The Blue Jays opened their season against a strong Plattsburgh State University of New York when they traveled to Williamsport for the Dutch Birch Tip-Off this past weekend. The Cardinals, coming off a trip to the Sweet Sixteen of the Division III tournament last season, came into this season as a preseason top-25 program. It was going to be a tough contest for Elizabethtown College. Seniors Lee Eckert and Joe Bodnar were bright spots among the Jays’ 74-59 loss. Eckert dropped 20 points and had an impressive 53 percent shooting performance from the floor. Bodnar put up nine points on eight attempts and was 50 percent from the floor.
The Jays led early on, after Bodnar hit his first two shots of the night, giving Etown a 4-1 lead. However, the Cardinals made it 8-6 soon after never looked back, outscoring Etown 43-28 in the first half, and evening it out at 31 a piece in the second.
“We did a pretty good job on the offensive end,” Bodnar said on the team’s performance. “We still need to work a little on our execution on offense, cutting down turnovers and really need to work on our defense as a team.” It was not the result they wanted, but the team left the game with some inclination of how they can improve going forward. It is still early in the season, and with 22 games remaining on the schedule, there is plenty of time to grow as a team. This doesn’t stop the Blue Jays from setting high goals for themselves. “As a team we have high expectations for the season,” Bodnar said. “We hope to win a lot of games and the ultimate goal is to win the Landmark Conference our first year.”
In Etown’s second game of the weekend, they took on Penn State Schuylkill, and cruised past them to the tune of 98-72. It was a contest they always felt they could win, especially after starting the game 11-for-17 in shooting and gaining a relatively comfortable 26-14 lead after only eight and a half minutes. At the half, they were 22-for-35 shooting and led Schuylkill 53-35. Eckert was the eventual top-scorer for the Jays with 20 points, followed by senior Tyler Simpkiss with 15, and sophomore Josh Eden with 14.
Although the Blue Jays defeated Penn State Schuylkill convincingly, Eckert was not completely pleased with the team’s performance over the weekend as a whole. “As a team we are not where we need to be on the defensive end. This week in practice we will be working intensity on the defensive end to prepare for Lancaster Bible and Scranton,” he said. Mirroring Bodnar’s sentiment on the topic of defense, the Blue Jays may all but shutout Lancaster Bible College with their intense focus on team defense.
This team is loaded with seniors and underclassmen that can represent the school as a serious threat on the court. That dynamic can surely set this program up for great things in the long run, with the experience and leadership of the seniors being put on these young Blue Jays at such an early time in their collegiate careers. This in combination with the added intensity coming from the upperclassmen from their desire to win.
“Having a lot of seniors will definitely benefit the team this year,” Bodnar said. “It is such a long season and it can be a grind, so having a lot of seniors to help keep the team’s energy and focus up all year is important. All the seniors have a lot of experience and are mentally prepared to lead the team throughout the long season.” Eckert agreed. “We know and understand the offense which makes it easier for us to help the underclassmen. It is also is nice to have seven different voices leading the team,” he said.
