The men’s basketball team faced off against two conference opponents this weekend, Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University. The team lost its game on Friday night, falling to Texas Lutheran 66-80. The Tigers won their Sunday afternoon showdown against Southwestern 86-73 in overtime. CC and TLU are currently battling for first place in the SCAC, with TLU holding a narrow lead over the Tigers.
The Tigers could have potentially taken the lead in the SCAC with a win on Friday, but a sluggish start and failure to stick to the game plan caused the Tigers to back themselves into a corner by the end of the first half.
“We fueled their offense by taking quick shots on our offensive side of the ball, while not allowing their defense the chance to break down,” said Head Coach Andy Partee. A lack of patience on offense resulted in not enough quality shots and too many forced plays.
Partee didn’t see a need for any significant adjustments to the game plan on Sunday, saying all that was necessary was “simply better execution of what we are capable of doing well.”
“We didn’t execute as well as we could have on either ends,” said sophomore guard Eric Houska. “Defensively we just weren’t good enough.” At one point in the first half the Bulldogs’ score was nearly double that of CC’s.
Partee cited the play of sophomore forward John Hatch as a key difference-maker in the weekend’s contests. Hatch’s 61.4 three-point percentage leads the entire SCAC. His 58.7 field goal percentage also ties him for first in the division.
“John Hatch has been doing an outstanding job on both ends of the floor,” said Houska. “It’s really helpful when you have that kind of leeway, especially on defense, where you know he’s going to make a play.”
Hatch has put up impressive numbers so far this season, with his name showing up amongst the team leaders in almost every measurable offensive and defensive category.
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Houska’s play has been dynamic as well. He put up 19 points against TLU, including four three-point field goals. Partee emphasized Hatch and Houska’s “huge impact in both games this weekend.”
After Friday’s loss, a renewed vigor and sense of competition drove CC to hand Southwestern University an 86-73 loss in overtime on Sunday. “It seemed that we were more hungry on Sunday,” said Houska. “We let our sets work and knocked down our shots.”
Hatch led the team with 21 points in the contest. Senior guard Justin Berardino poured on almost half of the 20 points in the extra frame, proving to be a decisive factor in the contest.
“Justin’s statistics were very impressive,” Partee said. “As a point guard and facilitator, he was the glue in our offensive execution. He found his own offense within the flow.” Houska added 13 additional tallies and eight rebounds to help propel the Tigers to a redeeming victory
The loss to TLU is only the second conference loss CC has been handed so far this season. A Centenary College victory over TLU on Sunday puts CC within a half game of the first-place Bulldogs.
Heading into the home stretch, the team’s focus hasn’t changed. “The final few weeks are always hard fought battles,” Houska said. “We just need to keep focusing and continue to play better basketball.”
While teams like CC vie for a top spot in the conference standings, other schools battle to simply make the postseason cut. As Partee puts it: “We’re still in the hunt for the top seed.” With just four games left in the regular season, CC is easily within striking distance of first place.