Lady Bulldogs win... and "technically" - the boys came up short in JV and Varsity
It's November 21, 2024, and the Wartburg Bulldogs just finished up night #2 of this young season. It started with the Junior Varsity boys playing their first game of the season. They played hard - swapping the lead back and forth several times. Despite hot shooting and leadership from Paxton "Man Hands" Quinney and 3-point accuracy from the "Rattlesnake" Parker Rogers - the Bulldogs just couldn't calm down the uber-efficient shooting of Cumberland Gap. They rarely miss from three and punished the Bulldogs to the tune of 48-43.
The girls played game #2. No offense to Coach Michael Poland or our Lady Bulldogs - but one look at the size of Cumberland Gap and I assumed we were in trouble. Sometimes it pays to be wrong - and wrong I was! Our Lady Bulldogs put the pedal to the metal and never let up. Despite a size difference - the Ladies played with all heart and took the victory 56-46! Great job ladies!
The boys played the final game of the night. The Male Bulldogs were also outsized by the Cumberland Gap players, so missing Lawson "Slim Jim" Swint in the paint hurt a little extra. Kudos to Swint for your work on Beta Club that kept you away tonight. Much like their JV, the Cumberland Gap varsity was also LETHAL from 3-point land. Going into the half, Wartburg only trailed by 10... but they came out of the half flat and watched Cumberland Gap take off on an 8-0 run that the Dogs ultimately never came back from. The game got a little extra chippy in the 2nd half - seeing Head Coach Travis Nelson get sent to the locker room after a double tech, and the Bulldogs ultimately falling to Cumberland Gap 81-60.
Although we dropped 2 of 3 tonight - there is still much to be excited about in Wartburg basketball... You've heard the basic rundown - but let's get to the fun stuff... Here are a few things to note:
The girls played game #2. No offense to Coach Michael Poland or our Lady Bulldogs - but one look at the size of Cumberland Gap and I assumed we were in trouble. Sometimes it pays to be wrong - and wrong I was! Our Lady Bulldogs put the pedal to the metal and never let up. Despite a size difference - the Ladies played with all heart and took the victory 56-46! Great job ladies!
The boys played the final game of the night. The Male Bulldogs were also outsized by the Cumberland Gap players, so missing Lawson "Slim Jim" Swint in the paint hurt a little extra. Kudos to Swint for your work on Beta Club that kept you away tonight. Much like their JV, the Cumberland Gap varsity was also LETHAL from 3-point land. Going into the half, Wartburg only trailed by 10... but they came out of the half flat and watched Cumberland Gap take off on an 8-0 run that the Dogs ultimately never came back from. The game got a little extra chippy in the 2nd half - seeing Head Coach Travis Nelson get sent to the locker room after a double tech, and the Bulldogs ultimately falling to Cumberland Gap 81-60.
Although we dropped 2 of 3 tonight - there is still much to be excited about in Wartburg basketball... You've heard the basic rundown - but let's get to the fun stuff... Here are a few things to note:
Shout out to 3 Lady Bulldogs
Being new to Wartburg basketball, I'm still learning the players and their names. Two of the Lady Bulldogs stood out as key producers and deserve a little shout out in their big win tonight
Myra "All Good in the" Hood
Myrah Hood played lights out basketball tonight up and down the court. The official stat sheet has her down for 19 and Coach Kyle's detailed report has her down for 20 points. Whether it was 19 or 20 - it was definitely all good in the Hood tonight! Hood plays strong defense and is a smooth shooter while driving or from range - tonight was a very impressive outing for the top scorer in Wartburg Blue tonight!
Braylen "Queso" Melton
Next up is Braylen Melton. Where Myrah Hood was outsized by a little - Melton was outsized by a LOT. However, what you can't account for is heart and hustle - and Melton played with loads of both. Scoring 14 points and accounting for 2 beautiful 3-pointers, Melton plays a quick but smooth style of ball. In trying to think of a name that would be suitable for Melton... the thought process went something like this - Melton = Meltin' = Cheese = Queso... With skills that are smooth like a cauldron of queso at El Patron - I want to hear the stands erupt with "QUESO!" the next time she drains one of her patented threes!
Natalie Nell "In the Coffin"
When I walked into the games tonight, I thought to myself, "There are only about a third of the cheerleaders from Tuesday!" As it turned out, much of the squad had an opportunity for a trip to Disney for a cheer trip. While they are away, the games continue. The cheerleaders took the floor with only 6 ladies and 2 gentlemen. Huge shout out to sophomore Natalie Nell "In the Coffin" - because she stepped up and killed it as captain - keeping the squad on target with plenty of pep and volume! Great work!
Evan "Clutch" Crouch
A couple of write-ups ago, after the Sunbright tournament, I posted a poll asking what Wartburg athlete should fill the role of "Fix It Felix" as resident giant Lucas Wilson earned the "Wreck it Ralph" moniker. In a stunning runaway vote, Evan Crouch received 24/25 votes... Tonight, Crouch was Clutch as his shots were falling left and right. Crouch's 17 points were far and away the most of any Wartburg boy - and the best part is that he was taking the right shots. Rather than pressing and forcing them - he took shots that made sense and produced. With 2 three-pointers and 3/3 from the line - Clutch looks the part of Mr. Consistent. He even at one point took a clear elbow to the face (forehead, nose, mouth? - I'm unsure) - but in clear Fix-it Felix fashion - you wouldn't have known he'd been hit. He continued playing without even the first hint of slowing down.
Lucas "Wreck It Ralph" Wilson
When we first saw the JV warming up - some of the varsity athletes were on the floor in plain clothes helping out. Lucas Wilson looked less like a student - and more like the new chemistry teacher, or possibly an undercover police officer sent in to gather information. After playing sparingly on Tuesday, Wilson suited up and played in the Varsity game to counter act the size of Cumberland Gap. As freshman Noah Ward pointed out, "Whoever has to go up against Lucas in practice just bounces off and hits the floor because he's so much bigger and stronger." Although unfair to be punished for being bigger, Wilson has to overemphasize pulling back from contact to avoid getting called for fouls - and he looked good on the court tonight knocking down 4 points with some fluid moves in the post.
Double Tech Gets Serious
Growing up as an Atlanta Braves fan - I used to LOVE when Bobby Cox would come out of the dugout to let an umpire know he didn't like their call. He'd go to bat for his players when the need arose. Tonight, we saw T. Nelly get right with the refs after some suspect calls/no-calls on charges. We'll see what the impact of this ejection is for the team as the dust settles in the coming days - but one thing is clear - Coach Nelson is passionate about the game and will go to bat for his players. The Dogs seemed inspired by their fearless leader as he was forced to leave the court. It was not enough to come back for a win - but they found some grit in honor of their coach.
Junior Varsity Quick Hitters
A luxury the coaching staff stepped into this year is a DEEP bench with loads of young talent. One place they get to see what they have is in the JV games - and they have plenty scheduled throughout the season. Here a few quick-hit highlights to note:
- Three pointers! Parker Rogers had the hot hand with 2 textbook three-pointers - leading the JV with 10 points. Also chipping in with three-pointers were Daniel "Deebo" Bunch, "No-Nonsense" Noah Ward, and Cole "Patrol" Wilson.
- Stingy defense "Rampage" Reid Quinney played great defense with quick feet and instincts to boot. His quickness is unrivaled on the JV.
- Sweet Tooth? Gavin "White Chocolate" Keathley played with plenty of fire and hustle up and down the court. He knocked down 6 points and used quick hands to disrupt the opposition's momentum on several occasions.
- Free throws! Paxton Quinney (4/5) and Jackson Wetzel (2/2) both made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe. They call the throws "free" for a reason - so we have to hit those opportunities at a high rate. Great shooting!
- Ward getting comfortable in the post... After spending his Middle School career floating around as a wing at Petros-Joyner, Freshman Noah Ward looked to be getting comfortable in the post pulling down rebounds and putting pressure on the opposing "bigs". Ward should bite the bullet and volunteer for Lucas-duty at practice. As Patches O'Houlihan said, "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." So with the same logic, if you can stand against Lucas, you can stand against anyone!
- Three pointers! Parker Rogers had the hot hand with 2 textbook three-pointers - leading the JV with 10 points. Also chipping in with three-pointers were Daniel "Deebo" Bunch, "No-Nonsense" Noah Ward, and Cole "Patrol" Wilson.
- Stingy defense "Rampage" Reid Quinney played great defense with quick feet and instincts to boot. His quickness is unrivaled on the JV.
- Sweet Tooth? Gavin "White Chocolate" Keathley played with plenty of fire and hustle up and down the court. He knocked down 6 points and used quick hands to disrupt the opposition's momentum on several occasions.
- Free throws! Paxton Quinney (4/5) and Jackson Wetzel (2/2) both made the most of their opportunities from the charity stripe. They call the throws "free" for a reason - so we have to hit those opportunities at a high rate. Great shooting!
- Ward getting comfortable in the post... After spending his Middle School career floating around as a wing at Petros-Joyner, Freshman Noah Ward looked to be getting comfortable in the post pulling down rebounds and putting pressure on the opposing "bigs". Ward should bite the bullet and volunteer for Lucas-duty at practice. As Patches O'Houlihan said, "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." So with the same logic, if you can stand against Lucas, you can stand against anyone!
Wacky Wartburg Environment!
Pictured here is Neyland "The Homeschool Warrior" Laymance. In two games, Laymance is 2/2 in wearing his custom cape and overalls. It's always a fun environment playing our home games. So far, we've played twice - both home games - and we've gotten to enjoy some home hijinx... but come Monday, November 25th - we travel to Oneida to play our first away games. Remember to get behind our student athletes and offer up some encouraging words. They need to always know that their community is behind them!