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Flying Dutchmen overpower Knights
By Ryan Jones
Staff Writer
FILE PHOTO
Jr. Josh Berghuis and Sr. Tony Westhouse defend against Hope Sr. Don Overbeek.
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At 5-4 in the MIAA conference and only 3 remaining games, the Calvin College men’s basketball team was searching frantically for a win. Apparently, they ended up in the wrong place. The not-so-valiant Knights returned from the Civic Center with their shining armor tarnished, their horses battered and weary, and their legend of invincibility looking more like a fairy tale. The fiercest dragon in all the land, better known as Hope College, protected its nest from the invading marauders from the east, and sent Calvin home with a stinging 92-76 defeat.
The Knights let the game get away from them early, finding themselves at the bottom of a 14-point hole 4 minutes into the action. Hope’s Greg Immink scored 7 of his 18 points during the Dutchmen’s 14-point tie-breaking run. Calvin slowed the torrid scoring pace, but by halftime, Hope led by 20 points. The Flying Dutchmen played strong defense and were led on the offense end by senior Don Overbeek. Finding himself double-teamed for most of the game, he still managed 14 points and also dished the ball nicely out to the perimeter, where Hope capitalized, knocking down 7-10 three pointers in the first half. Calvin on the other hand, finished a woeful 3-12 from beyond the arc. Chad Carlson of Hope went 5-7 from downtown, more than atoning for the goose egg he posted in the last Calvin-Hope game. He finished with 19, leading all scorers. Calvin’s senior leader Jeremy Veenstra found himself double-teamed most of the game and finished with only 14 points.
In the second half, the Knights came out strong, matching Hope basket for basket. After being out-rebounded 25-14 in the first half, Calvin regained the edge 18-17. Small runs lowered the deficit to 15 or 14 points at times, but Hope had an answer for every charge, and each time the Knights thought they were gaining ground, suddenly the lead was back to 17 again. As time ran down, Calvin was missing that look of a champion, and instead frustration and forlornness blackened their faces. At the end of the day, the Knights could only retreat to the round table and try to fix whatever mysterious force is plaguing their season. Coach Kevin VandeStreek said of their recent slump,
“We’re having a hard time putting our finger on what the problem is. It’s always been something different every game. Let’s say we’ve been consistent in our inconsistency. We’re capable of going on a run, but we’ve lost some confidence. We don’t have that down-deep gut feeling that we’re going to win every time we step on the court.”
This lowly reporter sees the elixir to Calvin’s woes as one of fundamentals. I have watched the Knights self-destruct time and time again this season because of three simple reasons: turnovers, rebounds, and hustle. Every loose ball seems to find the hands of the other team because Calvin simply doesn’t want it enough. On the defensive end, the Knights constantly give up rebounds to streaking point guards and small forwards because they refuse to box out and nonchalantly wait for the ball to come to them.
And watching Calvin run the floor is like a backyard game of 500; who will receive the reckless, sloppy passes is a mystery only revealed by the flip of a coin.
Besides improving on these simple principles, the only thing to hope for is someone to find their 3-point stroke. Calvin has been absolutely horrific from downtown recently, and making some long distance shots will surely instill some confidence in this suddenly tentative team.
With the win, Hope widens their lead over the rest of the MIAA field and only strengthens their stranglehold on first place with an 8-1 conference record. Calvin drops to 5-5 and finds themselves in unfamiliar territory, fourth place. However, the school maintains an attitude of optimism. The MIAA tournament is a whole new ballgame, and the players and fans alike believe in their ability to defeat Hope if they meet again.
The season series is tied at 1 game apiece between the two bitter rivals, and Calvin is confident they can win the rubber game if it comes about. Meanwhile it is imperative that the Knights sharpen their swords, polish their lances, win their final two games and come into the tournament with some confidence. Otherwise, they may just need some of Merlin’s magic if they hope to come away from their next duel with the dragon victorious.
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