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Notebook

Greg Chandler's
Great Lakes Notebook
Posted Dec. 24, 1999

End of the 1900s
By Greg Chandler
D3hoops.com

The activity on the hardwood was a little light over the past week, as many teams hit the books for their final exams. Still, the week produced some exciting games and again, several surprises.

At Kalamazoo College, the Hornets pulled off the week's biggest shocker, downing No. 6 Wooster 62-54 to win its own Micro Vane Holiday Classic. Coach Joe Haklin's team outplayed the Fighting Scots, limiting Wooster (7-2) to just 29% from the field and controlling the boards by a 40-35 margin. Tournament MVP Brad Phillips had 18 and eight rebounds for Kalamazoo.

The night before at the Micro Vane Holiday Classic, Wooster had posted a hard-fought 58-54 victory against Huntington (Ind.) College, handing the Foresters only their second loss against 14 wins this season.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Athletic Conference is in a big logjam heading into the holidays, with five teams all within a half-game of first place. Baldwin-Wallace is on top with a 3-1 conference record, despite losing to No. 15 Ohio Northern 79-64. B-W led 40-37 at halftime, but the Polar Bears shut down OAC scoring leader Shawn McCormick, holding him to two second half-points after he scored 13 in the first half. Scott Unverferth led Ohio Northern with 22 points.

On Saturday, Marietta turned the tables on Ohio Northern, continuing its surprising early-season run with a stunning 80-74 road victory in Ada. Brent Cahill lit it up for the Pioneers (2-1, 7-1), scoring 33 points on 9-for-14 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and a perfect 10-of-10 from the line. Jeremy Thompson led the Polar Bears (2-1, 6-2) with 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Marietta's super sophomore Jesse DuPerow continues to lead the OAC in both scoring and rebounding (19.4 ppg/10.4 rpg).

In addition to Marietta and Ohio Northern, John Carroll and Otterbein are also in that pack at 2-1 in conference play, a half-game behind B-W.

In the North Coast Athletic Conference, Wittenberg is knocking at the door of the Top 25 in the D3hoops.com poll. On Saturday, Lou Stahl set a school record with nine 3-pointers in 12 attempts, finishing with 30 points as the Tigers trampled Allegheny 84-60. Stahl's 30 points were four more than the entire Gators' starting five combined. Since losing to No. 9 Illinois Wesleyan 77-60 Nov. 20, Wittenberg (3-0, 7-1) has clobbered its last six opponents by an average margin of 21 points a contest.

In the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Defiance might be the top candidate for best holiday tournament trip. The Yellowjackets, who are coming off tough losses to Ohio Northern and Wheaton, are playing a tournament this week in Cancun, Mexico. (I hear the collective sigh of envy already...)

Hope, meanwhile, is concerned about the loss of one of its captains. Senior guard Mark Bray suffered a knee injury in the Flying Dutchmen's last game Dec. 11, and is to undergo an MRI next week to determine how long he'll be out. Bray has come on strong of late, scoring 25 points in a win against Aquinas and adding 20 points and seven assists against Trinity Christian before being injured.

Women's action: Baldwin-Wallace remained on top of the OAC with two more impressive victories as the No. 6 Yellow Jackets raised their record to 8-0. B-W defeated Ohio Northern last Wednesday 80-62, then suffocated Heidelberg 53-37. B-W guard Emily Clark dished out 12 assists in the win against ONU, while forward Jenny Nance was a perfect 10-for-10 from the line against Heidelberg. The Yellow Jackets limited Heidelberg to 26% from the field, including 0-of-11 from 3-point range. B-W is tops in the OAC in fewest points allowed (54.0 ppg), scoring margin (+16.9 ppg) and field goal defense (.317).

In the MIAA, Calvin exacted a measure of revenge on Defiance last Saturday to stay unbeaten in league play. The Knights, who had never beaten Defiance in five previous meetings, including three last year, downed the Yellowjackets 59-54 to go to 3-0 in the MIAA. Since 1995, Calvin is 52-3 against MIAA opponents during the regular season, with two of those losses coming to Defiance.

Mount Union, which was ranked as high as No. 11 in the D3hoops.com women's poll earlier this season, has struggled to a 1-3 start in the OAC, but that's not because of forward Keri Canning. Canning leads the conference in scoring at 24.1 points per game, including a 37-point effort against Otterbein, and is second in rebounding at 9.2 boards a game.

Capital guard Amy Strine has been on fire all season from 3-point range. Strine is shooting 54% from behind the arc (20-for-37).

I will return with more news from the Great Lakes region after the New Year. A happy holiday season to all, with more hoops to come in the year 2000. Enjoy!

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