January 30, 2014
The halfway point of any season serves as a benchmark for self-evaluation. Thus far, the 10-9 men’s basketball team has shown glimpses of their potential with a run-and-gun offense. With five NESCAC games remaining, Hamilton finds itself locked in a tight six-team race for entry into the conference playoffs.
Against ninth-ranked Williams on our Jan. 25 game, despite falling behind early on the Ephs’ home court, Hamilton roared back with a 16-3 run, cutting the lead to one. Matt Hart ’16 caught fire during the stretch, dropping nine of his 20 points during the run. Greg Newton ’14 also added 12 points and forced multiple turnovers to help get the Conts back in the game.
The Ephs started hot, with the lead ballooning as high as 17. But the Conts whittled away the lead as the game went on, challenging their top-10 opponent. The defense caused turnovers and held Williams to one shot per possession. On the comeback, Kyle Pitman ’17 said, “Williams is a really good team and we showed great resilience… We are looking forward to building on the positives of that game.” And there really were many positives on which to build. Bradley Gifford ’15 put up a double-double with 11 points and a whopping 13 rebounds. Peter Kazickas ’15 added a solid seven points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Unfortunately, the Ephs just had too much firepower, with four of their five starters ending up with double-digit points. Duncan Robinson ’17 led the pack with 24 on 8-for-14 shooting and six threes. The Continentals’ comeback efforts were thwarted in the last 10 minutes of the game as the Ephs were able to capitalize on a series of turnovers and missed shots. Williams ripped off a 19-2 run, with Robinson pouring in 11 points during the stretch.
“It was a tough game for us, we fought all the way to even it out with 10 minutes to go,” said Joseph Lin ’15, “we lost those last 10 minutes of the game, and we are working to improve on those last minutes and we will be able to close out games coming up.” The lead slowly worked its way back up to 17 and beyond as the game wound down. On the second half, Bradley Gifford ’15 said, “We were able to fight back and cut the lead in order to put ourselves in a better position to win, but unfortunately, we were not able to maximize our possessions on the offensive end and their shooters found themselves in a rhythm down the stretch.”
With a strong comeback and standout performances, the team is nonetheless in good shape going forward. Gifford added, “I still like our chances against any team in the league and we are looking forward to getting more conference wins as the post-season approaches.”
Striking a similar note, leading scorer Hart said, “I think we are really close to reaching our potential… If you look at our schedule, we’ve played the top teams in the conference, so our upcoming league schedule really favors us.”
Kazickas said, “Our team has come a long way this season, but in order to make a run in the NESCAC, we are going to have to improve our defense. When we hold teams under 70 points, we have a 6-1 record.”
The Continentals will look to rebound with three consecutive home games in six days against Middlebury (Feb. 2), Tufts (Feb. 7) and Bates (Feb. 8). The Tufts and Bates contests hold particular importance, as they both currently sit a half-game ahead of Hamilton for the final playoff spot.
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