Sodemann reaches 1,000 point mark, Agbo, Certa, Estridge provide key minutes in win
Conor Nicholl
A few notes and observations while watching the Washburn game Saturday night at Lee Arena with Tyler Madsen and Chris Tharp. After the 81-72 win, the men’s basketball team is rolling at 15-4 and 6-3 in the MIAA.
Milestone
With his family and friends cheering and applauding, senior guard Chip Sodemann hit two free throws with 22.2 seconds left to reach the 1,000-point barrier in his 101st consecutive start. Sodemann, the Cal Ripken of Bulldog basketball, has never missed a game or a start in his four-year career. Tyler said he deserved every point – and I agree. Sodemann has been a class act from Day 1.
The Big Man
Junior forward Grant Agbo looked really tired in warm-ups and throughout the entire game. Head coach Jack Schrader said Agbo had the flu and didn’t travel with the team. Assistant coach Tim Deidrick drove Agbo down Saturday afternoon and the big man suited up.
He didn’t start, but was absolutely critical throughout the contest, holding Washburn forward Brady Sisk (game-high 24 points) in check in the second half. He also tied with junior forward Andy Calmes with 15 points – in only 21 minutes played.
A gutty performance by Agbo.
Certa
Sophomore guard Nick Certa had arguably his best game in a Bulldog uniform, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He kept the game from getting out of hand in the first half. The 6-5 swingman entered with the purple and white trailing 13-5 with 16:17 remaining.
Certa matched the Ichabods’ red-hot shooting, scoring nine of the Bulldogs’ next 20 points and kept the game close.
He also showed his vast arsenal of shots, hitting a heavily guarded turnaround jumper for his first basket, working inside for his next bucket and sinking two three-pointers. Certa has the shot to hit from the outside and the muscle and height to maneuver in the paint. The sophomore is starting to escalate his game like Andy Calmes and Matt Beran did in their second seasons.
The Future
Certa wasn’t the only bench player to provide key minutes. Freshman guard Banks Estridge is seeing more playing time, scoring six key points in 13 minutes. He also delivered some nice passes, including threading a first half bounce pass to Calmes for an easy layup.
But, with 12:47 left, the heir apparent to Sodemann may have delivered the turning point of the game, constructing a three-point play off a layup and a free throw that tied the game at 54.
Key Rebounding
Andy Calmes entered the game as the conference’s leading rebounder at 9.4 per game. The Ichabods contained him in the first half, limiting the junior to just two boards – a big reason why Washburn had the lead.
But with 10:19 left, Calmes delivered his trademark rebound – flying past slower big men, grabbing the board and tipping in the errant shot. That basket gave the ’Dogs 60-58 lead – a lead they would never relinquish. Five minutes later, he had another tip-in off a rebound and then grabbed a defensive board on the ensuing possession.
Improvement The Bulldogs can’t afford to fall behind early. During the last four games, the purple and white have accumulated a 33-point deficit and have outscored their opponents by 29 points in the second half. Last night, it fell behind 9-0 and were down 35-22 at one point. The ’Dogs need to start playing better at the start – if they fall behind Wednesday night against Northwest in Maryville, they may not be able to recover.
The Defense
Through the first half, it appeared the Ichadods had found the secret to shooting the three against the ’Dogs. Finding some open looks, they hit four of their first eight treys against the purple and white – a team that holds opponents to a conference-best 28.8 from beyond the arc.
Then they didn’t hit one the rest of the game – misfiring on its final eight attempts. The ability to contain the outside shot helped the purple and white turn the game around.
A Wild Night in the Conference
Elsewhere in another wild night in the MIAA:
In Maryville, Central Missouri defeated Northwest last night in overtime – handing the Bearcats their second straight loss. Southwest Baptist, also hoping to avoid their second consecutive defeat, needed a buzzer-beater layup to knock off Emporia. And the Bulldogs, playing at Washburn, came back from 13-point first half deficit to win 81-72.
Four teams are within one game of first place:
SBU 7-2
Truman 6-3
CMSU 6-3
Northwest 6-3
Truman vs. Northwest Wednesday night will provide some separation as the conference’s top two defenses square off for the second time in the past week. The first matchup was a thriller – expect the second one to be just as good.
A few notes and observations while watching the Washburn game Saturday night at Lee Arena with Tyler Madsen and Chris Tharp. After the 81-72 win, the men’s basketball team is rolling at 15-4 and 6-3 in the MIAA.
Milestone
With his family and friends cheering and applauding, senior guard Chip Sodemann hit two free throws with 22.2 seconds left to reach the 1,000-point barrier in his 101st consecutive start. Sodemann, the Cal Ripken of Bulldog basketball, has never missed a game or a start in his four-year career. Tyler said he deserved every point – and I agree. Sodemann has been a class act from Day 1.
The Big Man
Junior forward Grant Agbo looked really tired in warm-ups and throughout the entire game. Head coach Jack Schrader said Agbo had the flu and didn’t travel with the team. Assistant coach Tim Deidrick drove Agbo down Saturday afternoon and the big man suited up.
He didn’t start, but was absolutely critical throughout the contest, holding Washburn forward Brady Sisk (game-high 24 points) in check in the second half. He also tied with junior forward Andy Calmes with 15 points – in only 21 minutes played.
A gutty performance by Agbo.
Certa
Sophomore guard Nick Certa had arguably his best game in a Bulldog uniform, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He kept the game from getting out of hand in the first half. The 6-5 swingman entered with the purple and white trailing 13-5 with 16:17 remaining.
Certa matched the Ichabods’ red-hot shooting, scoring nine of the Bulldogs’ next 20 points and kept the game close.
He also showed his vast arsenal of shots, hitting a heavily guarded turnaround jumper for his first basket, working inside for his next bucket and sinking two three-pointers. Certa has the shot to hit from the outside and the muscle and height to maneuver in the paint. The sophomore is starting to escalate his game like Andy Calmes and Matt Beran did in their second seasons.
The Future
Certa wasn’t the only bench player to provide key minutes. Freshman guard Banks Estridge is seeing more playing time, scoring six key points in 13 minutes. He also delivered some nice passes, including threading a first half bounce pass to Calmes for an easy layup.
But, with 12:47 left, the heir apparent to Sodemann may have delivered the turning point of the game, constructing a three-point play off a layup and a free throw that tied the game at 54.
Key Rebounding
Andy Calmes entered the game as the conference’s leading rebounder at 9.4 per game. The Ichabods contained him in the first half, limiting the junior to just two boards – a big reason why Washburn had the lead.
But with 10:19 left, Calmes delivered his trademark rebound – flying past slower big men, grabbing the board and tipping in the errant shot. That basket gave the ’Dogs 60-58 lead – a lead they would never relinquish. Five minutes later, he had another tip-in off a rebound and then grabbed a defensive board on the ensuing possession.
Improvement The Bulldogs can’t afford to fall behind early. During the last four games, the purple and white have accumulated a 33-point deficit and have outscored their opponents by 29 points in the second half. Last night, it fell behind 9-0 and were down 35-22 at one point. The ’Dogs need to start playing better at the start – if they fall behind Wednesday night against Northwest in Maryville, they may not be able to recover.
The Defense
Through the first half, it appeared the Ichadods had found the secret to shooting the three against the ’Dogs. Finding some open looks, they hit four of their first eight treys against the purple and white – a team that holds opponents to a conference-best 28.8 from beyond the arc.
Then they didn’t hit one the rest of the game – misfiring on its final eight attempts. The ability to contain the outside shot helped the purple and white turn the game around.
A Wild Night in the Conference
Elsewhere in another wild night in the MIAA:
In Maryville, Central Missouri defeated Northwest last night in overtime – handing the Bearcats their second straight loss. Southwest Baptist, also hoping to avoid their second consecutive defeat, needed a buzzer-beater layup to knock off Emporia. And the Bulldogs, playing at Washburn, came back from 13-point first half deficit to win 81-72.
Four teams are within one game of first place:
SBU 7-2
Truman 6-3
CMSU 6-3
Northwest 6-3
Truman vs. Northwest Wednesday night will provide some separation as the conference’s top two defenses square off for the second time in the past week. The first matchup was a thriller – expect the second one to be just as good.
posted by Anonymous at Sunday, January 29, 2006
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