Bulldogs lose captain for final two minutes Friday night
Conor Nicholl
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Everyone – from the Truman fans to players – looked at head coach Jack Schrader.
No one really knew what to do. Senior point guard Chip Sodemann, the heart and soul of the Bulldogs, had fouled out with 2:04 left with the purple and white ahead of No. 6 seed Emporia State University 87-86 last night in the first round of the men’s MIAA Postseason Tournament at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
As shooting guard Austin Kirby talked to Sodemann, Schrader stood up and tried to make a decision. He was going to lose his best ballhandler and his team leader for the final two minutes of a game the Bulldogs needed to win to secure a solid seed for the NCAA Regional next weekend.
After nearly 30 seconds, Schrader put in senior guard Matt Brock, the team’s three-point specialist and had Kirby, a natural shooting guard man the point.
Sodemann, who finished with 14 points and two assists, sat down for a few seconds, a towel draped over the back of his head. As the game restarted, he walked to the end of the bench and got a cup of water.
For the final 90 seconds, he stood at the end of the bench with the towel still on the back of his head, no expression on his face.
“I was disappointed,” he said. “I was praying that we could still pull through and hoping that someone could step up and make a play.”
Kirby made a terrific play on the ensuing possession, driving hard to the lane and drawing contact from ESU’s Shawn Herrmann, forcing Hermann’s fifth and game-ending foul.
Kirby sunk both foul shots, giving the Bulldogs a one-point lead, but Emporia came right back with a LeRoy Dawson layup.
Sodemann had held Dawson, the conference’s second leading scorer, in check the entire game.
“I didn’t know if we lost confidence, we just didn’t gain confidence,” Schrader said. “With Chip on the floor, we gain confidence.”
Emporia’s Wes Book hit a three with 22.7 seconds remaining giving Emporia a four-point lead.
Andy Calmes took the inbounds pass for a coast-to-coast layup to close the gap to two, but the Bulldogs had to foul on their next possession.
ESU guard Tyrell Sledge sunk two free throws, giving the Bulldogs a chance for a quick bucket. But without Sodemann on the floor, the offense was a little discombobulated.
Sodemann has hit many clutch shots – especially threes – in the final seconds of games, but this time the Bulldogs had to look elsewhere.
Kirby attempted a three that fell short and then Brock tried a lean-in three that hit off the front rim. Emporia grabbed the rebound with 2.1 seconds left, and after Sledge hit two free throws, closed out a thrilling 96-90 victory.
Men’s Basketball Notebook
Offensive Attack
Schrader said he was trying to keep the score in the 60s last night. Instead, the Bulldogs proved they can run with any team in the conference, keeping pace with Emporia State, the MIAA’s top scoring team.
Ninety points represented the highest output for the purple and white since a 91-67 victory against Harris-Stowe State College on Dec. 22.
Six Bulldogs scored in double figures. Sophomore forward Nick Certa led the way with 18 points, Calmes and Kirby had 15 apiece, Sodemann finished with 14, senior forward Derek Lindsey tallied 13 and junior center Garret Grimm chipped in 12 more.
Certa, who only scored 16 points in his last five games, was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Agbo's Status
Junior forward Grant Agbo didn’t play Friday night.
Sodemann and Lindsey were asked of Agbo’s status in the postgame session, but Schrader cut in and quickly said, “He’s sick.” Sodemann said the team had prepared the entire week without Agbo.
Agbo has battled sickness and injury throughout the season, including playing with the flu against Washburn University on Jan. 28.
Earlier this season, Agbo had his finest game of the year against the Hornets, scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Bench Play
Schrader went deep into his reserves last night, using freshman guard Banks Estridge, Brock and Certa in the early going. The senior twins, Ryan and Gavin Welker, also saw some playing time.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Everyone – from the Truman fans to players – looked at head coach Jack Schrader.
No one really knew what to do. Senior point guard Chip Sodemann, the heart and soul of the Bulldogs, had fouled out with 2:04 left with the purple and white ahead of No. 6 seed Emporia State University 87-86 last night in the first round of the men’s MIAA Postseason Tournament at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
As shooting guard Austin Kirby talked to Sodemann, Schrader stood up and tried to make a decision. He was going to lose his best ballhandler and his team leader for the final two minutes of a game the Bulldogs needed to win to secure a solid seed for the NCAA Regional next weekend.
After nearly 30 seconds, Schrader put in senior guard Matt Brock, the team’s three-point specialist and had Kirby, a natural shooting guard man the point.
Sodemann, who finished with 14 points and two assists, sat down for a few seconds, a towel draped over the back of his head. As the game restarted, he walked to the end of the bench and got a cup of water.
For the final 90 seconds, he stood at the end of the bench with the towel still on the back of his head, no expression on his face.
“I was disappointed,” he said. “I was praying that we could still pull through and hoping that someone could step up and make a play.”
Kirby made a terrific play on the ensuing possession, driving hard to the lane and drawing contact from ESU’s Shawn Herrmann, forcing Hermann’s fifth and game-ending foul.
Kirby sunk both foul shots, giving the Bulldogs a one-point lead, but Emporia came right back with a LeRoy Dawson layup.
Sodemann had held Dawson, the conference’s second leading scorer, in check the entire game.
“I didn’t know if we lost confidence, we just didn’t gain confidence,” Schrader said. “With Chip on the floor, we gain confidence.”
Emporia’s Wes Book hit a three with 22.7 seconds remaining giving Emporia a four-point lead.
Andy Calmes took the inbounds pass for a coast-to-coast layup to close the gap to two, but the Bulldogs had to foul on their next possession.
ESU guard Tyrell Sledge sunk two free throws, giving the Bulldogs a chance for a quick bucket. But without Sodemann on the floor, the offense was a little discombobulated.
Sodemann has hit many clutch shots – especially threes – in the final seconds of games, but this time the Bulldogs had to look elsewhere.
Kirby attempted a three that fell short and then Brock tried a lean-in three that hit off the front rim. Emporia grabbed the rebound with 2.1 seconds left, and after Sledge hit two free throws, closed out a thrilling 96-90 victory.
Men’s Basketball Notebook
Schrader said he was trying to keep the score in the 60s last night. Instead, the Bulldogs proved they can run with any team in the conference, keeping pace with Emporia State, the MIAA’s top scoring team.
Ninety points represented the highest output for the purple and white since a 91-67 victory against Harris-Stowe State College on Dec. 22.
Six Bulldogs scored in double figures. Sophomore forward Nick Certa led the way with 18 points, Calmes and Kirby had 15 apiece, Sodemann finished with 14, senior forward Derek Lindsey tallied 13 and junior center Garret Grimm chipped in 12 more.
Certa, who only scored 16 points in his last five games, was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Junior forward Grant Agbo didn’t play Friday night.
Sodemann and Lindsey were asked of Agbo’s status in the postgame session, but Schrader cut in and quickly said, “He’s sick.” Sodemann said the team had prepared the entire week without Agbo.
Agbo has battled sickness and injury throughout the season, including playing with the flu against Washburn University on Jan. 28.
Earlier this season, Agbo had his finest game of the year against the Hornets, scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Schrader went deep into his reserves last night, using freshman guard Banks Estridge, Brock and Certa in the early going. The senior twins, Ryan and Gavin Welker, also saw some playing time.
posted by Anonymous at Saturday, March 04, 2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home