Box Score
Hope started Overway, Seiler, Eidson, Snuggerud, VanArendonk. If that looks different to you, yet close to what you expected all year, join the club. Gardner, Neil, Byers, Benson picked up the majority of bench minutes. Substitutions seemed less frequent and more purposeful, one for one type stuff, a lot less multiple subbing it seemed to me. Ray, DeMaagd, Holwerda, Wittenbach, Denham, McMahon all saw small minutes, mostly late.
Game Recap:
I lived in Holland for nearly 18 years and survived every nasty winter storm the big lake could throw at it. Last night I got a healthy reminder of just how vicious those Lake Effect snow events can be and now I remember. My shortish drive turned to almost exactly 2 hours with several thoughts of 'this is crazy' and 'I should just turn back' but I didn't. Memories of a mountain pass snow storm in Wyoming kept me going, this was just a little Lake Effect snow right. I jogged the last 100 yards or so from my parking spot and took my seat just before tip with my lungs blazing from basically not jogging for many years and the searing pain of 10 degree air burning my lungs. I caught my breathe by halftime, thanks.
Hope juggled its starting 5 again going a little something closer to what most of us thought they'd have all year long. The impact last night was fairly immediate as Nate VanArendonk played perhaps his best stretch of minutes in a Hope uniform. His first nearly 7 minute stint saw 6 points and a couple rebounds, he rested for a couple and then came right back on the floor and within a couple more minutes had a couple more baskets and about 3015 people were starting to feel all tingly.
The game itself was actually pretty tightly contested early on as the teams traded baskets and neither was able to get more than a 2 or 3 point lead. Ben Gardner checked in with 11:39 remaining in the first half and Hope trailing by 2. Gardner scored 13 points over the next 8 minutes and assisted on an Overway 3. It was an impressive few minutes that also included a couple of other near steals. Ben stayed on the floor until halftime, by then Hope had a 16 point lead thanks largely to his and Van Arendonk's great play those last 11 minutes.
The second half was really going to be about Hope protecting its lead, which a couple few times this year hasn't been easy for Hope to do. Trine played a little better for the first 8 or 9 minutes of the 2nd half using a little different lineups and rotations themselves. They had it down to 12 points at 56-44, Hope scored the next 8, not surprisingly Ben Gardner was in the middle of it again recording 3 steals and actually biffing a couple layups. It was for all purposes over though at that point.
Overall it was a good win, they played better than last week, passed it better and I thought their overall effort and energy was better. Its hard to say if Hope found a little something tonight and probably not even fare to ask that question. The challenges ahead remain basically the same.
Another streak, Trine has yet to beat Hope since joining the MIAA in 2005, that's now 18 games including an MIAA Tournament game. Hope played Trine twice in 2004 before they were officially a member and won both game, making this streak 20 in a row.
Ian Jackson came into this game leading the league in scoring. Hope's been able to slow him down or contain him the last 3 meetings where he scored 9, 4 and 8 points. It looked to me like Trine's using him a little different this year, less dribbling, more shots off passes and more action in the paint. Last night he had 14 points on 16 shots, all 2's and no trips to the ft line. Overall Hope did a pretty good job on him. Its been Sr. F Scott Rogers that has been able to get loose against Hope, but last night he had only 8 while Fr. C Jared Holmquist was saddled with foul trouble all night. This turned out to be a pretty good defensive effort.
Scoring and Interesting Stats:
3 point shooting: Trine attempted about their average number of 3's which given Hope's previous defensive difficulties was a little surprising. I'm not sure we can definitively say Hope was better defending the arc because they really weren't challenged. Hope attempted 24 3's, only made 7, that attempts number surprised me when I saw it. Second highest attempts of the year (Mississippi), kind of strange for a winning team
FT shooting: I love you and we should totally hang out more. I hope those last 3 misses weren't the equivalent of going to bed angry. See you Saturday?
Turnovers: It wasn't a huge win but Hope forced a couple more turnovers from Trine than their avg. and committed a few less themselves, this was certainly key but didn't really become that much of a factor given the outcome. Better passing was the primary reason Hope kept theirs down.
Ben Gardner: 15 points, 3 steals.......was really the catalyst for turning this game in Hope's favor with his excellent stretch of first half play
Nate VanArendonk: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks.....Nate was really good last night, hustled and played hard when on the floor.
Colton Overway: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.....was kind of overshadowed by the play of the above 2 characters but this was another good night for Colton.
Efficiency:
Estimated Number of Possessions: Hope 67 Trine 67
In league play Hope's been the most uptempo team, I'm sure by design. Trine has been one of the slower teams. Tonight felt much more controlled from Hope with less emphasis on speed and more on working the offense. I was not surprised to see the fast-break points was 2-0, which means Hope has exactly 2 in its last 2 games.
Offensive Efficiency: 113.56
Welcome back high efficiency, we missed you. Trine is actually a pretty decent defensive team though I think they've struggled a little in league play. This is the 3rd highest they've given up on the season. Hope's first half was a 130, second a 98. They spent a lot of the second half missing some of the same shots they made the first half.
Defensive Efficiency: 91.59
Hope has actually been pretty steady in league play, only Adrian, Calvin, North Central and MSOE have held Trine to a lower scoring rate. Trine was better the 2nd half though not a lot better, more like right at Hope's defensive average.
Rebounding Efficiency:
Hope: 52.8% of available offensive rebounds
Trine: 30.3% of available offensive rebounds
Second chance points was 13-11 in Trine's favor, all of Hope's came in the second half. If these numbers seem a bit fishy consider Hope had a number of multiple rebounds on their own misses and also backed out the ball a few times, any resulting points are not recorded as '2nd chance'. So Hope dominated its own glass but probably not to the degree that number suggests and they probably actually scored more points as a result of getting another possession. This was a factor but not the factor.
Moment or Keys to the Game:
Kind of a weird one where there wasn't one single play or shot that stuck out. Just one long stretch of good play from Hope that turned the game and one mini-stretch in the second half that made the margin insurmountable. Otherwise quite a bit of even play.
My Game Ball Goes To:
Hardest one of the season, I really want to give it to Van Arendonk because he was really good last night but Ben Gardner's contributions turned the game in Hope's favor and then was part of slamming the door when a flicker of life remained. Ben it is.
Standings
Overway - 4
Snuggerud - 3
Eidson - 2
Seiler - 2
Gardner - 2
Byers - 1
DeMaagd - 1
VanArendonk - 1
Benson - 1
Going Forward:
If we imagine the league season is just about protecting your home court and winning as many as you can on the road then all Hope really did last night was protect their home court. Albeit in a much easier fashion than most people probably thought. But, the truth is this Hope team was broken after last week, not much was working. I think we leave this one feeling like maybe something has been repaired or at least the repair is in progress and the early results are positive. Pretty much everything last night was better.
Saturday they head North to Alma for 'the rivalry' with a ridiculously long winning streak against them and frankly, yes, it terrifies me. Alma is similar to Olivet in that they play freely and with purpose and at home they will be trouble, to this point they have yet to win a 'big' one and are probably overdue. Hope was down by 10 at one point and trailed the Scots for 30 minutes before turning the first meeting into a 14 point win. I would gladly take being wrong but this seems like it won't be easy.
In the meantime I'll be spending the next 2 days reviewing all the moments that led up to my incredibly poor decision to drive halfway across the state into the teeth of what amounted to a mini-blizzard. Smart!
Up Next: Me vs poor decisions which I will inevitably lose again
Saturday Jan. 26 Hope at Alma
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