It has taken almost four years, but a Hopkins team that doesn't use netted sticks was finally able to draw an impressive crowd of Blue Jay fans -- fans that, it turned out, witnessed something truly special.
The men's basketball team hosted two NCAA tournament games, knocking off Villa Julie 84-72 on Friday night before dropping their second-round game to Guilford College, 80-73. Both contests were in front of a spirited, loud, energetic fan base -- easily the biggest crowd Goldfarb Gymnasium has seen in the past few years.
"This team plays well when we have the crowd behind us," head coach Bill Nelson said. "In our season finale, we had a big crowd so to have it in the NCAAs was huge."
The Blue Jays used the crowd to their advantage Friday night, coming back from an 18-point first-half deficit to defeat their Interstate-83 rivals. After Villa Julie sparkled from the field in the first half while Hopkins struggled, the second half became a classic case of role reversal. The critical momentum swing for the Jays came with a 9-0 run over the final 2 minutes 30 seconds of the first half to bring a daunting 16-point lead down to just 7 points heading into the break.
Hopkins then scored the first five points of the second half to limit the game to a one-possession affair. Just as the Jays looked ready to surge into the lead, the Mustangs answered with a run of their own and extended their own lead back to double digits. However, the Blue Jay crowd wouldn't let their team give up.
"The crowd was
like a sixth man,"senior guard T.J. Valerio said. "When we were down, they didn't let up and neither did we."
The tides began to turn again after some stellar defense and methodical offensive executions for the Jays. Junior guard Doug Polster hit two huge threes at the nine minute mark to transform a three-point Blue Jay deficit into a three-point cushion. The Blue Jays trailed only once more after Polster's trey as Hopkins outscored the Mustangs 14-2 over the last 3 minutes 48 seconds to finish the game.
Senior forward Matt Griffin paced the team with 24 points on a superb 10-13 shooting. He also added eight rebounds. Senior forward Dan Nawrocki contributed his customary double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Polster chipped in with 14.
While the Jays used their contributions from Nawrocki and Griffin to pound Villa Julie inside, it was the cold-blooded shooting of Polster that propelled the Blue Jays to victory. Without hesitation Polster pulled up and knocked down a three in a Mustang defenders face on four separate occasions.
The win over the Mustangs set up a second round match-up against No. 19 Guilford College and 6-foot 11-inch junior Ben Strong. Early on, the Blue Jays struggled to defend against the taller Strong. With a variety of post moves, the center ate up the Blue Jays interior presence. When Hopkins tried to double-team Strong, he found an open shooter who subsequently knocked down a three.
Hopkins fell behind early, trailing 23-13. Strong accounted for 8 of his team's first 10 points, and he also proved to be intimidating defensively, blocking and altering shots all game.
"We were trying to make him turn to the middle and [get him] doubled, but he was so quick that our double wasn't effective," Valerio said.
The Blue Jays were never able to put together a substantial run in the first half, but they came as close as four points with just a few minutes remaining. However, back-to-back threes before halftime bolstered Guilford's lead up to 13 points as intermission was reached.
As the second half began, the packed student section hoped for another comeback like the one they had seen the previous night. Unfortunately, Guilford quickly erased any memories of that miracle with a strong start to the second half.
The Blue Jays chipped the lead down to ten twice -- once after a Nawrocki lay-up with 14 minutes left, and then after a three-point play by Valerio with 5 minutes 50 seconds left in the game. With less than three minutes left to play, Hopkins was even able to close to within six points of the Guilford advantage, but it was too little too late.
All in all, it appears as though the Blue Jays ran into a better team in Guilford. They had an exceptionally athletic and physically gifted big man, lights-out perimeter shooters (7-13 from three-point range), and a sure-handed point guard.
The Blue Jays left plenty of points at the foul line as well, going just 18-32 from the charity stripe. Moreover, the team shot just 34 percent from the field.
A second-round exit is nothing to be disappointed about for this graduating senior class. After four years of learning to play together, feed off one another and win as a team, they were able to lead Hopkins to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. They finished the season with 24 wins -- a school record -- and a Centennial Conference title.
"I think all of us would say it's the best basketball season of our lives," Valerio said. "To win the conference and have as much fun as we did was just awesome."
"This senior class has taught all of us the value of hard work and how to stick together as a team," junior forward Kevin Roach said.
The seniors, it appears, have already left an indelible mark.
