By Christy Cain
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) It has been exactly ten weeks and four days since the Westmont men's basketball team tipped off their 2014-15 season. This could be converted to 74 days, or (roughly) 1,776 hours. In basketball terms, it could be translated as 19 games so far this season. And for Westmont specifically, it's been 13 wins and six losses.
A lot has happened in those 74 days.
When looking at the team back in November, some people could have found it easy to title them as "young" or "inexperienced". It could have been easy to focus on the players that they graduated instead of this year's talent. It could have been easy for people to look at their incredibly difficult schedule that was ahead of them and be skeptical of their ability to produce wins. It could have been easy to look at the GSAC Coaches' Preseason Poll – where Westmont was picked to finished seventh out of the nine conference teams – and be uncertain of the men's ability to climb the rankings.
Despite the circumstances that surrounded this season, the Westmont men never doubted themselves. Instead, they fully bought in to each other. From day one, they bought in to the idea of being the best that they could be. They bought in to the idea of pushing each other day-in and day-out during their practices. They bought into the concept of training up their six freshmen and growing their underclassmen into leaders. They bought in to the idea of not allowing outside circumstances to dictate their ability be to successful. They set their minds on the goals and dreams they had for this season.
But you know what? Dreams don't work unless you do. And tonight, the Westmont Warriors went to work against #13 Arizona Christian University. In arguably the best battle of the season, the Warriors' hard work paid off and they walked away with an 82-81 overtime win.
"Tonight was especially exciting since it was a conference win, and Arizona Christian is currently in first place. I thought we played well, I thought we defended well, I thought we rebounded well," opened head Coach John Moore. "I have believed from the very get go that this is a group of guys that has incredible maturity, high basketball IQ and intense passion. They truly love all aspects of the game. And it showed tonight because it was a gritty, gut check win against a team that is one of the best in the country. "
It was a battle from the moment that the first whistle blew to the moment the final buzzer ended overtime. Coming into the evening, Arizona Christian not only had a #13 National Ranking, but an undefeated record in the Golden State Athletic Conference — clinching them the number one spot.
Comparatively, the Warriors had nothing to lose and everything to gain this evening. But they were well prepped and ready to play. "We were very focused going into this game. Our assistant coach Rob Goodrow did a great job of scouting them and getting us information on how they play," explained Moore. "This was probably our most important scouted game of the season because of how hard Arizona Christian is to play against. With five players in double figures, they had plenty of firepower."
Despite the fact that the Firestorm has the number one scoring offense in the GSAC, along with many of the top shooters, the Warriors held with them, point-for-point for the entire matchup. Seven minutes into the second half, a three pointer by Harman, followed by a three pointer by Karczewski and five points from Anderson gave the Warriors a 10 point lead and the largest point differential of the game.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Firestorm was able to maneuver its way back into the game, ultimately tying the score and forcing them in to overtime. "Credit to them," exclaimed John Moore. "Credit to Coach Rutter and his team. They did a really nice job staying poised and collected with the ten point deficit and cut into it very, very quickly. You have to give the opposing team credit when they come back to give themselves a chance. They played with great poise.
"Anytime you have a ten point lead, and let them catch up to go into extra minutes, you feel a little disappointed. But what has been great about these men is that they don't stay wallowing in their misery at all. They have a next play mentality. I think that definitely came into effect in overtime," continued Moore. "It's times like this that you truly see competitors like Daniel Carlin, Nate Marsing, or Cory Blau come to life on the court. Even Jared Wilson who –despite being injured– is in the huddle every single time, encouraging his teammates any way he can. On top of all that, our freshmen class is made up of winners. They are big, crunch-time winners."
In a game that came down to one point, running a strong offense is key. Tonight, the Warriors had four players in double-digit points. Daniel Carlin went seven for seven from the field and finished with a game high of 21 points. Cory Blau finished with 19 points, six of which came in overtime. Britton Williams claimed 14 and Sean Harman nailed 13 points.
"Daniel Carlin didn't miss a shot tonight. People may focus on his missed free throws, but I am focused on his made free throws and field goals. He had some very important baskets for us this evening," exclaimed Moore. "Cory Blau was outstanding in overtime. He had a three pointer, a two and a few free throws, so he scored six of our nine overtime points. We needed every one of those."
The Firestorm was led by 6-6 junior Azusa Pacific University transfer, Sharif Watson with 18 points. He was followed by Bobby Gray with 17 points and Mike Navar with 14.
While Arizona Christian had multiple players in double digit figures, defensively the Warriors were able to hold some of their top performers to minimal points. "We were able to do a pretty good job against two of their leading scorers. (Brandon) Newman and (Charles) King are some great three-point shooters and we held both of them to zero three-pointers this evening. Nate Marsing, Sean Harman and Hayden Anderson did a superb job of keeping them off of the three-point line," closed out John Moore.
The Warriors now sit, 74 days into season, with a record of 13-6 overall and 5-1 in GSAC play. The reality of this situation is that change over time has been inevitable. People knew that the men who stepped on the court in November would be different by the time they stepped on the court in January. It's just a fact of life.
But while change is inevitable, progression is a choice. Tonight's performance on the basketball court demonstrated the hard work and effort that the men have put in so far this season. They have made the intentional effort to make progress every day. With each practice and each game, they are growing closer as a team and making progress towards their goals.
The men will take the court again on Tuesday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. in La Mirada, Calif. as they go up against Biola University.
A lot has happened in 74 days and a lot more can happen in the 43 days left in regular season play. Here's to turning dreams into reality.
