Micah Elan scored 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting in the first round against Centre and added 20 on 8-for-17 shooting the next night against Emory. Pomona-Pitzer athletics photo by Aaron Gray

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

The Sagehens have taken flight this postseason, literally and figuratively.

Pomona-Pitzer, based in Claremont, California, had the unusual task of traveling across the country to Atlanta, for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. After coming away with two wins and flying back home, the squad heads right back out this weekend for a Sweet 16 matchup at Elmhurst, Illinois.

“Our guys are very excited about it,” Sagehens coach Charles Katsiaficas said. “They feel thrilled to be a part of the postseason tournament and coming off a good weekend. We’re at a good place. We’ll head back out on the road and see if we can continue playing well.”

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Pomona-Pitzer (24-5) has been on a roll for more than a month. The team won its last four regular-season games. It opened the SCIAC tournament with a 60-50 win over Occidental and beat Redlands 87-66 for the title.

That led to the NCAA Tournament berth and a matchup against Centre in Atlanta, a 2,100-mile trip.

“Typically, things are a little more regional, especially in that first weekend. So, it seemed unusual,” Katsiaficas said. “We didn’t even talk about it, though. The guys were just so excited to be in the tournament. It is what is. We went in head-first and we had a good trip out there right off the bat.”

The Sagehens opened with a strong shooting performance against Centre. Pomona-Pitzer connected on 56.9 percent (29 of 51) of its shots from the field, including 61.1 percent (11 of 18) from 3-point range. That fueled an 84-64 triumph.

“Once you get to that level, you know every team you’re playing has a good ball club. Fortunately, that night, we shot the ball very well,” Katsiaficas said. “We came out and just happened to have a hot hand and really dug a hole for Centre. Their top player (Jacob Baes) got hurt late in the first half, too. Fortunately, we were able to get a W that night.”

A quick turnaround resulted in a matchup against No. 10 Emory. The Sagehens played from behind most of the game until Jack Boyle’s buzzer-beating trey gave the squad a 71-70 win.

“It was two really good teams going at each other. They were really challenging us in a lot of ways. They were making things difficult for us,” Katsiaficas said. “We seemed just trying to claw back into the thing the whole night. We were down a little bit in the second half and, when we seemed to get right there and on the brink of getting over the top, they’d answer with some big baskets.”

Emory had a 68-64 lead with 3:05 to play, but Pomona-Pitzer tied the game at 68-all. The Eagles regained the lead, 70-68, with 2.6 seconds remaining. The Sagehens got the ball across half court and called a timeout with 2.2 seconds on the clock. James Kelbert’s inbounds pass found Jack Boyle, who pump-faked one defender and launched a contested 3-pointer that found its mark at the buzzer for the win. 

“Every team has these last-second plays they run and are just very fortunate when they actually work and you’re able to come out on top,” Katsiaficas said. “We were very fortunate to come out of there with a win.”

Now, Pomona-Pitzer has turned its focus to No. 15 Elmhurst (25-5) in the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance.

“This time of year, anybody who keeps winning — you’re just happy you’re still in the thing and then you have to start prepping for what’s next,” Katsiaficas said.

The Sagehens look forward to the matchup. Pomona-Pitzer (84.1 points per game on offense, 70.3 defense) and the Bluejays (83.0, 71.8) feature similar offensive and defensive averages. Jake Rhode leads Elmhurst in scoring at 20.8 points per game. Derek Dotlich (15.8) and Lavon Thomas (13.5) are next.

“Anybody who is in still in this tournament has a very good club,” Katsiaficas said. “They play with a lot of pace. They are a very versatile group. They have a lot of guys who can do a lot of things. They really pose some challenges for us.”

Micah Elan (21.6) paces the Sagehens, while Alex Preston (15.5) and Adam Rees (10.1) are next.

“We want to make sure we go out and play the best way we can,” Katsiaficas said. “If that’s good enough this time of year, we’ll celebrate it. If that’s not good enough, we’ll celebrate that, too.”