by Ericka Simpson
Staff Writer
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.”