2008 Woodie Awards
Sneaking Above .500
Men's Basketball Finishes Third in conference
Corey Kempf
Issue date: 2/19/04 Section: Sports
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Since the middle of the season, the Lakeland men's basketball team has hovered around the .500 mark but has not been able to wander above. Still they're in a much better place than they were on January 6, at which time they held a 5-9 overall record and were 0-2 in conference.
Following that point, they've climbed the ladder to once again become a front-runner in conference, and, after their win over Wisconsin Lutheran on February 7, were just one game behind conference leaders Edgewood and Concordia.
In that Wisconsin Lutheran game, the Muskies used an unstoppable inside-outside game. Baseline cuts and inside posts allowed for several points through the backdoor.
Ryan Hiir and Nick Zeck evidenced this by leading the team with 15 points each, while Nick Howard and Eric Wilbee contributed with 13 apiece. Team scoring leader Cory Nickel was held to just eight points but spread the wealth effectively with nine assists.
The Muskies needed a win in their next game to keep pace with Edgewood and Concordia, but Marian came to Lakeland with upset on their minds.
Despite leading 36-29 at the half, the Sabres charged back and stung the Muskies on Senior Night, 73-65.
Nickel, a senior himself, led all scorers with 24 points. Hiir pitched in with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Nick Zeck also scored in double digits with 10 and was only two boards away from a double-double.
The loss, coupled with wins by Edgewood and Concordia, put any hopes of a regular season conference championship to rest, but there were still games to be played and conference tournament seeds to vie for, and the Muskies could clinch third place with their next game.
That game was at Maranatha Baptist in what would become one of the most exciting games of the season for Lakeland, as it took two overtimes to take care of the Crusaders.
An even game the entire way through, neither team was able to pull away by much more than a few points. With only a few seconds remaining in the game, MBBC's Josh Burch drained a three to tie the game at 63 and send it into overtime.
Following that point, they've climbed the ladder to once again become a front-runner in conference, and, after their win over Wisconsin Lutheran on February 7, were just one game behind conference leaders Edgewood and Concordia.
In that Wisconsin Lutheran game, the Muskies used an unstoppable inside-outside game. Baseline cuts and inside posts allowed for several points through the backdoor.
Ryan Hiir and Nick Zeck evidenced this by leading the team with 15 points each, while Nick Howard and Eric Wilbee contributed with 13 apiece. Team scoring leader Cory Nickel was held to just eight points but spread the wealth effectively with nine assists.
The Muskies needed a win in their next game to keep pace with Edgewood and Concordia, but Marian came to Lakeland with upset on their minds.
Despite leading 36-29 at the half, the Sabres charged back and stung the Muskies on Senior Night, 73-65.
Nickel, a senior himself, led all scorers with 24 points. Hiir pitched in with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds, and Nick Zeck also scored in double digits with 10 and was only two boards away from a double-double.
The loss, coupled with wins by Edgewood and Concordia, put any hopes of a regular season conference championship to rest, but there were still games to be played and conference tournament seeds to vie for, and the Muskies could clinch third place with their next game.
That game was at Maranatha Baptist in what would become one of the most exciting games of the season for Lakeland, as it took two overtimes to take care of the Crusaders.
An even game the entire way through, neither team was able to pull away by much more than a few points. With only a few seconds remaining in the game, MBBC's Josh Burch drained a three to tie the game at 63 and send it into overtime.