(Stories provided by Calvin publications coordinator Lynn Rosendale)
MEN'S BASKETBALL
MILWAUKEE WIS. -- The Calvin College men's basketball escaped
with a
win in the Wisconsin Lutheran Tip-Off Tournament in Milwaukee,
Wis., on
Saturday putting down the pesky home team 79-67.
The Warriors got off to a quick start in the game taking an
early 3-2 lead off a
opening three-point bucket by the Warriors leading scorer Josh
Metzger. That
was only the start of things to come as Metzger poured in 25
points to lead all
scorers. "He's a great player," said Calvin Coach Kevin
VandeStreek. "He's got
a quick pull-up jump shot and that was tough for us. I think
we really worked him
hard on defense though and that was a factor at the end of the
game. He looked
a little fatigued."
It took a tough defensive effort by Calvin's Brian Krosschell
and Jeremy
Veenstra to tire out Metzger. On the other end of the court it
was Veenstra who
was tossing in points for the Knights both from the inside and
out. Veenstra, who
was named the tournament MVP, led the Knights with 18 points
and six
rebounds.
"Jeremy is a better player than last year," said VandeStreek.
"When I say that
he's worked hard to become a better player, that's saying a
lot. He realizes he
has to be a go to player."
That's what he was on Saturday, but it took an all-around
balanced effort for the
Knights to get the job done. Three other players were in
double digits for Calvin,
with Bryan Foltice and Josh Tubergen tossed in 14 a piece,
Chris Prins added 12
more and Nate Burgess had 9.
"I expect Veenstra and Foltice to lead us," said VandeStreek,
"but Tubergen's
and Prins' points were very helpful," said VandeStreek. "The
more balanced we
are, the harder we are to defend." In the end that's what it
took for the Knights to
win the tournament. With only a 35-34 lead at the half, Calvin
came out strong to
start the second period with Veenstra and Krosschell taking it
strong to the hoop.
The Warriors would take the lead 49-48 midway through the half
on a
three-point shot by Metzger. Tubergen with follow with two of
his own to put the
Knights up 50-49. The Warriors kept pressing, however, and
tied the score once
again at 53-53.
A Tubergen jam put the Knights up again and only to have the
score knotted
again at 57-57, following two jumpers by Metzger. Veenstra
answered with a
three that would put Calvin up for good. Calvin rattled off 11
straight including
the Veenstra triple-a deficit too large for the Warriors to
overcome. Foltice iced
the game by hitting nine of his 14 points in the final
stretch-seven from the free
throw line.
Foltice was later named to the All-Tournament team.
Vandestreek was pleased
with the team's performance in the season-opening tournament.
"I don't think
there's any replacement for winning close games," he said.
"You have to have
won under pressure-when the game is on line-to do it in big
situations. This
develops confidence because we're going to be in close games
again. There's no
doubt about that and if we've done it before, it gives us
confidence down the
road."
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
MILWAUKEE, WIS. -- A strong run sparked by sophomore Jennifer
Plakmeyer resulted in a tournament championship for the
Knights with a 67-58
victory over the Warriors of Wisconsin Lutheran. Plakmeyer,
who tossed in 24
points for Calvin , was named MVP of the Wisconsin Lutheran
Tip-Off
Tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., on Saturday.
Nine of her points came at a crucial point in the second half
when the Warriors
were making a late run. In fact, the Warriors took the early
lead in the game
going up 6-2 and then building to a 15-8 lead off some strong
inside play by
Jennie Hastings, who had 23 on the night. It was Plakmeyer who
stopped the
Warriors' run with a jumper. That combined with some strong
defense played by
sophomore Tricia Dyk and Tara Bergsma got things turned around
and heading
in the right direction for Calvin. The Knights tied the game
at 18 with an outside
shot by Dyk, who had six points in the game. Six more
unanswered point by the
Knights quickly upped the score to 24-18, a lead the Knights
would never
relinquish.
The Warriors challenged the lead throughout, however, pulling
to as close as
three several times in the contest. Hastings and 6-3 center
Sara Zondag, who
ended with 12, were instrumental in keeping the Warriors
within striking distance.
It was Plakmeyer who ultimately sealed the victory for Calvin
in the end.
"They were running a type of trap on us and no one was getting
open so Coach
designed a play for us to just pass it to the wing a few times
and then back to me
and she said, "If you're feeling it, take it." Apparently
Plakmeyer was feeling it.
With Wisconsin Lutheran trailing by just four at 58-54 with
three minutes to go,
Plakmeyer made a single-handed nine point run, including a
three pointer to put
the game out of reach.
"I have to thank my teammates for that," said Plakmeyer. "They
spread the floor
really well and everyone played with much more confidence than
we've shown in
practice. We played better than we thought we would."
With no seniors on the team, Calvin was looking for some
strong early leadership
from its young players. They got it on Saturday with three
sophomores-Plakmeyer, Dyk and Mandy VandeBosch with 10,
leading the
scoring attack. Dyk was also named to the All-Tournament team.
"Being a leader is something I've always wanted and do enjoy,"
said Plakmeyer.
"It was a role I had in high school and one that I'm pretty
used to." The
early-season tournament victory is something that the Knights
are looking to build
on. "It's encouraging because the only place we have to do is
up," said
Plakmeyer. "We play in a tough conference and we still have a
ton to learn and
this is a great start for us and was really good for our
confidence."
-end-
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