With wins this past week over Wabash College and Hiram College, the Wooster basketball team sewed up its sixth straight conference title and clinched home-court advantage throughout the NCAC Tournament. However, the Scots will have plenty to play for when the arch-rival, Wittenberg University Tigers visit the Timken Gymnasium to renew one of the fiercest rivalries in Div. III.
With the wins over Wabash and Hiram, the team extended its winning streak to 12 and 13 games, respectivey. With each win, the Scots steadily continue to climb in the national polls. The team is now ranked No. 19, the highest ranked team in Ohio. Wabash was arguably the most formidable team the Scots had played in a month. Moreover, playing Wabash on the road is a consistent challenge. Aside from the seven-hour bus ride to Crawfordsville, Ind., the Little Giants boast one of the most spirited fan bases in the conference. While Chadwick Court holds a capacity of just over 1,000, the small arena maximizes crowd noise ó of which there was plenty last Sunday.
The game was close from the opening tip to the final horn ó the Scotsí largest lead of the game came in the opening minutes when it built a 9-2 lead. Wabash immediately used a 15-2 run to open a 17-11 lead in the first half. From there, both teams played each other closely. The largest lead the Scots held the rest of the game was 34-27.
One of the gameís biggest storylines was that the Scots did not rely on the three-point shot ó making 5-of-15 from downtown. Their 15 attempts from behind the arc were tied for the fewest all season. Statistically, the Scots and Giants were equal in most categories. The Scots were able to win the game because they held on to the ball ócommitting only nine turnovers to Wabashís 17.
Guard Nathan Balch í11, who has caught fire over the last four games, led all Wooster scorers with 17. Ian Franks í11 pitched in 13, but the unsung hero of the game may have been team captain and point guard Brandon Johnson í10.
The fifth-year senior came back this season after sitting out last year with an ACL tear. Before the injury, Johnson was typically a jack-of-all-trades point guard, with the ability to penetrate, shoot from long-range, distribute the ball, play lock-down perimeter defense and even rebound. Since coming back from the injury, Johnson has had a more specified role.
As the lone senior on the team, Johnsonís main role has been to provide leadership and play defense on the perimeter. Johnson has not scored as much and has also split time with the emerging Matt Fegan í12, who leads the team in three-point-field-goal percentage. On Sunday, Johnson turned in his finest performance of the year, displaying the quickness and athleticism that had made him such a match-up problem from 2005-2008.
For much of the game, Johnson had one of the toughest assignments a perimeter defender can ask for ó guarding Wabash forward Wes Smith. Smith came in as the top scorer in the NCAC.† Johnson was assigned to guard the most explosive player in the conference on his surgically repaired knee. It was only a slightly less difficult task than asking Stevie Wonder to officiate the Super Bowl. Johnson, who has always been a lockdown defender, held his own against the decorated forward who was a high school teammate of Greg Oden and Mike Conley. Johnson notched season-highs in points (11) and steals (six) on the game. While Smith scored 18 points, he was held to just 4-for-13 shooting from the field and committed five turnovers.
While Johnson may not display the explosiveness that he showed before his ACL injury, he used his experience and knowledge on the court, rather than relying on superior athleticism. ìWith the knee injury, heís not going to be able to be as fast and quick ó heís not going to be able to jump up and slam a dunk like he always could. However, [Johnson] is gaining confidence on the court in doing things that he couldnít earlier in the season. Brandon is learning how to be effective without that former athletic ability,” said head coach Steve Moore.
With the conference title now in hand, the Scots turn their attention to arguably the biggest game of the season ó the home showdown with Wittenberg University. The rivalry is one of the fiercest in Div. III. It has become a fierce rivalry because of the continued dominance of both programs. Since the 1988-89 season, either Wooster or Wittenberg has won at least a share of the NCAC title. In that span, Allegheny College is the only school to win at least a share of the conference title along with either of the two schools, doing so during the 1988-89 season and during the 1993-94 season. Over the past 15 seasons, the NCAC has been won only by Wooster or Wittenberg.
More recently, Wooster has gained the upper hand in the series, winning the regular season title seven of the past eight years. Since winning the NCAC Tournament title in 2006 and making a run to the NCAA national title, Wittenberg has failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Wittenberg (17-5, 9-4 NCAC) is enjoying its best season since 2007 and led the Scots for a majority of the first half when the two teams played in Springfield, Ohio.
While the Scots are looking to complete their first 16-0 conference season since 1999-2000 and with the Tigers already eliminated from the regular season title chase, they will come into this game looking to blemish the Scotsí perfect conference record.
Franks claims that tomorrow night, itís Wooster versus Wittenberg ó the records are irrelevant. ìWith a rivalry game, you know that anything can happen. So despite everything, you have to throw records off the table,” he said.
The atmosphere tomorrow night will be electric. The Wooster-Wittenberg rivalry was one of the reasons Justin Hallowell í12 came to Wooster. ìI went to the Witt game when it was here at Wooster my senior year in high school and it was amazing to me that at the Div. III level there could be a game like that with such an intense, but at the same time fun, atmosphere,” said Hallowell.
Hallowell said that nothing can compare with the experience of playing in the game for the first time. ìItís such a fun game to play in that you have to tell yourself not to get so jacked up in warm-upsí ó cause its easy to wear yourself out,” said Hallowell.
Woosterís home crowds typically average about 1,500 per game. Tomorrow night, the crowd will likely double that. Playing in front of 3,000 people is a rare experience for most Div. III players. ìItís such a great feeling knowing that all those fans out there came to watch your team play,” said Hallowell. ìAnd thereís nothing like hearing the roar of the crowd after a big basket or the crowd getting into it when your team is on defense.† Itís like they give you a little boost of energy,” he said.
This is Johnsonís fifth year as part of the rivalry, and there have been many games that have come down to the wire. While the Scots will host the Tigers tomorrow, it is the road games that stick out for Johnson. ìHaving so much success in their gym has been really special to me. It is extremely difficult to go on the road and win in such a tough environment, but we have been able to do it time and again throughout my four years,” said Johnson.
While Moore, who is a 1974 Wittenberg alumnus and was a point guard for the Tigers, remains even-keeled, he stresses the energy the team must play with. ìI donít think Coach [Moore] approaches any games more intensely than the Witt game. He makes it very clear how much it means to them to beat us and how hard we have to play to win,” said Johnson.
That intensity is frequently demonstrated on the court. Last year when the Tigers visited Timken, team captain Marty Bidwell í09 and Wittenberg forward David Nowicki nearly got into a tussle after Bidwell tried to dunk on Nowicki at the end of the game. Emotions have always run high in this game, and tomorrow night will likely be no different.
With the comeback of Johnson, the re-emergence of Woosterís perimeter shooters, as well as increased depth in the post with the improvement of Josh Claytor í13 and Jake Mays í13, the Scots may finally have all the pieces in place to run the table and be ranked in the top-12 by the end of the regular season.
Wittenberg would like nothing better than to rattle the Scotsí newfound consistency. In this rivalry, itís not necessarily the most talented team that wins ó itís the team with the most intensity and energy. Moore will make sure the team has plenty of both tomorrow night.