Thursday, January 28, 2010

Well ... that was ugly

First I will start off be apologizing for sounding like someone ran over my dog last night during the BCU men's game but I am not afraid to relay my emotions to the listening audience. Growing up a Briar Cliff fan I have grown quite passionate about the Chargers and view my position as play by play guy as an honor. With that said...some losses hurt me too.

Last night was one of those games. Coming off the loss at Concordia on Saturday I felt like Wednesday's game would be a great bounce back for BCU. Unfortunately the only bounce was in the step of Dakota Wesleyan. DWU is a very good team. They were picked to win the conference. One could argue that their four of their five starters could start at just about NAIA school in America but no one is supposed to come into the Flanagan center and smack our Chargers.

From the opening tip off you could easily see that the Tigers were prepared and ready to play. They chased down lose balls, rebounded hard and really attacked the basket. Defensively the game plan was executed well. Briar Cliff scored just 21 points for the first nineteen minutes before Kyle Semprini hit two late threes to pull the Chargers within four at the half 31-27. As Semprini was trying to fire up his team the Chargers struggled to push themselves to his intensity level.

The second half didn't get any better really; as DWU scored it seemed at will using their speed, and ball movement to find the open shot. Chase Vander Feen was held to just 2 points, and Kyle Swanson struggled again. After he picked up his third foul in the middle of the first half and went to the bench he was pretty much out of the game at that point. Sharp passing was non existent last night as was movement without the ball, something Briar Cliff usually is very good at. When the clock finally expired Dakota Wesleyan won 77-58 but the game was never really close sad to say.

Now comes gut check time. The next three games are on the road. At Nebraska Wesleyan Saturday then next week BCU travels to Dordt on Wednesday and Hastings next Saturday. Winning all of those games will be a big task. Dordt defends their home floor very well and takes advantage of the other teams mistakes...Hastings has probably been waiting for another chance at BCU since December when Briar Cliff erased a 20 point Bronco lead and won 82-77. After the three road games Briar Cliff will be back home for three against Sioux Falls, Doane, and Morningside before finishing the season at Midland Lutheran.

Not a ton was lost last night. Winning games moving forward will be huge and with a strong finish BCU can still finish in the top 4 in the GPAC, get a first round bye, and host at least a game at the NFC. This Briar Cliff teams belongs in the national tournament and with a handful more wins that's where they will be but the challenge to get there continues Saturday and I am sure a determined team will be getting off the bus in Lincoln. I will be there to tell you all about it ... hopefully with a happy tone.

Go Chargers.

Monday, January 25, 2010

The best team did not win

Saturday Todd Barry's Charger team lost to Concordia 64-62 on the road in Seward. Losing is a fact of life in college basketball but it's hard to swallow when Briar Cliff was clearly the better team. First place in the GPAC was on the line as the Bulldogs welcomed BCU. The Chargers got 10 first half points from Kyle Semprini, 7 from Chase Vander Feen, and 6 from Eric Rohe in route to a 41-27 half time lead. Briar Cliff looked like the #5 team in the country as they controlled the tempo, scored at will and played tremendous defense.

At halftime I said to my dad who traveled with me that this game reminded me of the Briar Cliff vs. Grand View game back in December when BCU lead 34 to 23 at half and didn't bring the same intensity out of the locker room in the 2nd half.

Concordia ripped off a huge run to start the half outscoring BCU 18-4 at one point to put themselves back in the game. They also stepped up their defense. Briar Cliff scored just 21 points in the 2nd half and struggled shooting from the field and from the free throw line. More than a handful of calls went against the Chargers including a phantom charge call on Chase Vander Feen late in the game, and a technical foul that should have been called on Concordia head coach Grant Schmidt. When a call didn't go their way he jumped up and down like a small child shouting at the referee's and somehow got away with it.

The tantrum, one of a few for Schmidt, was embarrassing for a coach who has accomplished so much. Maybe I am used to Todd Barry who always seems to argue with respect and unless the situation calls for it rarely loses his temper. Anyway I thought it was ridiculous.

The Chargers fell three spots to #8 in this weeks poll but one thing is clear to me. The Chargers can beat anyone in the country and at times this season have looked unbeatable. Coach Barry always talks about getting better every game and learning from past experiences and with eight games to go in the regular season the Chargers have a chance to win the GPAC and play multiple games at home in the conference tournament. The next step towards a conference title is Wednesday at home against nationally ranked Dakota Wesleyan, the preseason favorite to win the GPAC. I hope the NFC is full of rowdy Charger fans and the Blue Crew is loud and proud.

Good luck to Coach Barry and the Chargers!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

2 more BIG Wins

Lately all Briar Cliff does is win. Wednesday night the Chargers swept Northwestern again flexing their muscles against one of the best programs in the conference. Although coaches like to "concentrate on one game at a time" I think that we should start to look at the big picture and the body of work that both teams have put together this season.

The 5th ranked BCU men are amazing to me because they have showed us that they can win in so many ways. Rarely to college teams score 100 points and BC has done it twice in the last five game to go along with scores of 97 and 88. The other game? A 52-48 win. No matter what challenges they face this team finds a way to step up and win and it all leads back to coaching. Todd Barry and Nic Nelson have assembled a teams that cares about each other and wants to be a good unit far before they shine as individuals. Chase Vander Feen scored 23 points in the Northwestern win and after the game in our post game interview he talked about how good Matt Geelan played and how Kyle Semprini hit big shots. Each win this season has been a team effort from the word go. Saturday the men hit the road to take on Concordia in what will be a tough challenge. Concordia is playing well having won 6 games in a row and are 9-2 in the GPAC keeping pace with BCU as the two are in a virtual tie. Briar Cliff is still the lone team in the conference with one loss but something will have to give Saturday. Both teams hold a six game winning streak. I say BCU 79 Concordia 76.

I think at the beginning of the season expectations were extremely high for the mens team and the jury was still out on just how good Mike Powers' team could be. As we would all come to find out - they are awesome. Liz Grider is playing her way to the national player of the year award and helping this Charger team get closer and closer to their goal of playing at the Tyson Events Center come mid March in the NAIA national tournament. Beating Morningside started a string of wins that includes wins over the cross town rival and national ranked Mustangs, snapping a 15 game losing streak to M'side; a win over #7 Mount Marty and Wednesday night BCU avenged an earlier loss to #3 Northwestern winning 85-75. The win Wednesday night was especially sweet because this game, unlike the last, counted in conference play. Saturday's game at Concordia will be yet another test for the Chargers as they bring a 7-2 conference record against a team with a 7-4 conference record. Concordia is not an easy place to play so it should be a fun match up but I see BCU winning 87-72 going away.

We're officially into the second half of the GPAC and winning on the road is quickly going to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Briar Cliff plays five of the final nine games are on the road but they have proved to themselves that they can win anywhere against anyone. It will be fun calling the games on the radio and if you cannot make it to the games root from your recliner and get behind these teams.

GO Chargers!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

BCU sweeps M'side...both teams in the Top Ten

The new NAIA ratings came out yesterday and both men's and women's teams are in the top ten. The men moved up two spots to #8 and the women are back in the top ten at #10. Briar Cliff has had tremendous teams throughout the years and as a lifelong fan I have had the pleasure to watch past stars like Leon Trimmingham and Cynthia Steel but I don't remember ever being this excited to be a fan of the Chargers.

I couldn't help but be excited as the Charger women went on a 19-0 run in the closing minutes against Morningside erasing a 67-54 deficit...and held on to win behind a 20-2 run. Briar Cliff 74 Morningside 69. 15 game winning streak snapped! As the closing seconds ran off the clock Liz Grider threw the ball into the air to start the celebration and it got me thinking of the chances of seeing her do that again come March in the NAIA national tournament. On a day when Grider had just 2 points at half her supporting cast was strong keeping BC in the game until everyone came together on the great run. Megan Salcedo is quietly becoming one of the best players in the GPAC. She scored 16 points, played great defense, and the Chargers a post option that proved to be effective. Although Grider finished with 15 points her defense and passing was crucial in victory. Grider has great court vision and on multiple occasions dished off to an open teammate instead of forcing a bad shot giving Briar Cliff easy baskets. Players as good as Grider are smart enough to change the way they play to excel in other facets of the game and Liz did just that. The other player that needs to be mentioned is Michelle Determan. When she entered the game early in the first half she looked lost, like the speed of the game was too much to handle. She settled down nicely and after the game Coach Power praised her for the adjustments she made going into the second half. She scored a few big baskets, played great defense, and didn't turn the ball over when her team needed her the most. Saturday's win could prove to be a key victory when all is said and done this season. Had the Chargers lost it would've been a huge blow to their confidence following the Northwestern loss...instead the Chargers are ranked 10th and have the next three games at home against #7 Mount Marty, Midland Lutheran, and #3 Northwestern.

Todd Barry continues to push his team to new heights following the Chargers 88-69 win over Morningside Saturday. The Mustangs biggest lead of the game was just 2 points about three and a half minutes in. After that it was all BCU. Kyle Swanson had a true break out game scoring 21 points, the last 2 on a powerful two handed dunk, and in my opinion showed how important his role is for this team down the stretch. Kyle Semprini and Chase Vander Feen are going to find a way to score and Matt Geelan hopefully will be as consistent as always making Swanson a difference maker. Saturday Swanson owned the paint and was seemed confident with the ball shooting over Garth Hamilton. Coach Barry talks about pushing his team to play consistently for 40 minutes and Saturday's win over Morningside proved that they are on the right track. The fight for the conference championship continues Wednesday against Mount Marty, a team BC should beat. Then BCU gets two more at home before traveling to Concordia on January 23rd.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I must say that over the weekend I was a little lost without a basketball game to call on the radio but with the holiday just a few days away it gave me time to look back and reflect on what has taken place this fall with the BC football team and now with two nationally ranked basketball teams.

Tom Rethman's team finished strong and with a ton of returning players is in a position to take the momentum they had this year and really turn heads next season. If you have the chance to talk to Tom you can't help but be excited for him and his staff as they build Briar Cliff football into a program that the University, students, and alumni are proud of. I think next season's opponents will have an extremely difficult time scoring on BCU and we can hope for continued improvement from Lehi Tonga. Tonga should have some nice weapons to throw to in Chase Colvin and Zac Kliment, and Stevhn Leavy will again be running with a propose...to win football games. Good luck to Coach Rethman and staff in recruiting.

As far as the basketball teams are concerned the campus should be abuzz with excitement because the two teams we are watching have the potential to be special come tournament time. Mike Power's team won two more games in Florida improving to 11-2 and have now beat an NCAA Division II team in Minnesota-Crookston and an NAIA Division I team, Georgetown (KY) 99-95 in the Cruzin Classic. Following the Hastings loss I talked to Christine Schroeder and she told me that she believes that this team is close...by close I believe she means close to contending for a GPAC championship. She knows from her playing experience at BC what it feels like to be a part of a really good team and you can see the sparkle in the coaches eyes knowing that Liz Grider is a potential NAIA national player of the year, and the supporting cast is there to not only make the NAIA tournament but to make some noise in it.

Todd Barry's team stumbled into the holiday break losing to Grand View last Tuesday. The loss was disappointing simply because Briar Cliff was the better team. The Chargers ran the Vikings off the floor in the first half and I thought looked like a true top 10 team. The second half was downright ugly. Judging by Coach Berry's comments following the game I believe he will use that second half performance as a learning tool and will have his team ready to take on Mayville State at home December 29th and against Bellevue on the 30th. I hope that fans realize just how good this team is and will be. The Chargers are in the top 10 because they belong there and will be on a mission to prove it following Christmas break.

Watching the two teams battle for GPAC Championships come the new year is going to be very exciting and I think support from fans, students, and alumni will be a boost when the GPAC powers invade the NFC to play the Chargers. The schedule in the GPAC doesn't do a team any favors so it will be survival of the fittest but the components are in place for success. The first half of the season has been a blast and I look forward to bringing you the games on the radio.

May everyone have a blessed holiday season. Take the time to enjoy time with your families and rest up because your Chargers will need you to be loud and proud and help root them to victory. Go Chargers.