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Deep Knight bench blinds Alma in Homecoming decoy
From Chimes, circa 1969
FILE PHOTO
Bill DeHorn shoots past a tired and faked-out Scot.
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An edgy, wide-open style of play was absorbed best by the Calvin bench, in the Homecoming game against the Alma Scots. Though the lack of smoothness was in part a result of many substitutions, the help of the Knights Bill Van Dyk, Jim Weirs, Mike DeKuiper, and Del Willink was the deciding factor in the Knights final 91-72 edge.
Calvin coach Don Broon directed last Saturday’s game to the Knight’s advantage, using a man-for-man defense and the fast breaking offense which is typical of the Knights. The Scots elected a loose 2-1-2 zone defense to begin the game, which was broken quickly.
Mike Phelps took the ball from the first center jump and scored on a 25-foot jump shot. Ed Wiers followed with a lay up, Phelps gunned another 25 footer through the nets, and the Knights took a typical 6-0 lead.
Alma guards, Drake Serges and Charles Hudson, led the Scots’ early scoring. Their outside shots from behind screens, their lay-ins and free throws kept the Scots within the Knight’s first quick six points.
Partly because the Knights concentrated on the Alma guards on defense, and also because both teams were edgy, turnovers and fouls marked the second part of the first half.
Broon substituted Bill Van Dyk and Jim Wiers into the Calvin lineup with eleven minutes to go in the first half. The change sparked a six point rally by the Knights, making the score 24-15, but Alma called timeout.
The screening offense which came out of the Alma huddle left forward Jerry Hills open for three consecutive lay ups, one of which he was fouled on. Before Calvin’s Del Willink and Mike DeKuyper took the floor in time to slow the game down, the Scots had tied the score, 26-26.
The wide open running game which finished the last five minutes of the first half was dominated by the fresh Knights, though they hardly played control ball. Mike DeKuyper connected with two jump shots from the top of the key after the score see-sawed to 30-30. Ed Wiers traded lay ups with Scot John Fuzak at two minutes to go, and the Knights led by one point.
Scot fouls, sending Dean Douma and Mike DeKuyper to the line, secured a four-point lead when the guards make use of the one-and-one situation, hitting three out of four of their shots.
Alma’s center, Al VanderMeer sprawled under the nets in his first fall of the night when he blocked Dean Douma’s attempted lay up in the half’s final minutes. The center was replaced by 6” freshman, Ike Neitring, who played the center position but remained a dark horse.
The half ended with the Knights first string will rested, thought the Scots lagged by a mere five points.
Bill DeHorn started his second half rampage of 17 points by hitting two lay ups. The Knights were rested, they knew it, and they started the half on the run. Ed Phelps squeezed everything out of a fast break, getting three points and a 54-41 lead over the surprised and out run Scots.
A timeout at 17 minutes momentarily rested the Scots, but DeHorn was not to be stopped under the boards. Turn around jump shots from his center position on the free shot line, but primarily power lay ups piled up ten more points for DeHorn. Seven minutes later the Scots stopped the clock on the Calvin rally, for the Knights led by 19 points, 70-51.
Drake Serges renewed Alma’s scoring, getting three lay ups after the time out, but the Scots were beaten. Al VanderMeer fouled out and had to be stretchered off the floor. The Scot concentration under4 the basket left Phelps and Douma open to keep scoring. Finally, long accurate passes knifed through the Scot zone press to keep the Knights winning.
The man to man defense used by Alma to stop Mike Phelps, and by Calvin to stop Drake Serges, close position where the Knights are used to playing. The Defense took place on the floor rather than under the basket. Since both defenses were concentrated on the outside of the court, a large percent of the scoring came from under the basket.
The scoring percentages tell the story of adopting to win. While both teams were forced to alter their style of play, away from their guards, the Knights sill scored on 47 per cent field goal average.
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