Gettysburg, PA — Facing the task of playing back-to-back games over the span of two days, Messiah head coach
Rick Van Pelt was anxious to learn a lot about his youthful team at this weekend's Gettysburg College Days-Inn Tip-Off Tournament.
Utilizing a line-up that was already short-sided due to multiple injuries, Van Pelt's Falcons were matched up against tournament host Gettysburg in the opening night's nightcap.
Senior Jamie Yoder came through with a career-high 25 points, guiding the Falcons to a 59-46 win. The 6-0 guard knocked down nine of his 17 shots, including a four-for-seven effort from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, Yoder also was a perfect three-for-three as Messiah was 15 for 19 (78.9 percent) on the night.
Coming in with a 1-0 record after defeating Eastern University 73-65 in the Falcons' first match-up, Messiah used a 11-0 run midway through the first half to open up a 10-point lead.
After a Gettysburg three-pointer by Kevin Kennedy gave the host Bullets a 7-6 lead, the Falcons used the next 4:46 to turn a one-point deficit into a 10-point advantage. Junior guard Tyler Ritzman knocked down a tough pull-up and followed two possessions later with a triple, the assist courtesy of his sophomore brother, Trey.
Yoder then converted an old-fashioned three-point play after picking up an offensive rebound and putting it in the hoop, with the harm. Two possessions later, freshmen Derek Mosley capped the run by hitting a deep three.
A Gettysburg lay-up on the ensuing trip down the floor was quickly responded with by another quick 5-0 spurt from Messiah and with 6:27 remaining in the half, Messiah opened up a 14-point lead, 23-9.
The Bullets finally got their offense going against a tough Falcons defense and doubled their score over the next 5:12 of game clock. A three-pointer with :54 seconds left in the half by Bullet guard Phil Crone was followed by another triple, just before the buzzer from Kennedy, and the Falcons went into the break with a 28-22 advantage.
Opening the second half, it was an “all-Yoder” show as Jamie Yoder put the Falcons on his back. Freshman, but no relation, Chris Yoder, got in the act during an 11-2 Falcon run that took a six-point lead (31-25) to a 42-27 margin in a span of 4:19. Jamie Yoder hit consecutive threes early in the half and added a lay-up to push Messiah to a 12-point lead. Chris Yoder then put a nail in the coffin with a lay-up and foul shot to cap off a three-point play.
Suddenly a tight game at the break turned into a 15-point advantage for Messiah.
Down the stretch, the Bullets would get no closer than seven points, which they did on two occasions, but were never able to pull closer than a three-possession game.
Jamie Yoder's 25 points were a game-high while Tyler Ritzman reached double-digits with 10 points. Senior Kyle Snyder reeled in a game-high nine rebounds – a spot where the guard-heavy Falcons held a 35-27 advantage on the night.
Messiah only shot 19 for 50 (38 percent) from the field but limited the cold-shooting Bullets to 15-45 (33.3 percent) on the evening. Though Gettysburg attempted to use the deep-ball to get back into the game, the home team could never get it going, only making seven of its 24 attempts (29.2 percent) from behind the arc.
“I was pleased that we bounced back from losing Andy (Hawk) during the Eastern game,” stated Van Pelt. “Our guys really embraced the challenge of playing without him. Defensively, we bought into a game plan and locked in against a good Gettysburg team that was coming off a 'Sweet 16' appearance a year ago.”
With the win, the Falcons advanced into the tournament championship to face Wittenberg College, 70-45 winners over Catholic University Friday evening.
Turning around Saturday afternoon, Messiah, now standing at 2-0, faced the 3-0 Tigers from Wittenberg.
Unfortunately, for Messiah, this championship tilt would leave a sick feeling in the pits of the players and coaching staff, as Wittenberg turned a 37-24 Messiah halftime lead into a 66-61 win of its own.
“This game turned out to be a tale of two halves – especially during a spurt in the second half,” Van Pelt said. “I thought that we really played team basketball and also played hard. I think we lost our focus and determination for about four minutes and Wittenberg made us pay. We cannot do that against good teams and expect to come out on top.”
Messiah picked up right where it left off the previous night and utilized 10-2 run midway through the first half to open up a six-point advantage with just over 9:00 left.
Snyder got things rolling with a lay-up to knot the score at 6-6 before Tyler Ritzman buried a three-ball on the Falcon's next possession to give Messiah its first lead of the game. After a series of misses on both ends, Jamie Yoder knocked down a trifecta of his own to push the Falcons lead to six (12-6).
Wittenberg's Jacob Weide and Tyler Ritzman traded jumpers – Weide's jumper ending a four and a half minute scoring drought for his team – and Messiah maintained its six point lead before Tyler Ritzman knocked down his second three-pointer of the half to push the Messiah lead to nine (20-11) with 7:36 remaining.
While Wittenberg whittled away the Messiah advantage to five, it was the Falcons who once again finished the half on a high note.
Over the last 2:45 of the half, the Falcons closed on a 10-3 run to take a 37-24 advantage into the half.
Chris Yoder knocked down two free throws, which were followed by a Snyder three-pointer. With just over 30 seconds left in the half, Chris Yoder knocked in a triple to push the lead to 10 (34-24). After a turnover by Wittenberg, Jamie Yoder canned a deep three just before the horn to cap the run and give Messiah its largest advantage of the night.
Though Wittenberg would rally early in the second half, the game still seemed in the Falcon's control as Messiah answered every Tiger run, eventually restoring a 12-point advantage (53-41) with 8:35 left on the clock.
Even inside the final five minutes, Messiah held onto a 10-point lead (55-45) before Wittenberg's Gregg Hill knocked down a three to cut the Tiger deficit to single digits.
Two Messiah turnovers – along with four missed shots – over the next six possessions spelled disaster for the Falcons as Wittenberg began to convert on their offensive end. Back-to-back buckets within a minute cut the Falcon lead to three (55-52) with 4:04 left.
The same margin held true until under two minutes left when the Tigers' Lewis Buzzard made a layup with 1:51 left to make it a 57-56 Messiah lead.
On the ensuing possession, Snyder went one-for-two from the line, missing the back-end of the two, to restore a two-point advantage.
However, Hill knocked down a three on the ensuing transition, with 1:28 left, and Wittenberg now held its first lead since just under five minutes into the opening half.
The battle continued to go back and forth as Jamie Yoder canned a three-pointer for Messiah, restoring a two-point lead (61-59) with 1:10 left.
On the other end, not to be outdone, was Wittenberg's Chris Sullivan. Sullivan hit a three of his own with 57 seconds left in regulation to give the Tigers a 62-61 advantage.
A Messiah turnover and missed lay-up on its next two possessions took the life out of the Falcons as Wittenberg converted three of its next four free throws to hold a 65-61 lead with only 17 seconds remaining.
Two missed shots by Messiah on its next possession were followed by a Falcons foul. By that point, however, it was a moot point as the foul came with two ticks left on the clock and Wittenberg holding a two-possession advantage. Buzzard knocked down one of two at the line to provide the final 66-61 score.
What could've been for Messiah was only left to wonder as Wittenberg closed the game on a 25-8 run over the final 8:35, including 18-6 in the last 4:55.
“Individually, I thought Jamie (Yoder) played very well, but there were other guys like Phil Ribbens and Tyler Ritzman who came in and defended and knocked down shots,” Van Pelt said. “The best part about the weekend, thought, is I think we got better and at this time of the year it is very important that we see progress and improvement each time we play.”
Snyder and Jamie Yoder both picked up all-tournament team honors as Yoder had 14 points on four-of-seven shooting and Snyder chipped in 13 points and six rebounds, five coming on the offensive glass.
Chris Yoder added 15 points while Tyler Ritzman reached double digits for the second time in two nights, with 11 points.
Keeping the Falcons in the game was their collective hot hand from behind the arc and at the charity stripe. However, overall from the field, the Falcons were not so stellar. At the charity stripe, Messiah was 14 for 15 (93.3 percent) and the Falcons connected on 11 of their 24 three-point attempts (45.8 percent). Taking away three point attempts, Messiah was only seven for 33 from the field, good for an overall shooting percentage – three-pointers included – of 31.6 percent.
With the loss, Messiah drops to 2-1 overall and will next host Lancaster Bible College on Tuesday evening at Messiah's Brubaker Auditorium. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
