With one regular season game remaining and an undisputable MIAA conference championship within its grasp, Calvin, ranked 19th in the latest d3hoops.com poll, knew what had to be done as the visiting Hornets of Kalamazoo paid a visit to the Calvin Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon in front of a homecoming weekend crowd. Saturday’s contest marked the 141st meeting between the two schools in which the Knights looked to extend their seven game win streak against the Hornets to eight. Calvin was also looking for its tenth win in a row.
Early on in the first half, the Knights jumped to a quick 12-4 lead but soon found that Kalamazoo would claw its way back to within 3 halfway through the first half with a score of 21-18. But nine first half turnovers by the Hornets allowed Calvin to climb back with a more comfortable lead of eight. Even with Kalamazoo’s sloppy play, they shot 57 percent from the field and at halftime, Calvin found itself with a not so comfortable lead of 38-35.
In the second half of play, the Knights were unable to pull away. The Hornets continued to hang around and pose a threat as each team traded baskets back and forth. With seven minutes remaining, the Knights had a small lead of 58-53 and soon that lead was down to three with three minutes left.
But that’s when Calvin’s leaders kicked it in.
Senior Kyle Trewhella knocked down a jumper out of a timeout followed by a big shot in the lane by Kyle Snoeyink with two minutes remaining. The Hornets, however, were not about to back down easily. Kyle Konwinski nailed an NBA sized three pointer to narrow the Knight’s lead to 68-65. The next time down the court, freshman Caleb Veldhouse once again showed he’s a clutch player. Dribbling down the lane, he appeared to lose control of the ball as he went behind the back but found it again, shot it, and hit it. After a pair of free throws by Senior Andy Draayer, Calvin had sealed the victory by a score of 74-65.
Calvin head coach Kevin Vande Streek thought his team struggled for the most of the game. “It was a struggle for us today. We played very good in the first half offensively but not defensively and in the second half it flip flopped.” The Knights also proved they could win the close game this year as Vande Streek can vouch for, “We’ve won every close game this year,” said Vande Streek. “That’s a tribute to our guys.” In games decided by six points of less this year, Calvin has posted a 7-0 record.
The Knights were led in scoring by Caleb Veldhouse and Kyle Snoeyink who each poured in 16. Snoeyink also had 9 rebounds while Josh Meckes had 4 blocks. Scoring for Kalamazoo was led by Tyler Worst with 18.
Saturday’s Homecoming game marked the final regular season home game for Calvin seniors Kyle Trewhella, Andy Draayer, and Kevin Prins. Today’s win gave Calvin its 22nd outright MIAA title in men’s basketball and was also Coach Vande Streek’s 300th collegiate coaching victory. In 16 years as a collegiate coach (including six years at the University of Sioux Falls), Vande Streek is 300-152 for a winning percentage of .663. Since the Calvin Fieldhouse was opened in time for the 1965-66 season, Calvin has also posted a 36-5 record in homecoming games. With his four blocked shots, Meckes boosted his career total to 116 and moved past 2001 graduate Josh Tubergen for fifth place on the all-time Calvin list. With the win, Calvin also reached the 20-win plateau for the 16th time in program history.
As the top seed, Calvin (20-5 overall) will host a first round MIAA tournament action Wednesday night at 7:30 against Olivet
Newspaper Box Score Kalamazoo vs Calvin College 02/18/06 3:00 pm at at Calvin Fieldhouse At at Calvin Fieldhouse CALVIN COLLEGE 74, KALAMAZOO 65 KALAMAZOO (10-15, 7-7 MIAA) Tyler Worst 6-9 2-4 18; Kyle Konwinski 6-13 2-2 16; Tim Herman 2-5 2-4 8; Phil Weaver 3-7 0-0 6; Damon Krohn 2-3 0-0 5; Pat Clancy 2-6 0-0 4; Henry McCain 2-5 0-1 4; Brad Brinkman 1-4 0-0 2; Roger Garfield 1-1 0-0 2; Mat Kellogg 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 6-11 65. CALVIN COLLEGE (20-5, 13-1 MIAA) Caleb Veldhouse 4-8 6-7 16; Kyle Snoeyink 5-7 6-6 16; Kyle Trewhella 4-9 4-5 12; Josh Meckes 4-8 1-4 9; Andy Draayer 3-8 2-2 9; Micah Chappell 2-5 0-0 6; Eric DeVries 1-3 1-1 3; Dustin Smith 0-5 2-2 2; Tyler Zoerhof 0-3 1-2 1; Patrick Duff 0-0 0-0 0; Kevin Prins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-56 23-29 74. Kalamazoo..................... 35 30 - 65 Calvin College................ 38 36 - 74 3-point goals-Kalamazoo 9-22 (Tyler Worst 4-6; Kyle Konwinski 2-6; Tim Herman 2-2; Damon Krohn 1-2; Brad Brinkman 0-1; Henry McCain 0-1; Pat Clancy 0-4), Calvin College 5-13 (Micah Chappell 2-3; Caleb Veldhouse 2-3; Andy Draayer 1-4; Dustin Smith 0-2; Kyle Trewhella 0-1). Fouled out--Kalamazoo-None, Calvin College-None. Rebounds-Kalamazoo 31 (Brad Brinkman 7), Calvin College 36 (Kyle Snoeyink 9). Assists-Kalamazoo 17 (Kyle Konwinski 5), Calvin College 17 (Kyle Trewhella 5). Total fouls-Kalamazoo 22, Calvin College 12. A-3025 Calvin College Homecoming. Calvin clinches 22nd outright MIAA title in men's basketball. 300 collegiate coaching victory for Calvin's Kevin Vande Streek.