Worcester, Ma. was stunned

[KnightNight]

Army improved to 3-3 in Patriot League play with an impressive 40 minute effort led by the USMAPS Class of 2012 starting five for the second straight game. The new rotation employed by Coach Spiker has delivered stunning results against American and Holy Cross in back to back games. The team's leading scorer, Ella Ellis, coming off the bench, still led the way with 23 ( keynoted by an 11 for 11 performance from the line). Kyle Wilson continued his high level of play which is leading him towards League Freshman of the Year. For the 3rd consecutive game, he topped the 20 pt. mark with 21 in over 30 minutes of play.

This back to back win sequence reminds one that there is some exciting talent in the Army B-ball program. Winning on the road is noteworthy for this young team but especially so last night,. Every time Holy Cross made a run in the second half, Army had the answer and then some. It may rank as the most impressive victory of the year. No doubt the league is waking up to something not seen at Army since joining the conference over 20 years ago.

Hopefully the 2 stunning losses to Colgate and Navy are in the rear view mirror and both losses will be avenged in the second half of the Patriot League schedule ( could you imagine ARMY being 5-1 in leagued play ???? that would be summed up in one word - HISTORIC).

Army ends the first half with the daunting task of taking on Patriot League leader Lehigh @ Christl Arena on Saturday. Hopefully a large crowd will be there to root on the oh so hot Black Knights for the 1 PM tipoff.
This post was edited on 1/31 3:03 PM by KnightNight

 

[Hooah75]

Thank you for the synopsis..I followed the game as best I could from afar..I was thrilled, like you said, that we responded so well to HC counterattacks in the 2nd half...Cox not having a turnover in so long is really impressive as is 17-17 from the line. I guess if we had presented that poise against colgate from the line last week we would have easily won that game- I hope we can keep it up!

GO ARMY

 

[Airstrike]

KN, you beat me to the post!

I take that as excitement on your part for this developing group of young men who are showing they are for real. Spanking Holy Cross on their home court was huge and we are now seeing Army start to close games out. You are correct in that every time HC seemed to make a surge, Army shoved it right back in their faces and then rubbed it in, to boot.

I think the Colgate loss, where the Black Knights dominated the game up til the very end before letting it slip away, marked the beginning of a new resolve in this team. Spiker's shake up of the starting lineup, although not in itself the only reason, sparked something. The plebes have already proven they can contribute in a big way and now are getting to set the tone from the tip-off, plus moving Ellis to coming off the bench seems to have ignited something in him, too. Wilson is scoring big to complement Ellis' already impressive scoring, Toomey and Toth are making big shots, Ferguson is showing he can compete with bigger posts and Cox with zero TOs in the last 5 games while leading the team in assists, rebounds and steals. The guys coming off the bench are now showing an even greater sense of urgency...Lenox defends like a pit bull, Kinkaid is showing great athleticism, Gramling handling the ball with a 2:1 A/TO ratio, Williams also defending tough, Stire showing some nice defense and nifty scoring moves around the basket, Springer being physical in the paint...the list goes on. And...our #1 3-point shooter (Herbeck) has been out since Christmas! When he and Plomb get back to 100%, we have even more depth.

Definitely a tough game coming up against Lehigh, but as Lafayette showed last weekend, they are beatable. Army smacked Lafayette by 23 points, so I think they have the capability to take down one of the conference co-leaders. Still, they will need to play superbly and with passion to offset a talented Lehigh team.

Go Army!!!



This post was edited on 1/31 7:34 PM by Airstrike

 

[KnightNight]

Lehigh has not missed CJ McCollum nearly as much as I anticipated. Speaks loudly about their depth. A hot shooting day can cure a lot of woes.

Every game in this league is winnable and losable. Remember , Army has never had a winning record in the Patriot League. By far , not even close, the worse team record over the 23 or so seasons. This is simply encouraging. Wish that other Army fans would pay attention to something refreshing that is happening on the hardwood. Hope at least 1800 fans are in the stands on Saturday.

 

[Airstrike]

Rally 'em up, KnightNight!!! HOOAH!!!

 

[KnightNight]

.... Make that today... Sunday - Beatthe Mountain Hawks !!