling the names of two players and they were the wrong players.  It ended up confusing things on the court.” 

That Salve Regina gymnasium was about the hottest place I’ve been to since I was in a greenhouse last spring.  How hot was it?  Both coaches had their suit coats off before this game was over.

Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT) played this one from end-to-end (all 40 minutes) and defended well while putting up 11 points.  He got his reverse spin move down the lane to work and then there was that 3-pointer that bounced off the rim and backboard before going in. 

Jerry Logan (sophomore-Marietta GA) will probably file this game under “frustrating.”  Defending the Seahawks top scorer (Matt Coute) he got two quick fouls in the first four minutes and landed on the bench.  Six minutes into the second half he had his third foul and technical to go with it when he tried to “help” the referee.  This got him another trip to the bench.  He needs to play a lot more than 23 minutes if the Scots are to compete.

The two big men inside (Jon Marstaller-freshman Naples ME & Chris Collier-senior Exeter NH) neutralized each other on offense but Chris was the big winner on the boards collecting 13 including 7 offensive rebounds.  This was another game in which Alex Yeats……….ah, never mind.

Who needs coaches?  Salve Regina got back so late from halftime that they had no warm-ups and the captains got the players out on the court to start the second half because the Seahawk coaching staff was absent.

Where are the students?  Nice building, important game, but few students.  I’m thinking, selfishly, that it’s partly because of a lack of information.  It seems to me that no one but close friends and loved ones go to away games and so potential on-campus supporters get out of touch with the team.  I think that the websites are too factual to stimulate much of an on-campus following.  Endicott is the only CCC school in which a basketball game is an event and you don’t want to miss it.  Maybe it’s because they’re so successful.
Hand in the uniforms?  Not so fast.  Coach Schauer alerted me to the fact that the team will be going to Taiwan after graduation in May for several weeks.  It’s a trip similar to one that Wheaton (Illinois) has taken and Coach Schauer knows the folks running it.  There will be as many as 10 games with all different types of competition.  I wonder if they need someone to write those games up??

Thanks to the team for the pleasure of watching another season unfold.  Thanks to departing senior Scott Allenby for helping me greatly increase the folks on the receiving end of my writing attempts.   Thanks to the coaching staff for their cooperation in the good times and the bad.  To God be the glory!

(Game #25 – Curry) Red-Hot Curry Burns Gordon

By Peter McClelland

(Milton) – “There’s an old adage that defense wins games but a guy could always say that in the history of sports it’s the team with the most points that usually wins,” said Curry Coach Malcolm Wynn jokingly after watching his team light up visiting Gordon for 96 points and win 96-79.

And this was a game in which Gordon’s offense was very good, as well, but there just was no stopping the Colonels on this final contest of the regular Commonwealth Coast Conference season on a Saturday afternoon in Milton.

The outcome didn’t affect either team’s place in the CCC standings no matter what happened.  Both came in third in their respective divisions.  Curry finishes 11-5 and Gordon 9-7. 

Gordon starts the CCC tournament at Salve Regina in Newport RI.  Curry gets to play Colby-Sawyer up in New London NH.  After what I saw of Curry in this one I like their chances against Colby-Sawyer and anybody else in the tournament for that matter!

“We’ve been up and down all season,” said Coach Wynn.  “We wanted to win the CCC South again but a tough loss at home to Endicott and a road loss to Roger Williams last game ended there and so we won’t get a home game in the tournament.  So we wanted to end the regular season on a positive note.”  Trust me, coach, that’s exactly what happened!

It was a tough loss for the Scots because in a game in which their offense was extremely good (they shot 53.4% overall including 41.7% from 3-point land) they still were convincingly beaten.  “This is the best offensive team in our league,” said Coach Mike Schauer after.  “At home you can see how comfortable they are.”

If the Gordon offense was very good, how would you describe the Curry offense??  How about 37-for-56 overall and 10-for-16 from 3-point range! 

The Scots started out in a man-to-man but after getting down 20-13 and watching Raheim Lamb (junior-Roxbury MA) dunk three times in the first 7 ½ minutes it was time to try zoning Curry.  It worked last year at Gordon where the Scots won 66-56.  In that one the Colonels had nothing from the outside. 

And again in this one the zone seemed to throw Curry off its game for a time.  While the Colonels were adjusting to the zone the Scots turned to instant offense (Mark Beebe-freshman-Clive IA).  He delivered long-range twice and Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT) and Jerry Logan (sophomore-Marietta GA) had successful drives to the basket.  The Scots were trailing just 28-25 with 7 ½ left until halftime.

The rest of the half, however, Gordon found out that this Curry team had an outside game as well.  With James Bartelle (sophomore-Dorchester MA) on one wing and Tim Jones (sophomore-Brookline MA) on the other the Colonels had players who could hurt a zone badly.

By the time those 7 ½ minutes were up both snipers had two treys each and there was the home team comfortably in front, 49-31 at halftime. 

Curry got up by twenty (56-36 at 18:10) but credit Gordon, they kept plugging and ran ten straight on their way to making things interesting (60-50) with 15 minutes left.  Justin Kaufman made his patented reverse spin down the lane pay off during this segment.  You thought that maybe Curry had shot its wad and the Scots could make a serious run at taking this game. 

But not on this afternoon.  The Scots ran through a miserable series of possessions (5 turnovers in a row!) and there went the Colonels up by twenty again (75-55 at 9:40). A couple minutes later Mike Herr (sophomore-Lampeter PA) hit a three and the Scots were still hanging around down, 77-65, with seven minutes left. 

Gordon had gone back to man-to-man by now and the Colonels started penetrating freely.  They rolled up 13 while the Scots got 3.  Along the way Raheim Lamb had yet another dunk.  This game was over.  Actually, Gordon ran off the last eight points to make the final score as close as it was.

Coach Schauer told me afterwards what he thought the problem was on defense.  “What concerned me most was that we kept getting beat on the ball.  We do have guys who can defend.”  This was a game in which all of the one-on-one matchups were won by the home team.  At times they were going to the basket as if it were pre-game warm-ups!

Raheim Lamb is easily the most dominant player I’ve seen in the CCC this season.  He came in leading the conference in scoring (20 per game) and put up 28 against the Scots.  He was 12-for-13 and didn’t miss a shot in the second half.

He was playing for Division One UMass two years ago before transferring to Curry.  “Obviously, a D1 transfer helps you personnel-wise,” understated Coach Wynn.  “But this kid has fit in.  Even though he can dominate sometimes, he’s not demanding.”

Raheim didn’t see the ball nearly as much when Gordon zoned but when the Curry guards broke down their defenders they knew to look for #33 in closer.  He was money in there.

James Bartelle nailed seven 3’s and reached 23 points while Tim Jones had three long-range and a number of lay-ups to tally 19.

As I wrote earlier, Gordon shot well.  Mike Herr (16 points) continued his warm shooting and that bodes well for Tournament Game #1.  Jon Marstaller (freshman-Naples ME) carried the team in the first half (15 points) and ended up with 19.  Jerry Logan had 13 but with a surprising (for him) 5 turnovers.  Justin Kaufman reached 10 points but it took him a team-high 13 shots to do it. 

NOTES

“I think that after what I saw today Curry can beat Colby-Sawyer in the playoffs,” said Coach Schauer.  He also predicted on Thursday night after the Wentworth win that Endicott had beaten Colby-Sawyer.  I have to admit that I disagreed with him on that one.

“I knew that 45% of the shots Gordon takes are 3-point shots and they run their motion as well, if not better, than Endicott runs their flex offense,” said Coach Wynn.  “Up until game-time I was going to have the defense switch on everything but then at the last minute I decided that we would play straight man defense.”

I wonder what Gordon would be like this season if a D1 transfer with the inside game of Raheim Lamb had landed with them?  He would have forced teams to zone and wouldn’t the likes of Mike Herr, Mark Beebe and others have had some nice looks.

One particularly loud fan kept shouting for Coach Wynn to put in #3 Clyde Forde in the first half.  Later he ridiculed Coach Schauer’s tie!  He was an equal opportunity insulter.

Steve Nelson (former New England Patriot) is the Curry AD and he was at the game.  I wish I’d asked him what his take was on the troubling Tedy Bruschi situation.

This is the third year in a row that Gordon has made the playoffs.  The last two times (Anna Maria and Roger Williams) it was one-and-done.  The Scot’s offense has been pretty good lately.  If the defense, that had been allowing only 64 points per game, can be found then Salve Regina can be beaten Tuesday night. 
 

(Game #24 – Wentworth) Mike Herr Finds Game Wentworth Feels Pain

By Peter McClelland

(Wenham) – “Nobody was more frustrated with his shooting than he was,” reported Gordon Coach Mike Schauer.  “It was just a matter of time.”

That formerly frustrated shooter was Mike Herr (sophomore-Lampeter PA) and what a nice game he had as Gordon dispatched Wentworth 77-54 Thursday night at the Bennett Center.  He poured in 20 points and, what’s important to note is that he shot a sizzling 8-for-12 to get those points.

“Mike was in here about 3:30 this afternoon shooting shots and he’s been doing that for quite a while,” said Coach Schauer.  “The only thing I ever did well in basketball was shoot the ball and you have stretches like he’s had.  It isn’t like you forgot how to shoot.  You just kind of hit a slump.”

And then there was the, “did-I-just-see-what-I-thought-saw,” moment.  If you were there you know the play I’m writing about.  With about 7 ½ minutes left Mike had the ball and was floating along the 3-point line in front of the Gordon bench.  I’m prepared to see another feathery long one when all of a sudden he slashes down the lane and records a thunderous dunk!  That brought the house down and there were even reports, unconfirmed, that the slam had Coach Schauer laughing on the bench.

“I’d seen him dunk in high school and he does it in practice,” added Coach Schauer.  “The emphatic dunk at the end was nice but the play that made me think he’d found his rhythm was when he dribbled between his legs and stepped back and made a shot over (Carmino) DeMercurio (6’6”-senior) in the second half.” 

The Scots are now 15-9 for all games and 9-6 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.  They’ve won three straight and close out the regular season Saturday in Milton (MA) against Curry.  Gordon will finish 3rd in the CCC North no matter what happens on Saturday and will be on the road against either Salve Regina, Roger Williams, or Curry when the CCC Playoffs start next Tuesday.

For Wentworth the season ends with a 9-game losing streak.  They finish the season at 6-18 with a 4-12 record in the CCC. 

What interested me was that if Wentworth had beaten Gordon they still had a chance to finish 4th in the CCC North.  How?  Because New England College lost to UNE this evening and a Wentworth win would have forced NEC to win at Salve Regina on Saturday to get that 4th spot.  Not an easy task!

The Leopards, however, had little chance in this one.  In the same fashion as the previous meeting in January (65-50 Scot victory) Gordon started fast built up a comfortable lead and bench-clearing became the order of the day.

By the time the Leopards had five points (12:20) the Scots already had 16.  Wentworth narrowed things to 18-10 when Frankie Hall (junior-Boston MA) converted a rebound two minutes later.  And they were still keeping the home team in sight with the score at 24-16 with 6 ½ left in the half.

But then Scott Allenby (senior-Proctor VT) picked a Leopard pocket (he had 4 steals in the game) and converted one of the resulting foul shots.  The next three minutes the Scots were able to put this one out of reach with their early season forte – the long one.

Wentworth started the game last in the CCC in defending the 3-point shot and unfortunately, for them, they fell victim to the long shot once again.  The next 12 Gordon points were from deep and three of those were from Mark Beebe (freshman-Clive IA).

“I want to point out the contribution of Mark Beebe in this one,” said Coach Schauer afterwards.  “In the first half when this game was still somewhat competitive he made three big shots.”  This young man is instant offense.

Those long shots put Gordon ahead 37-20 with 2 ½ remaining in the half.  The score at halftime was 41-25. 

Early in the second half the Scots ran eight straight as Jerry Logan (sophomore-Marietta GA) and Mike Herr connected from long range and Aaron Vogelzang (junior-Jericho VT) made a backdoor cut and was sent in alone for a lay-up after a nice pass from Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT).  This game was history with Gordon now in front 51-27 with 16:45 remaining.

The lead would grow to 75-43 (5 ½ left) on a couple of free throws from Nick Marino (freshman-Wellington FL) and instead of chanting, “It’s all over,” the crowd went with, “Jesse, Jesse.”  And sure enough, we did get to see Jesse Freedman (freshman-Mt.Kisco NY).

NOTES

That backdoor cut involving Aaron Vogelzang and Justin Kaufman worked twice in the second half.  With so many CCC team overplaying the 3-point shot you’d think that play would be successful a few times in every game.

Wentworth got a dunk from Carmino DeMercurio on an inbounds play.  Later the Leopard senior was called for goaltending one of Jon Marstaller’s (freshman-Naples Me) shots.

Jon picked up another double/double with 11 rebounds and 17 points.  He’s had a bunch of them.  He’s a 6’6” player who has a fall away shot that he uses in close to keep his shot from getting blocked.  He also can make a three if his defender sags off. 

Sherrard Prezzie-Blue (freshman-Norwalk CT) collected 15 but six of them came late.  He was the recipient of the Jerry Logan shadow defense.  “Jerry’s such a warrior,” said Coach Schauer.  “People don’t realize how hard he has to work to defend the other team’s best player every night.  And he does it every night and does a good job of it.”

Pete Hassler (Westford VT) showed a nifty slash-and-finger-roll late in the contest. 

It was a night of seeing seniors in home action for the last time.  Three key performers on the women’s team bowed out and of course it was the end for #21 Scott Allenby.  I’ll miss a couple of other seniors, as well, Rebecca Bing and Emily Sydow.  Those last two don’t play but the stats they’ve faithfully produced over the past four years have been prompt and accurate.  And of course Emily has turned heads for years with her rendition of the National Anthem.  Who will replace them????

(Game #23 – UNE) Youngsters Lead Gordon Past UNE

By Peter McClelland

(Biddeford) It’s a kid’s world after all!

Three freshmen took over the scoring load midway through the second half and turned a 39-37 deficit into a 57-44 advantage eight minutes later and the Scots had themselves a 61-50 win over the University of New England on Tuesday evening at Biddeford.

During the surge to victory Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT), Jon Marstaller (freshman-Naples ME) and Mike Schnackenberg (freshman-South Portland Me) tallied the entire 20 points Gordon got. 

Gordon Coach Mike Schauer was excited about the way his team played.  “I told the team that I love winning games this way.  It’s the Midwestern style of play.  You just grind it out.  You defend every possession.  We know what the other team is going to try and do and they know the same about us.  There are no tricks left.  It all comes down to will, effort, and a few plays here and there.”

The defenses, by both teams, were up close and personal.  And for Gordon it started at the beginning.  Last time, at Gordon, the Nor’easters zipped off to a 19-point half-time lead that was a pleasure to watch – if you were visiting from Biddeford.  This time around, though, the Scots came out defending and they limited the home team to just 17 shots in the first half and forced UNE into an extraordinarily high 15 turnovers during that time. 

That the Nor’easters were only down 27-21 at halftime playing that poorly is a credit to the defense they themselves were playing.  “We tried to jam their screens and force them to shoot more 2’s than 3’s,” said UNE Coach Jon Hayes.   And the 3’s that Gordon did manage to get off weren’t all that successful as their 3-for-15 in the first half would indicate.

UNE got a nice start in the second half led by Isaac Stickney (freshman-Rumford ME) and tied things at 29-29, 4 ½ minutes into the second half.  This was anyone’s ballgame.

The Scots got back up by four (35-31) on a Mike Herr (sophomore-Lampeter PA) jumper but UNE’s top scorers for the season (Matt McManus-junior Cumberland RI) and Mark Oliver-junior Gloucester MA) answered with six straight and UNE was up 37-35 with 10 minutes to go.  Mark Oliver answered Jon Marstaller’s two free throws by sending Tom Button (sophomore-Lyndeborough NH) in for a lay-up.  That put things at 39-37 and set the stage for Gordon’s ever-present defense and freshman heroics to kick in and put this one in the win column for the visitors.

“Fatigue was a problem for us in the second half,” explained Coach Hayes.  “It seemed to affect us more mentally than physically.  Our decision-making wasn’t as good as it should be this late in the season.”

Coach Schauer has begun to make it a habit in recent games to praise the play of Justin Kaufman.  This game was no exception and it wasn’t the 20 points he scored.  “He was special tonight and is starting to get it.  He’s starting to understand how hard you have to play defensively at this level to be a good player.  I’m as pleased with him as I’ve been with anyone all year.”   Justin relentlessly defended Mark Oliver most of the game and had Matt McManus when Jerry Logan (sophomore- Marietta GA) was on the bench. 

This was practically a home game for Jon Marstaller and Mike Schnackenberg and they had their own fan clubs out in force.  Jon contributed another double/double (18 points/10 rebounds) and even added three steals.  Mike took advantage of getting more minutes than usual and took the ball to the basket hard on several occasions during the victory surge and made all four foul shots awarded him. 

Gordon is now 14-9 overall and 8-6 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.  UNE extends their losing streak to six and slides to 6-16 and 2-12 in the CCC.

The Scots host Wentworth Thursday night in the last home game of the season.  UNE travels to New England College the same day.

NOTES

Free pizzas were offered to the first two people making 3-point shots at halftime.  Two girls from Thornton Academy took the first two shots and the pizzas were gone. 

Jerry Logan again swarmed Matt McManus.  UNE’s top scorer got four points in the last minute to get to 8 points (he averages 13.9) for the game.  “Matt was well defended,” said Coach Hayes.  “He’s been fighting a bit of a cold.  He’s had to do a lot of things for us this year.  We’re hoping to get some recruits in here so that next year he can go back to being a catch-and-shoot guy.”

Several times Aaron Vogelzang (junior-Jericho VT) has done it to me.  I’ll be sidetracked into writing down a basket just scored and he will pick someone’s pocket and I miss it.

The Celtics broadcasters call them “Tommy points,” after announcer Tommy Heinsohn.  You get them if you do something above and beyond the call of duty.  For lack of a better name, I’ll call them Gordy points.  I’m awarding one to Jon Marstaller for coming out of nowhere to tip in a missed shot in the second half.  I’ll give another one to Isaac Stickney for standing in against hard-charging Pete Hassler (junior-Westford VT) and taking a charge that sent him to the bench.

Two more games left in the regular season with the CCC Playoffs starting next Tuesday.  Gordon will be playing either Salve Regina, Curry, or Roger Williams in that first round.  The game will be on the road.  The Scots will get a look at high-scoring Curry on Saturday at Milton.
 

(Game #22 – Nichols) Scott Allenby Gets Honored Then Repays the Favor

By Peter McClelland

(Wenham) I suppose Scott Allenby figured, “If they’re going to honor me, I might as well put on a show they’ll remember.”  Because that’s what happened.

On Senior Recognition Day on Saturday afternoon at the Bennett Center Scott Allenby had a huge second half in leading the Scots past ever-so-close Nichols College, 78-73.

Gordon Coach Mike Schauer honored his lone senior before the game and needed little imagination to describe a truly class act.  Scott has had memorable games on the court but he’s better known for the type of person he is off of the court.  Things like, hard-working, courteous, and helpful come to mind for me.

The truth be told, if Scott doesn’t drain 14 points in the second half Gordon loses this one.  “We’ve been struggling to score points, “said Coach Schauer looking at the final statistics.  “When we can put up 45 points in a half (second) that’s a significant improvement but since we gave up 44 in the second half maybe it wasn’t that good.”

Gordon had lost 3 of 4 coming in and this win puts them at 13-9 overall and 7-6 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.  The Scots have three games left to get ready for the CCC tournament that will begin on the road for Gordon a week from this coming Tuesday. 

The Bison slip to 7-15 and 5-9 in the CCC.  Despite the loss there’s a good chance they’ll get to the CCC tourney as well because of the struggles of Eastern Nazarene and Anna Maria.  They’ll end up, if they make the tournament, facing either Colby-Sawyer or Endicott. 

This was a 3-point game (74-71) with 35 seconds left and Nichols had the ball.  “I’ve got a bunch of freshmen (9 on a squad of 13) and we don’t know how to finish games,” lamented Nichols Coach Dave Sokolnicki afterwards.

But in this one the ball was where Coach Sokolnicki would have wanted it in such a game-on-the-line situation – in the hands of junior Casey Butler (East Longmeadow-MA).  And as he launched another three you doubted he’d miss after he’d just tallied 12 of his team’s last 15 points.  Maybe it was defender Pete Hassler’s (junior-Westford VT) flying leap but anyway this one bounced off the rim and Mike Herr (sophomore-Lampeter PA) gathered in the rebound.  Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT) iced it with four straight free throws.

Despite the miss Coach Schauer raved about Casey Butler afterwards.  “He’s fantastic.  He just abused us.”  Casey tallied 17 in the second half on his way to a 24-point performance.  At 6’5” he can hurt a team from just about anywhere on the court.

This game had 13 lead changes, by my count, but once Jerry Logan’s (sophomore-Marietta GA) dropped two free throws the Scots had the lead for good 53-52 with 8:11 left.  Scott Allenby’s shooting heroics kicked in over the next five minutes.  He poured in 14 of the Scot’s 19 points during this segment and Gordon jumped ahead 72-62 with 3:15 to go. 

Scott was getting the 3-pointer off in a hurry (he had four of them) and Coach Schauer ran at least one set play for him.  “Credit Gordon,” said Coach Sokolnicki.  “They took us out of what we wanted to do during that stretch and shot their way to a ten-point lead.”

However, Nichols may be young but they proved to be game.  Back they came with a 9-1 run over the next 2 ½ minutes closing to 73-71 before the Scots managed to hold them off.

Justin Kaufman turned in one of his best performances of this season.  “Justin prefers to start,” said Coach Schauer.  “He doesn’t seem to get into any sort of rhythm when he comes off the bench.”  Seems that Coach Schauer’s “solution” was to keep Justin off the bench, as his 39 minutes (out of 40) would suggest.  His 17 points were good.  His 5 assists were excellent but best of all he had no turnovers.  Pretty remarkable when the young guard had to take care of the ball on almost every possession.

Jon Marstaller (freshman-Naples ME) contributed a double/double – 13 rebounds and 12 points.  That rebound total may be the highest turned in this year.  Jon had a lot of unlucky bounces in close to the basket or he might have had 20 points.

Next stop for Gordon is in Biddeford, Maine against the University of New England.  Gordon narrowly won the previous meeting (70-66) in January.  The Scots last home game is Thursday night versus Wentworth.

NOTES

A good group of Nichols fans were at the game to see Heather Clarke get her 1000th point and she didn’t let them down. 

“Turnovers, free throws, and offensive execution have been our weaknesses all year,” said Coach Sokolnicki.  “We’re shooting 61% from the foul line and we’ve shot 170 more free throws than our opponents.”

Sixteen of the 26 players on both squads were freshman.  Only two were sophomores.

“The games this time of year are tough,” said Coach Schauer.  “They’re all CCC games and everybody knows everybody else.  The importance of each game makes them very competitive.”

John Beebe (junior-Clive IA) came in for one play and delivered a three.

Peter Hassler made as nice a slash to the basket as you’ll ever see.  This kid is quick!

I’m trying to analyze Gordon high scorer Mike Herr’s recent shooting slump.  It reached 3-for-14 against Nichols.  I’m thinking that since he’s from Pennsylvania he’s either a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Philadelphia Eagles.  How depressing!  Let it go, Mike, they each lost to a better team.
 

(Game #20 – Colby-Sawyer) Colby-Sawyer Remains Undefeated as Scots Reach Scoring Low

By Peter McClelland

(Wenham) – You can play ugly against the likes of Anna Maria and win, as the Scots did on Thursday night, but it’s not going to work against the likes of Colby-Sawyer (now 16-4 and 11-0 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference).

And even though the visiting Chargers earned high marks for ugliness too they still had enough down the stretch to dispatch Gordon, 61-49, at the Bennett Center on a sunny Saturday afternoon. 

The loss drops the Scots to 12-8 for the season and 6-5 in the CCC.  Thoughts of finishing ahead of either Colby-Sawyer or Endicott in the CCC North are over and in the last five games the thrust should be to solidify a hold on 3rd place.  You’d like to think that the chances of doing that are good with the next four games (New England/Nichols/UNE/Wentworth) being against teams with losing records.

This was another game where the final score was very misleading.  That 11-point spread at the end was the biggest lead the Chargers had the entire game.  This was a 50-47 game with 4 ½ minutes left.

Unfortunately, Gordon had only Mike Herr’s (sophomore-Lampeter PA) two foul shots to show for those last 4 ½ minutes.  Other than that we watched three turnovers, four missed three’s, and a 2-point miss.  You couldn’t argue with Gordon Coach Mike Schauer when he said afterwards, “I don’t really know what to say.  It was just very disappointing.”

While the Scots were careless and clanging the Chargers poured in 11 points.  And it was the two best big men, in my opinion, in the CCC (Chris Condon-senior Reading MA & Andrew St.Clair-junior Pittsfield ME) who fashioned a two-man game which resulted in five of those points.

“We did a little high-low,” explained Colby-Sawyer Coach Bill Foti.  “We called it out in mid-possession and Andrew and Chris executed it perfectly.”  Andrew St.Clair was on the payoff end of the first one and then it was Chris’s turn on the second. 

Those two successful plays were the highlights of a rather tough afternoon those two players put in.  Chris Condon got saddled with fouls early and had just nine points.  He lit Gordon up for 26 at New London earlier.  And Andrew St.Clair’s numbers weren’t all that great (10 rebs/11pts) either.  “They did a super job on Andrew (CCC Player-of-the-Year last year),” explained Coach Foti.  “He was 4-for-15.  He’s usually able to finish.  They made it hard for him to get the ball and when he did get it he was surrounded by 2 or 3 guys.”

Gordon’s offense???  Where did it go?  Those 49 points were the lowest they’ve had in a game all season.  Colby-Sawyer plays excellent team defense, in fact; they’re the best in the CCC in that category.  But on this afternoon there were shots available that just weren’t going down. 

“They made some big plays, said Coach Schauer. “We didn’t.”

 That 4-for-17 at home from 3-point land and that 36.2% shooting were totally uncharacteristic of the Scots.  I’ll defend those numbers with the Fatigue Defense, also know as the Last-of-Seven-Games-in-14-days Defense and stay with that.

Gordon did get off to the lead (8-4) early as Jon Marstaller (freshman-Naples ME) followed a lay-up with a 3-pointer.  They were still ahead 10-6 as Aaron Vogelzang (junior-Jericho VT) hit a jumper.  Then the dreaded drought arrived.  During the next 5 ½ minutes the Scots missed while the Chargers collected 10 points.

That drought gave the Chargers the lead and they wouldn’t give it back.  The Scots did close to 30-26 at the half after Jon Marstaller converted a rebound at the last second of the half.

If you’re a Gordon partisan and you came back a little late after the half, believe me, you were spared!  What we saw were two missed foul shots, two missed normal shots and five straight turnovers!  Luckily during that five minute stretch the Chargers could only make one shot and that was Josh Carter (freshman-Salem NH) draining a three after one of Gordon’s turnovers. 

Colby-Sawyer would build their lead to 41-34 and 46-39 with nine minutes left.  Even though they were playing poorly and shooting worse the Scots still had the energy to make things interesting.  Jerry Logan (sophomore-Marietta GA) sent Aaron Vogelzang in for a lay-up to narrow the lead to three (48-45) and the Scots were within three after Jon Marstaller’s lay-up with 4 ½ left. 

But as stated earlier, those last 4 ½ minutes were a disaster and Colby-Sawyer prevailed. 

James Thorpe (junior-Concord NH) led all scorers with 16.  “James has had a big second semester for us,” said Coach Foti.  “He gives us another 3-point (he made 2) shooter and he gives us another big body (He had 8 rebounds).”

NOTES

Mike Herr made the shot of the night when he got the ball stuck up on top of the backboard.  I’m sure he would have traded it in for at least one three.

Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT) found out that his reverse spin move down the lane doesn’t always work.  However, he does provide a high comfort level with his ability to bring the ball up.

Pete Hassler (junior-Westford VT) hit a cutting Scott Allenby (senior-Proctor VT) with a bounce pass that was a thing of beauty and resulted in a basket.

Just hoping, over the next five games, to see more production and minutes from the bench.  There could be minutes available.  Who will take advantage of the opportunity?

Colby-Sawyer is very much aware of Endicott.  The Gulls have lost only once (49-47 at Colby-Sawyer).  “Every game in the CCC is important,” said Coach Foti, “especially with the CCC North being the way it is.  I don’t see Endicott getting too many losses.  We want the home court in the CCC Playoffs.  Last year we lost to Anna Maria on the last game of the season and it cost us the home court and, I think, an NCAA bid.”

Endicott hosts Colby-Sawyer on February 17th.  Too bad we’re got a game that night (Wentworth).  It would be a good take.

The next game for Gordon is on Thursday night up at Henniker (NH) against New England College.  The Scots crushed the Pilgrims at home.

Colby-Sawyer’s next game is home versus Curry.
 

(Game #19 – Anna Maria) Scots Play Poorly but Win Big

By Peter McClelland

(Wenham) – “It was an easy game to walk away from disappointed but we did win by 17,” said Gordon Coach Mike Schauer afterwards trying to put a positive spin on a game that was outright ugly.

The Scots defeated Anna Maria 71-54 at the Bennett Center on Thursday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference play.  The win puts Gordon at 12-7 overall and 6-4 in the CCC.  The visiting Amcats drop to 3-16 and 1-11 in the CCC.

If this game had been a car/truck then it was time to report to the nearest garage for a tune-up.  I mean it even affected Gordon’s dance squad.  You should have seen them starting their halftime routine to the wrong CD!

Both teams were coming off of emotional games just two days ago.  Gordon suffered a significant setback down the street before many witnesses while Anna Maria was ending a 10-game losing streak with a one-point win on the road at New England College.

Prior to the Endicott game the Scots had three straight games in which they jumped on their opponents in the first halves and cruised in the second half.  Against a team with 10 losses in their last 11 games you had to think that this one might go that way.  “I kept waiting for us to build up a 20-25 point lead so that I could sub everyone in but we just never got there,” said Coach Schauer.

The Scots ended the first half with two Jon Marstaller (freshman-Naples ME) free throws and continued the run with seven straight at the start of the second half thanks to a Jon Marstaller tip-in, a Jerry Logan (sophomore-Marietta GA) three, and two Aaron Vogelzang (junior-Jericho VT) free throws.  That quick second half start pushed Gordon’s 32-25 halftime lead up to 39-25.  The Amcats did not have the firepower to cut the deficit to less than double-digits the rest of the way.

What kept Anna Maria relatively close throughout was their style of play.  This team starts three players under six feet tall.  They are constantly in an attack mode whether they’re on offense or defense. 

The Scots tried to run set offenses but the Amcat defense didn’t always cooperate. There were traps and switches all over the place.  “The way they play defense makes you stand a little bit because you’re not quite sure what to run against them,” added Coach Schauer.  That uncertainty spelled a whole bunch of turnovers in close to the basket. 

Coach Schauer was very pleased with the play of Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT) and Jerry Logan.  “Justin had nice numbers (10 points/7 rebounds/6 assists) tonight,” said Coach Schauer.  “I’ve been real hard on him the last 15-30 days and to see him play like this way makes me feel as if we’re getting through to him.  And Jerry (Logan) was just Jerry (16 points/0 turnovers) and he’s been good for a long time.”

Jon Marstaller (14 points/12 rebounds) and Mike Herr (20 points/6 rebounds) got mixed reviews.  “I was pleased that they both found ways to be productive in games in which they didn’t play very well,” explained Coach Schauer.  “Great players find a way to contribute.  At this point, however, they’re not good defensively and if we’re going to be very good at least one of them has to get much, much better.”

The best player in the game, in my opinion was the Amcat’s Quincy Nunnally (sophomore-Westboro MA).  At 6’3” he isn’t the tallest player Gordon’s seen but he was an intimidating presence on defense.  It seemed as if he was always lurking when various Gordon drivers headed to the hoop.  On offense he collected 21 points on 10-for-13 shooting.  “We didn’t have any answers for him,” said Coach Schauer.  “He’s a great one.”

Gordon’s next game is Saturday afternoon at the Bennett Center against undefeated (in the CCC) Colby-Sawyer.  The Scots beat them here last year.  However, Gordon will be at the end of a 7-games-in-14-days stretch and will certainly need the home crowd to give them some energy. 

NOTES

Matt O’Malley (Amcat’s high scorer) meets Jerry Logan (Gordon’s best defender) – Matt tallied 10 points but Jerry’s smiling about the 9 turnovers he had a hand in.

Was it a dunk or not? – Nick Marino got his own rebound late in the game and, in my opinion, had a near-dunk.  The shot went in but was he over the rim?  I guess you had to be there!

Anna Maria actually had an 11-4 lead early but Gordon ran 10 straight to do away with the deficit. 

This game featured the two weakest rebounding teams in the CCC.  And Gordon won the battle of the boards, 42 to 29. 

Let me take him inside, coach – There was Aaron Vogelzang in the second half trying to post up one of the sub-six footers. 
 

(Game #18 – Endicott) Endicott Soars At Home

By Peter McClelland

(Beverly) – In December Gordon took Endicott to the final two minutes before losing 73-70.  This time Gordon could only hang around until about the 9-minute mark (down 49-46) before Endicott ran off eight unanswered points on their way to a 67-52 victory in Commonwealth Coast Conference action on Tuesday night.

And what an atmosphere.  You almost wonder if the students are required to attend because they sure do turn out.  With cheerleaders and a dance squad and loud music you have a setting that epitomizes home court advantage.

“If you can hold them to 67 on their home court you would figure you have a chance to win,” explained Gordon Coach Mike Schauer after.  “However, we just didn’t make enough plays.”

Credit the Endicott defense.  “We tried to take away the three,” said Gull Coach Mike Plansky.  “We like to think that it’ll be hard for them to beat us with 2-pointers.”  The shooting accuracy that steered Gordon to five straight wins coming in was among the missing. 

“We had some good looks but didn’t make them,” added Coach Schauer.  “I think fatigue was a factor but beyond that Endicott is a pretty good team.”

It was unfortunate for the Scots that Nemanja Marinkovic (sophomore-Belgrade Serbia) still has their number.  At least his points were down from the 20’s he had in the previous three games to 16.  However, he had 10 rebounds and 6 assists.  The Gulls are very effective inside thanks to him.  You never saw a team turn down 5-footers for lay-ups like this team does and Marinkovic is the catalyst. 

The star for the winners, in my opinion, was Matt George (junior-Dover NH).  When was the last time a forward had 10 assists?  On defense he had a hand in squeezing the CCC’s top scorer (Mike Herr – sophomore Lampeter PA) into a subpart 5-for-16 night.  Oh, and he had 8 steals doing it.

The Scots toasted their last three opponents in the first half and played even the rest of the way for double-digit wins.  In this one they jumped out 9-3 as Gordon’s top three scorers (Jon Marstaller-freshman Naples ME, Mike Herr, and Jerry Logan-sophomore Marietta GA) contributed.  The Gulls responded with seven straight as they weren’t about to let the visitors build up any sort of lead.  The Scots, however, did regain the lead and were up 15-13 after Jerry Logan sank a free throw with 12:12 to go until halftime.

At this point Endicott put a 15-2 spurt onto Gordon over the seven minutes.  There was nary a three in the mix just super inside offense featuring unselfish play.  James Levesque (senior-Dorchester MA) came off the Gull bench to spark this segment with 6 points.  “I think our bench did a nice job of wearing them down,” said Coach Plansky.  So the Gulls had a 28-17 cushion before Mike Herr drained a three.

The Gulls led 38-28 at halftime.  They had shot 50% (16-for-32) and only turned the ball over an astounding 3 times. 

Those numbers would slide a bit south in the second half especially when Gordon switched to a zone.  “We practiced against a zone defense but for a while we just couldn’t make shots,” explained Coach Plansky.  “It was a great adjustment by Mike (Schauer).”

That 10-point lead dropped to 49-46 thanks to free throws from Aaron Vogelzang (junior-Jericho VT), a drive by Jerry Logan and a jumper by Jon Marstaller.  There was over 9 minutes left.  This was anyone’s ballgame.

But just as quickly as that lead had shrunk the Gulls put it back into the comfort zone with a run of eight straight.  First it was Nemanja Marinkovic spinning for a lay-up.  Then the zone killers (Zach Ellis-junior Westford MA) & Josh Oxton-senior Center Harbor NH) drilled threes and put the Gulls in front 57-46 with 7:42 remaining.  Gordon did not mount a challenge the rest of the way.

“You just can’t expect to win when beyond our top three scorers we shot just 3-for-17,” said Coach Schauer.  And it certainly didn’t help when two of the top scorers (Jon Marstaller & Mike Herr) had only five points between them in the second half.

The win puts Endicott at 11-5 overall and 7-1 in the CCC.  They have New England College next.

Gordon falls to 11-7 and 5-4 in the CCC.  They face Anna Maria at the Bennett Center on Thursday night.

NOTES

After watching Matt George jump over the scorer’s table, where I could have been sitting, I believe more than ever that the back of a CCC gymnasium is the best viewing spot.

There were folks there wearing kilts and painted green.  I never gathered the connection to Gulls.  I’ve been around long enough to remember when paint was only applied to houses.

Keith Krass (freshman-Westlake IL) was dressed but didn’t play.  Nick Marino (freshman-Wellington FL) was dressed and didn’t make the program.

Endicott’s only CCC loss is to undefeated Colby-Sawyer.  Gordon plays Colby-Sawyer on Saturday at home.  “Gordon is very tough at home and could beat Colby-Sawyer,” added Coach Plansky hopefully.  “They could do us a huge favor.  I think we’d send a dinner over to Mike and take his kids out if they win!”

Justin Kaufman (freshman-Redding CT) did a nice job handling Endicott’s full-court pressure.
 

(Game #17 – Wentworth) Nineteen Point Streak and Tight Defense Doom Wentworth

By Peter McClelland

(Boston) – Do I detect a pattern?  I think so – jump on the opponent in the first half and play them as even as possible otherwise.

It worked on Saturday afternoon at Wentworth as Gordon fashioned a 65-50 victory over the Leopards in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.  The Scots are now on a five-game winning streak with a record of 11-6 over all and 5-3 in the CCC.  Wentworth has now dropped three straight and is 6-12 overall and 4-6 in CCC play.

“When you hold a team to 50 points in their own building you’re playing very good defense and it’s hard to lose,” said Gordon Coach Mike Schauer afterwards.  The Leopards came in averaging 75 points per game.

But as good as that defense has been it’s been the avalanche of offense that has put recent opponents in holes they can’t climb out of.  This time it was a 19-point run that put a tie game (4-4) into one heading in the blowout direction.  That this game didn’t evolve into a blowout is a credit to the grit and determination of Coach Tom Devitt’s Leopards.

It was the long-range shot that did most of the damage during those game-deciding six minutes.  Mike Herr (sophomore-Lampeter PA) drilled three 3’s and so did Jerry Logan (sophomore-Marietta GA) and Mark Beebe (Clive IA).  “We knew what they were going to do but we just couldn’t stop it,” lamented Coach Devitt.

It turned out that the 23-4 mountain was more than Wentworth could climb especially with the Gordon defensive effort they were confronted with.  Passes were denied and driving lanes were closed.  And oh, the turnovers!  Seeing 26 of them on SID Bill Gorman’s stat sheet was not a pleasing sight.  “A turnover is a shot you don’t get to take,” explained Coach Devitt.  “It often results in a 4-5 point swing.” 

Despite the shaky ball management the Leopards closed to 34-19, at the half running six straight in the last minute. 

The trademark of freshman basketball players is that they will disappoint you one game and pleasantly surprise you another.  Against Newbury it was Mark Beebe (2 point average) dropping in three’s from everywhere on his way to 18 points.  In this game it was Justin Kaufman’s turn to supply offense and it was certainly needed.  Aaron Vogelzang (junior-Jericho VT) was unavailable and Jerry Logan seemed to be in endless foul trouble.

Justin poured in 13 points of Gordon’s 31 second half points.  He also spent a lot of time defending Wentworth’s top scorer Sherrad Prezzie-Blue (freshman-Norwalk CT).

“I thought Justin played great especially after starting and getting into foul trouble in the first half,” said Gordon Coach Schauer.  “He’s a great player and I’ve kind of put him in the valley a little bit because he’s got to get better defensively.  He’s working hard at it and he’s got a good attitude about it.  You saw flashes (in the second half) of why we recruited him so much.”

What Justin did was give the Scots A+ performances on offense and defense and he helped keep Wentworth at a double-figures deficit in the second half.

“(Mike) Herr and (Justin) Kaufman took big shots and they’re not grizzled veterans,” added Coach Devitt.  “For them to do that on the road is quite a credit.”

The Leopards got as close as 57-46 with 3:15 to go but Jerry Logan stopped that with two free throws and a steal and a lay-up. 

Mike Herr led all scorers with 17 points and was credited with 5 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.  Let’s not mention the 4 turnovers!  Jerry Logan and Justin Kaufman finished with 13 points and the less said about Jerry’s 6 turnovers the better. 

Sherrad Prezzie-Blue tallied 13 and Carmino DeMercurio added 12 for the Leopards.

“Prezzie-Blue is about as good as you’re going to see in our league offensively,” said Coach Schauer.  No argument from Leopard Coach Devitt – “He’s going to be a fantastic player in this league.”  

Next game for Wentworth is at Curry on February 2nd.  On the same day Gordon gets another chance against Endicott at Endicott.

NOTES

On Aaron being unavailable – Coach Schauer –  “Because he had missed practice on Friday and hadn’t communicated that to me until way too late I felt compelled to suspend Aaron for today’s game.  I think we’re still in good shape, though.  The guys understood it.  Nothing against Aaron.  Just team protocol, I guess.

“With Aaron unavailable that put Scott Allenby (senior-Proctor VT) into a boat-load of minutes.  Mark (Beebe) was going to have to play more too.  I was anxious about today because Aaron is one of our best defenders.”

That 1 o’clock start caught at least one set of parents by surprise. 

That 19-point streak by Gordon happened after Carmino DeMercurio (senior-Wappingers Falls NY) had dunked after a nice feed from Bryan Gaine (sophomore-Braintree MA).

SID Bill Gorman serves up the best stats on the road.

I was at Wentworth with a teacher-friend of mine who is an avid Steelers fan.  He said the Wentworth colors made him feel right at home.  I couldn’t help but think that home was where those colors would be spending next Sunday!

I watched Keith Krass (freshman-Westlake IL) carefully.  He never attempted a shot.
 

(Game #16 – Newbury) Mark Beebe Arrives – Gordon Thrives

By Peter McClelland

(Brookline MA) – When I travel with this team I now expect the unexpected to occur.

We arrive at Newbury College after getting an extended look at every traffic light in downtown Boston.  The driver of the bus asks the first student he sees, “Where’s the gym?” To which the Newbury student replies, “We don’t have a gym!”

And it’s true.  They don’t have their own gym.  They play at nearby Hellenic College.  Needless to say we arrive there a little late and a bit frazzled.

“I was pleased to win because it was a bit chaotic getting here,” said Gordon Coach Mike Schauer after seeing his team overpower the Newbury Nighthawks, 74-43, on Thursday evening.  “I wondered if the trip in would have led to a slow start but it didn’t.”

The Scots clamped a tight man-to-man defense on the young (3 juniors/1 sophomore/6 freshmen) Hawks and never gave them much of a chance.

 “It was brutal,” said Hawk Coach Adam Nelson afterwards.  “We’re just not physically as strong as Gordon is.  They must lift weights all the time.  They manhandled us.  They fronted the post anytime they wanted to.  It was like men against boys.”

There were no Gordon spectators on hand but if they had been they would have left saying two words – “Mark Beebe” (freshman-Clive Iowa).  In this one we got a taste of what all the excitement was about when he decided to join his brothers (Scott & John) at Gordon.  We saw the long ones fall and a slash to the basket as well.  He ended up being the top scorer (18 points) in the game.

  “I was really excited with the play of Mark Beebe tonight.  I’d been saying for a long time, when people talk about our fine freshmen, that Mark’s going to be as good as any of them.

“We have relegated him so far this season to being a 3-point shooter because of necessity.  He scored a lot of points in high school against defenses that were geared to only stopping him.  So he can post.  He can score off the dribble and he’s a good passer.  He just needs defensive seasoning.  He’s going to be a great player.”

While Mark was nailing three’s Jon Marstaller (freshman- Naples ME) owned the inside in the first half.  According to the Gordon scorebook Jon had 15 in the first half and Mark had 9.  The Scots built a lead to 21-12 with 8 ½ to go and then outscored the Hawks 17-6 the rest of the way to take complete control 38-18 at the half.

The second half reminded me of the recent New England game.  The outcome had been decided but in college ball you have to play the second half anyhow!  Coach Schauer found plenty of minutes for his bench players and rest for his starters.  According to the Newbury statisticians Keith Krass played and actually fired one up although I was sure that I saw him wearing a suit and tie and filming the game! 

Mike Herr (sophomore-Lampeter PA) and Jon Marstaller had double/doubles.  Matthew Stanton (junior-Lynnfield MA) did likewise for Newbury.  I was impressed with his tenacity.

The Scots are now 10-6 overall and get back to Commonwealth Coast Conference play for the rest of the schedule.  They face Wentworth on the road at 1 o’clock on Saturday.

Newbury drops to 2-13 and with Framingham State, MIT, and Elms coming up I’m suspecting that their 6-game losing streak could get extended.

NOTES

I tried to use a stat program instead of scripting the game like I usually do.  Big mistake.  The result was that I lost when the runs took place and who fueled those runs.  Back to scripting for me.

Pete Hassler forced Assistant Coach Ryan Smith to take his first charge of the season. 

Newbury used a zone on occasion.  Gordon passed the ball around and through it but missed some open shots.  Fortunately, they had a 20+-point cushion for most of the zone attempts.

The gym at Hellenic College was used many years ago by the Celtics for training camp.  However, unlike the Boston Garden it still exists.