Junior forward Keith Bauer goes in for a lay-up against Reinhardt College in the Lion's first game of the AAC tournament. Triangle photo by Maddie K. Doucet, Staff Photographer.

The Bryan College men’s basketball team fell to Reinhardt College (Waleska, Ga.) 68-61, ending their season. The Lions hosted the Eagles on Wednesday, Feb. 24 in the quarterfinals of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament.

Going into the tournament, the Lions were in a four-way tie for first place in the AAC with an 11-5 conference record. They tied with Bluefield College (Va.), Union College (Barbourville, Ky.) and The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

The game plan was not much different than any other game, according to Head Coach Don Rekoske.

“Playing good defense and rebounding is where it all starts for us,” Rekoske said, “And I don’t feel like we did either of those things that well.”

Lions down in the first half

In the first half of the game, the Eagles pulled ahead 16-6 with the Lions struggling to regain ground. At half time, the Eagles still held the lead 35-29.

Junior forward Keith Bauer, who has been having shoulder trouble for the last three weeks of the season, said that the defense played irresponsibly.

“People did not always do their job,” Bauer said. “There was a lack of trust.”

Lions pull ahead in the second half until an injury timeout

The Lions played hard the first 13 minutes of the second half, according to Rekoske, and were gaining momentum. They took the lead 52-50, with junior forward Scott Newton scoring 30 points for the game.

With eight minutes left to play, freshman guard Tyler Clark collided with Reinhardt senior guard Kordel Alexander.

The players were close to each other and were moving fast when they both turned at the same time, and their heads cracked together, according to Head Athletic Trainer Scott Landis. The players received a similar cut just above the eyebrow.

“It was one of the most substantial cuts I’ve ever seen in eight years of athletic training,” Landis said.

He estimated they would each have to get seven to eight stitches.

Rekoske said the game stopped for 10 minutes for Landis to tend the injuries and clean up the blood from the head wounds.

The collision killed the Lions’ momentum, according Bauer.

When play resumed, the Eagles took back the lead.

Rekoske said that it hurt the Lions when junior forward Astral Guerrier, who scored 16 points in the game, fouled out with five minutes left.

With a minute to go, the Lions were trailing by two points.

Rekoske said that there was a scramble for a loose ball, and a foul called on the Lions, which was a “game clincher.” The Eagles padded their lead with five free throws, outscoring the Lions by five points from the free throw line for the entire game.

“That has been our Achilles’ heel all year,” Rekoske said. “We have not been good from the free throw line.”

Bauer said that overall, it has been a good season and “that the program took steps in the right direction.” The loss to Reinhardt was disappointing, but they will have the top seven players returning next year, and some good redshirts.

“We are anticipating a great year next year,” Reksoske said. “Our fans were great the last two games, and we want to thank them and tell them to be ready to see a special team on the floor next year.”

The men’s basketball team dominated the Cobras of Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.) 81 – 48 Monday night in Virginia. The victory put the Lions a mere two wins away from securing first place in the AAC this season and being eligible to host the post-season tournament scheduled to begin Feb. 24. It’s been nearly 10 years since the team has finished first in the conference, according to Head Coach Don Rekoske.

The win Monday was prefaced by a substantial victory against Montreat College (N.C.) last Saturday. However, the team stayed cautious going into Monday’s game, not taking anything for granted despite Virginia Intermont’s current ranking of seventh in the AAC.

Junior power forward Astral Guerrier soars passed for a layup during Saturday's game against Montreat College. Photo by Billy Findley.

“They’re very dangerous on the road,” Rekoske said Saturday after the game against Montreat. Junior forwards Scott Newton and Derrick Batt both concurred with Rekoske’s statement Saturday, and both said the team would need to stay focused in order to accomplish their overarching goal of finishing out the season on top. After Monday night’s performance, the Lions may do just that.

There was not a time during the game that the Lions trailed the Virtinia Intermont Cobras. Players of the game for Bryan included junior guard Xavierian McCall who finished with 14 points and junior power forward Astral Guerrier who dominated the boards with 14 points and 18 rebounds. The rest of the team followed suit, particularly three players off the bench, according to Rekoske – senior guard/forward Andrew Slikker, sophomore guard Jeremy Haley and freshman guard Tyler Clark, who, according to Rekoske, played his best game of the season Monday night.

“We really went out and took care of business,” McCall said. McCall said he really respects his teammates for not taking anything for granted against Virginia Intermont. He also expects Bluefield College (Va.) to come out strong Wednesday night.

“They’re going to be ready for us,” McCall said.

Bluefield is currently ranked third in the AAC and will be a challenge, particularly with junior starting forward Keith Bauer still injured and junior point guard Demond Craig, who is still recovering from a sprained ankle. Craig’s status is uncertain going into Wednesday’s game. However, win or lose, Rekoske said he has high hopes for the future of team.

“In all my years of coaching, this is a very special group of players,” Rekoske said. “This year has been great, and I think it’s just going to get even better.” The Lions are currently only half a game behind the first place team in the conference: the University of Virginia at Wise (Va.). If the Lions are able win Wednesday against Bluefield College as well as defeat UVA on Saturday, they will finish the season first place in the conference.

The Bryan College men’s basketball team is gearing up for the season with new recruits and returning players led by Head Coach Don Rekoske and New Assistant Coach Kyle Terry.

Terry graduated from Bryan last year and played under Rekoske. He has been named Rekoske’s assistant coach for the 2009-2010 season. In his senior year Terry shot 39.6 percent from behind the arc and hit a career high of seven three-pointers in one game. Along with being named Academic-All Conference for three years, Terry was also Academic All-American for his junior and senior years.

“He brings a good understanding of the program and already has the entire team’s respect in the locker room,” said Rekoske.

Last year the team finished 14-15 overall and 9-10 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The team has already started its preseason and is getting ready for the regular season.

“Preseason has gone well for us, and everyone is working hard,” said Rekoske.

There are four new players joining the team this year: two transfers and two freshmen.

Keith Bauer, a junior transfer from Roane State Community College (Harriman, Tenn.), who brings toughness to the team, can guard multiple positions and averaged 12 points per game last year, according to Rekoske.

Astral Guerrier, a sophomore transfer from Volunteer State Community College (Gallatin, Tenn.), is “extremely athletic, [has] good skill, and plays hard with a big motor,” said Rekoske. Guerrier averaged 11 points per game for Volunteer State.

Freshman Tyler Clark, who is “very skilled offensively,” comes from Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, Calif.). Rekoske expects him to help the team this year at both the two guard and the point positions.

Also, freshman Carrin Nash’s “length at the three will really help him. He can play both inside and out for us this year,” Rekoske said.

The five returning players for this year are sophomore Xavarien McCall, juniors Scott Newton, Demond Craig and Derek Batt and senior Andrew Slikker.

Team captain Newton, second-team All Conference, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game last year for the Lions.

“He put on 15 pounds of muscle and should be even better this year,” Rekoske said about Newton.

McCall averaged 12 points per game and four assists at the end of last year.

“[McCall] had a good off-season even though he had patella knee surgery,” said Rekoske.

Craig is a “good defender” and averaged seven points per game.

Batt “plays with energy and could be an excellent defender this year. He has improved his offensive skills and had a knee injury last year that affected him,” said Rekoske.

Another team captain, Slikker “should provide leadership and is an extremely hard worker,” said Rekoske. “This should be his best year for us.”

“Our impact player is, obviously, Scott Newton since he is probably one of the top two or three returners in the league this year,” said Rekoske. “We are also looking to Xavarien to have a big year along with our two transfers Keith Bowers and Astral Guerrier.”

The first home game will be on Oct. 29 against Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 7:30 p.m.

“The conference should be wide open and very balanced this year, and we are looking forward to getting started with practice,” said Rekoske. “We should be improved this year since we have more talent as long as we mesh together well.”