Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Golden Rams hold off California
Shorthanded Golden Rams edge California (Pa.)
WEST CHESTER >> It was a collegiate matchup between struggling basketball teams that are usually in contention in their respective divisions of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
The West Chester men are already too far behind to seriously challenge for the PSAC East title, but the shorthanded Rams still have postseason aspirations. And on Friday at Hollinger Fieldhouse, the Golden Rams survived a sloppily-played crossover clash with visiting California (Pa.), holding on for a 72-70 triumph.
“We got lucky,” said WCU head coach Damien Blair. “(Cal) missed some easy shots. We did not win the game. And you can’t get lucky a lot in this league and win.”
It did, however, halt a two-game PSAC losing skid for WCU (4-4, 6-7 overall) heading into tough road games next week against divisional co-leaders East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg. The Vulcans (0-8, 3-11) remain the only PSAC team without a victory in conference play so far this season.
“My focus has been on trying to get this group better,” Blair said. “So if we can get a win in the process, that’s all the better.
“All of the little things we’ve been doing over the last three years are missing. We are not tak-
ing care of the ball, we don’t rebound and we struggle to defend.”
And to complicate matters, the Rams’ top scorer, guard Malik Jackson, is reportedly out for two-three weeks with a left (nonshooting) shoulder injury. In addition, one of the team’s top backcourt reserves, Mike Jolaoso, also out with a potential stress fracture.
“It’s tough and frustrating,” Blair said. “We had a lot of young kids out on the floor. And they call it growing pains for the reason: it’s painful to watch, at times.”
The Rams did add veteran swingman Tyrell Long to the mix just three games ago. The junior missed the season’s first 10 games due to academic ineligibility. He led WCU with 19 points.
“It made me not take basketball for granted,” Long said. “It humbled me a lot. I’m like a big brother to a majority of my teammates, and a vocal guy, it hurt me to see my teammates out there without me.”
Without Jackson and Jolaoso, West Chester wound up starting a freshman, three sophomores and a junior.
“This is going to be good for us at some point,” Blair pointed out. “I don’t know if it’s going to be for a playoff run, or for next season. But the young guys are getting a lot of experience. And they can play -- they just don’t know how to play our way.
“And the faster we get them to play West Chester basketball, the better we will be.”
It was a tight game, but WCU opened a little breathing room with an 8-0 run midway through the second half. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Long and freshman Zach Bare, and a driving layup by sophomore Jackson Hyland, put the Rams in front, 57-52.
The Rams upped the margin to nine and never trailed again. But Cal cut it to two on several occasions in the final two minutes. It was 68-66 when sophomore point guard, Matt Penecale, prevented a turnover by punching an errant pass to a teammate, and then later in the possession he grabbed a loose ball, drove the lane, and dished to freshman Miko Jenkins for a lay-in.
“(Penecale) did a great job last season doing his role and getting everybody involved,” Blair explained. “But he’s gotten away from that this season.
“At about the 10 minute mark, we had a conversation about him getting his teammates more involved. From that point on, he found ways to win the game as opposed to trying to figure out a way to score.
“He worked hard this summer and his shooting the ball better, but sometimes when you get better like that, it hurts you because you get away from what you already did really well.”
Bare closed it out with a couple free throws with 11.8 second remaining. A guard from Maryland, Bare had some struggles but scored 12 points and added five assists and three steals.
Hyland scored nine of his 13 points in the first half for WCU, and Penecale chipped in seven points and 12 assists.
“We have some guys out, so our mindset was to keep together and play for each other,” Long said. “We are trying to play with urgency, and we have some big (PSAC) East games coming up.”
The up-and-down Rams looked good early and opened a 21-12 lead midway through the first half. But then Cal ripped off the next 17 straight, and it was deadlocked at 37-all at the intermission.
West Chester shot just 38 percent from the floor and committed 20 turnovers, but the Vulcans shot even worse and turned it over 22 times.
“Coach always tells us there are going to be times where we don’t shoot well, and that’s where we still have to fight and find a way to win,” Long said.