Panthers work hard over February break to maintain staying power

The Middlebury basketball team began its Feb Break with a highly anticipated matchup against Williams College, a fellow member of the national top 10 in Division III.  Middlebury went into the game without its top scorer and rebounder Ryan Sharry ’12, but received a number of exceptional individual efforts as players stepped up to fill the void.  Williams took an eight-point lead into the half after shooting 52 percent from the field before the break (compared to the Panthers’ 33 percent), but it evaporated to just one with nine minutes left in the game.

The Ephs’ hot shooting continued down the stretch, however, behind point guard James Wang and Blake Schultz, who was five for five on the game from behind the arc. Wang also appeared to be noticeably stiff on defense as he helped Williams hold Middlebury to a low shooting percentage through the rest of the game. The game ended in a tough 79-64 loss for the Panthers.

It has been said that “adversity causes some men to break; others to break records,” and the character of this Panther team was revealed when not a single player broke from campus as nearly all other students returned home for a weeklong vacation. Rather, the Middlebury squad took on Bowdoin and Colby, respectively, the very next weekend. These Maine teams are not necessarily renowned for their general athletic prowess, but they are never happy about that reputation, either, and can often prove to be pesky opponents.

The Polar Bears entered the game at a respectable 11-8, but in the end, did not appear to have the depth to keep up with the 19-2 Panthers. Bowdoin point guard Mike Hauser seemed to be doing his best to control the pace of the game, as his squad opened the game with a 14-6 lead, but the team appeared to become fatigued in the second half as the Panthers came out with a 15-2 run on their way to a 76-65 victory. Middlebury presented a well-balanced attack as Jake Wolfin ’13, Jamal Davis ’11, Tim Edwards ’09.5 and Andrew Locke ’11 all finished with double digits in scoring. The game was highlighted by a tasty dish off the backboard from Wolfin to Davis for an alley-oop dunk.

Middlebury rounded out the weekend in Pepin Gymnasium with a 72-57 win against Colby. The Mules never had a chance as they were suffocated defensively in the first half and held to just 19 percent shooting. Ryan Wholey ’11 led the Panthers with 14 points in just 18 minutes. Senior Bill Greven ’10 was not a leading scorer, contributing four off the bench, but when he wasn’t filling it up from the field, he was providing strong emotional leadership from the sideline. With the Colby victory, Middlebury has secured a home game for the upcoming NESCAC quarterfinals, which will take place on February 20th.

This weekend, Middlebury will play away games at Trinity and Amherst. Both teams, besides Trinity, appear dangerous on paper, and both will prove to be important games for Middlebury as the team completes its regular-season NESCAC schedule.