Swamp Foxes edge Tigers, next game Friday

March 16, 2011

HUTCHINSON, KAN. – The Waycross College Swamp Foxes live to play another day.

Joe Williams connected on a go-ahead jumper with 59.4 seconds remaining and the Swamp Fox defense made a last second stand to defeat the Chattanooga State Community College Tigers, 60-59 in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“We’re very excited about this win,” said head coach Cory Baldwin. “We might even be more excited right now than the teams that are still playing in the winners bracket.”

Williams led the Swamp Foxes with 19 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. Reco Lewis finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Josh Mendenhall rounded out the top scorers with nine points and six rebounds.

In a game that featured 11 ties and 12 lead changes, neither team was able to stretch its lead beyond ten points. The Swamp Foxes (27-8) and Tigers battled each other for the first ten minutes before Chattanooga went on a 13-2 run to extend its lead to 27-17 with 5:28 remaining in the half. WC managed to cut the lead back to six (29-23) by halftime following two baskets by Williams and one by Lewis.

In the second half, Lewis’ three-pointer at the 15:34 mark gave the Swamp Foxes their first lead (32-31) since midway through the first half. WC would surrender the lead again four minutes later as a Tiger basket put Chattanooga ahead, 39-38 with 11:40 remaining.

The teams traded baskets over the next 10:40 until Williams put the Swamp Foxes ahead with less than a minute left on the clock. In a situation eerily similar to the GCAA semifinal against Atlanta Metro, it was the Tigers who would determine the game’s final outcome.

A Swamp Fox turnover with 8.1 seconds left gave the Tigers possession and a chance to escape with a last second win. Following a Chattanooga timeout, the Tigers tried to call a set play and showed little to no urgency to get a shot off. A desperation attempt at the buzzer bounced off the rim giving the Swamp Foxes the win.

“The fans that made the trip to the tournament followed us to the locker room to celebrate,” said Baldwin. “As I was walking off the court, someone approached me and said that was the most emotion they had seen after a game in the consolation bracket.”

Amidst the celebration, Baldwin acknowledged that shooting continues to plague the Swamp Foxes in the tournament. Against Chattanooga, the team shot 35 percent for the game, 14 percent from the three-point line, and 35 percent from the free-throw line.

In two tournament games, the Swamp Foxes have made an average of 28.5 percent of their free throws.

“We were real hot at the line during the conference tournament,” Baldwin said. “I think the difference could be a combination of things – playing in a bigger arena, over-concentration, and the fact that the same players are getting fouled each time.”

According to Baldwin, though, a positive difference between WC’s first round loss to Wabash Valley and the Chattanooga win is the effectiveness of the Swamp Fox pressure.

“Our press was more effective today, and I believe it gets better each day of the tournament,” he said. “We play a lot of guys, which helps us to stay fresh. Other teams don’t play as many people as we do, so fatigue could become a factor. Today, I believe fatigue led to some turnovers for us.”

The Swamp Foxes will play the winner of the Western Wyoming Community College-East Mississippi Community College game on Friday, March 18 at 12 p.m. (EDT). The game will be streamed live over the internet, and fans are invited to watch the game on campus in the WC auditorium. For more information about the Swamp Foxes’ trip to the NJCAA Tournament and to access the live stream, visit the Swamp Foxes Tournament Central page at www.waycross.edu .

Contrary to earlier reports, the Swamp Foxes still have a chance to place seventh or eighth at the end of the tournament. WC must win the next two games in order for that to happen.

“The players didn’t want to come back to Waycross without a win,” said Baldwin. “After today, they know that they can win. If we win Friday’s game, we’ll have a chance to play for seventh or eighth place on Saturday.”

Baldwin said the team will practice at 11 a.m. Thursday and then visit a local elementary school in Hutchinson to read to students. The reading program is coordinated by the NJCAA.

Waycross College has been a proud member of the University System of Georgia since the college’s founding in 1976.