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| Kathleen Phillips' offseason
was hard, but she's channeling that energy to make it tough on her
opponents. Heidelberg athletics photo by Doug Sampson |
Heidelberg's women's basketball season has been as much about rising up as it has about overcoming heartbreak.
Start with senior guard Kathleen Phillips, the senior star of the Student Princes. Her father, Gary, passed away in June. She learned so much from him growing up. So much about life and basketball.
Phillips has dedicated her senior season to her dad, and in the first game of the season, she went out and scored a school-record 40 points in an 83-79 win over Pitt-Greensburg in the Hiram Tip-Off Tournament.
Since that time, she has been a roll, scoring 20 or more points five times.
"It was hard losing him. I miss him a lot," Phillips said. "But I wanted to dedicate the season to him. He taught me a lot about the game and I owe him a lot of credit for that."
With Phillips, the two-time scoring leader of the Ohio Athletic Conference, motivated and playing with added emotion and determination, the Student Princes are off to one of their best starts in program history.
They entered the week at 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the OAC. Heidelberg opened the year with five consecutive wins, the first 5-0 start since the 2005-06 campaign. Not bad for a team that was picked to finish last in the 10-team league.
It's not a surprise the Student Princes were picked so low in the preseason. The voting was based on last season when Heidelberg finished 6-19 overall and 2-16 in the conference.
First-year head coach Morgan Shriver, barely removed from her own playing career at Heidelberg, believed her team was better than 10th in the OAC. The players bought into that belief as well.
"We felt like we were better than 10th and we used that as motivation," said Shriver, who graduated from Heidelberg in 2009 and was an assistant with the Student Princes the last two seasons. "We changed the mentality here and the players have done a great job of working together."
Phillips has noticed the difference. She is averaging 22.6 points per outing and thrilled to be a part of a team that is on the right track after struggling so badly a year ago.
"We knew we had the talent to be a pretty good team, and it's nice to get off to such a great start," Phillips said. "It's great to have success early but we have work to do still."
Phillips scored 25 points in the latest win for the Student Princes, a 73-66 victory on Saturday over a Mount Union team picked to finish fourth in the conference. It cemented the fact that Heidelberg was not going to be a pushover.
"We have a good player to build around in Phillips and everyone seems to know their role and plays it well," Shriver said. "We have the talent to be a good team and we want to continue to build on the success we've had so far."
Carli Patrick has stepped up as she is averaging 15.9 points per outing and is grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. Allie Hawkins is clicking for 8.9 points per game and has hit 11 3-pointers on the season. Megan Miller has nailed five treys and is averaging 7.0 points per outing while Paige Ricketts is clicking for 5.9 points per game and has dished out 11 assists.
Phillips, of course, has led the way, having nailed 10 treys on the season. She has also dished out 23 assists and has racked up 19 steals. She credits her success to the work she put in during the offseason.
"I worked hard over the summer and I feel like I improved a lot with my defense," Phillips said. "But I also worked on my jump shot. It's all paid off for me."
Still, she is quick to credit her teammates for their part in her success and the success of the team.
"There is some pressure on me, but I have great teammates around me," Phillips said. "We work well as a team and I know I can count on them to step up."
While the fast start has been impressive, the Student Princes have a long way to go if they are going to contend for an OAC crown and a potential NCAA tournament berth.
The good thing is Shriver has been through the grind of life in the OAC as a player, which can prove beneficial to the team in the long run.
"I do think the fact that I am a former player here does help me relate to the players a lot better," Shriver said. "I know what it takes to win in the league and
"We just have to take it one game at a time and stay focused on each game," Phillips said. "If we keep working to improve as a team, good things will happen. We're confident we can keep this going."
American Southwest Conference
Men: Kevin Cottonham scored a career-high 27 points and helped Louisiana College stay unbeaten in conference play with a 75-66 win on Saturday. Cottonham hit four 3-pointers to highlight his effort while Anthony Gaines pumped in 13 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals. It's the first time all year that Gaines has not scored at least 20 for the Wildcats (3-1, 3-0).
Women: Howard Payne stretched its win streak to four games with an 81-66 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets (5-1, 4-1) were led by Danyel Bradley, who delivered a double-double effort with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Bradley also dished out five assists and racked up four steals.
Great South Athletic Conference
Trinity (D.C.) finished second in the Gallaudet Holiday tournament after falling 82-75 to Lehman. The Tigers had their four-game win streak snapped in the loss as their rally late in the game fell short. Trinity outscored Lehman 21-12 in the final eight minutes but couldn't nail down the win. Blessing Hayes played well despite the loss, scoring 19 points and grabbing 21 rebounds.
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Men: Alma ended a six-game losing streak to start the season as it took down Finlandia in a non-conference game on Sunday. The Scots (1-6) defeated the Lions 75-64 as they shot 40.5 percent from the field and held Finlandia to 35 percent shooting. Alma, which had given up 70 or more in its first six games, also racked up 10 steals to aid its defensive effort. Isiah Law led Alma with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Women: Hope set a DeVos Fieldhouse scoring record on Saturday in its win over Alma as it rolled to a 107-61 victory. The Flying Dutch (7-0, 3-0) saw all 14 players score, with Megan Kelley dropping in 14 points. Anna Kaufman came off the bench to score 13 points. Brittany Berry and Rebekah Lorens also played well, scoring 10 points apiece. Hope shot 48.7 percent from the floor and held Alma to 34 percent shooting.
North Coast Athletic Conference
Men: For the first time since 2006, Oberlin earned a win against Wabash. The Yeomen knocked off the Little Giants 79-62 to pick up their first NCAC victory of the season. Four players scored in double figures, including Geoff Simpson, who poured in 18 points. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out seven assists. Randy Ollie added 15 points and eight rebounds. Oberlin (2-6, 1-4) shot 50 percent from the field in the win.
Women: LaNiece McRae came through with a double-double for the second consecutive game as she helped Ohio Wesleyan take down Denison 68-57. McRae scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the win. Sarah McQuade led the Bishops (3-4, 1-1) with 21 points, scoring six during a 14-0 run to open the game. Ohio Wesleyan snapped a two-game losing streak with the win.
Ohio Athletic Conference
Men: Kevin Krakowiak drilled a game-winning 3-pointer with 27 seconds left and lifted Baldwin Wallace to a 59-58 win over Capital on Saturday. Krakowiak not only stepped up in crunch time, but he reached the 1,000-point milestone. He finished with eight points and the Yellow Jackets (5-1, 2-0) won their third consecutive game. Kyle Payne led the Yellow Jackets with 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds.
Women: Haley Howard and Brittany Jefferson turned in stellar performances for Wilmington in its 68-59 win over Marietta. Howard scored a career-high 22 points and Jefferson drilled four treys en route to clicking for a career-high 21 points. Howard was 11-of-11 from the free-throw line, the third most free throws made in school history without a miss. After dropping two of three, the Quakers (4-3, 2-0) have won back-to-back games.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Men: Marcel Crump of Eastern Mennonite continues to make progress, scoring a career-high in the Royals' first conference win of the season. Crump scored 30 points and led Eastern Mennonite to an 81-79 overtime on Saturday. Crump also tallied three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ryan Yates scored 18 points and hit the game-winning shot for the Royals (4-3, 1-1) with just seconds remaining in overtime.
Women: Nancy Kelly is back on track after an early-season battle with appendicitis. The Virginia Wesleyan star made her second start of the season on Saturday against Roanoke and scored a career-high 19 points as the Marlins earned a 70-56 victory. Kelly hit nine of her 12 shots from the floor in the win for the Marlins (6-2, 3-0).
Presidents' Athletic Conference
Men: Washington and Jefferson is off to its best start through seven games since the 1993-94 campaign after rallying for a 64-60 win against Thiel. The Presidents (5-2, 2-0), who started 6-1 and went to the Elite Eight that season, trailed 34-29 at halftime before rallying for the win. Nate Bellhy continued his stellar start to the year as he scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Women: Taylor Mathers turned in a stellar defensive performance for St. Vincent in its 82-70 win over Westminster (Pa.). Mathers set a school record for blocks with nine and also scored 20 points and grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds as she nearly had a triple-double. Elle Collins also stepped up as she clicked for a career-high 26 points for the Bearcats (4-2, 2-0).
Southern Athletic Association
Men: Oglethorpe made a statement on Monday night as it knocked off Emory 97-86 in overtime behind 38 points from Drew Patrick. The Stormy Petrels are now 9-1 on the season, marking their best start in program history at the Division III level. It is the fifth time in the last eight meetings between Oglethorpe and Emory that the game has been decided in overtime. Patrick hit all 11 of his free throws, drilled three treys and tallied four steals.
Women: Millsaps had several players shine in a 68-64 loss to Dallas. The Majors (4-3) had three players score in double figures, including Kala-Jewel Freeman, who scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Beverly Holmes clicked for 15 points and Sam Perez added 13 points as Millsaps suffered its second consecutive loss. Perez also dished out six assists while Miah Brooks scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a game that featured 15 ties and 18 lead changes.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Men: Centenary nailed down a win over LeTourneau in its only action of the week. The Gents have won back-to-back games. Jonathan Blount stepped up and scored 16 points to pace Centenary while Donovan Williams scored 12 points. Brooks Pawsat added 11 points as the Gents shot 40.7 percent from the floor and got 25 points from its bench.
Women: Dallas stretched its win streak to four games with a 68-64 win over Millsaps on Saturday. Seana Stoia scored 10 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists while Christy Allen came through with a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Dallas, which racked up 19 assists, shot 42.9 percent from the field and held a 41-29 edge on the boards.
USA South Athletic Conference
Men: Colton McGriff rose to the occasion for Covenant in its 94-76 win over Bethany Lutheran on Saturday. McGriff clicked for a career-high 35 points as the Scots bounced back from a 79-77 loss to Crown on Friday night. McGriff also pulled down 11 rebounds to complete his double-double. His 35 points were the most by a Covenant player since February 2008. Ben Phelps scored 14 points. Nate Frierson finished with 12 points and Micah Turner scored 11 points. Frierson also pulled down six rebounds and tallied three assists and three steals as Covenant improved to 4-4.
Women: Maryville turned up the heat on defense and held Sewanee to 21 percent shooting from the field as it rolled to a 67-33 win. The Scots forced 21 turnovers and Mackenzie Puckett paced Maryville (5-2) with 15 points. Lauren Trent drilled four treys en route to scoring 13 points. Maryville shot 40 percent from the field and held a 43-32 rebounding advantage.
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