Elizabethtown College men’s basketball team hosted their first home game of the season this Sunday against Susquehanna University. This was a big game for the Blue Jays as they tried to bounce back after the close defeat to Lebanon Valley College and get back on track in their conference play.
With only eight seconds left in the game, Susquehanna’s Jake Eskin hit a jump shot to tie the game 64-64. However, Etown senior Ben Cable was determined to end with a victory in regulation time, and he sped down the court to hit one more shot before the final buzzer sounded. The Blue Jays secured the 66-64 lead with one second left. The score stayed relatively close the whole game; the score at halftime had Etown up 27-26. Cable led the Jays with 21 points.
The Blue Jays traveled to LVC last Tuesday in search of their first win not only of the conference but of the season. The Blue Jays were fired up heading into the game knowing that this was going to be a big test for them as a team. Sophomore Lee Eckert really came to play as he produced his first double-double of his career. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough fire power for the Blue Jays to come out with a win over one of their conference rivals losing 72-65.
At halftime, the score was 37-32 with LVC on top, but the Blue Jays started the second half off strong with a 10-4 run and brought their team within three, making the score 54-51. Etown’s defense needed a key stop to gather all their momentum, but could not produce turnovers which led to an LVC three-point shot. The Flying Dutchmen’s Matt O’Brien hit the shot, effectively giving the momentum back to LVC.
“I felt we could have done more to win this game,” Eckert said. “My team played hard the entire game but unfortunately we couldn’t get the baskets we needed to fall.” The Blue Jays were always in striking distance of LVC but could never get the momentum to fully swing in their favor. Ben Cable could not find his hot streak, going one for seven in field goals. This didn’t stop the Blue Jays as the rest of the starters, and the bench, picked up the slack. “Our bench really helped out this game which was key,” Eckert said. “We just need to keep up the points coming from the bench and the starters will take care of the rest.” Eckert finished the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Talking after the game to sophomore Phil Wenger, the guard felt distraught after the loss. “We played well as a team and our big men came up huge for us,” Wenger said. “This was a game we needed, but the season’s not over yet.”
LVC played like they had something to prove as they were picked seventh in the conference directly behind the Blue Jays. “Conference games are going to be big for us, so we need to capitalize on all the rest.” Wenger got his first moments of playing time this season, which proved to be a smart move by Head Coach Bob Schlosser as Wenger finished the game with eight points.
Even though the Blue Jays did not come out with a victory, they are still confident that their season will be positive. From the players’ attitudes toward the coach and each other, it is obvious this squad has great chemistry which will really help them in the latter half of the season as they near the playoffs. After talking with the players and seeing their emotions after the game, the team was not tired or scared, but determined to show the Etown community what they are made of.