Race for CC playoffs tightens for Bullets
Sophmore Joe Emerusabe led the men’s basketball team with 14 points in 12 shots in the Bullets’ game against Washington College.
By Emily Kleinburd, Staff Writer
As the men’s basketball team nears the end of their regular season, they will have their sights on the McDaniel Green Terror as they make their final push for the playoffs. A week ago, the post-season was all but guaranteed, however now that their top player Alex Zurn has broken his wrist, things have gotten a bit dicey. Zurn’s absence was certainly felt in the Bullets last game as they lost to their Centennial Conference opponent Washington College 72-57.
Gettysburg (12-11, 8-8 CC ) had a 44-40 lead with 12:34 remaining in the game, but a 13-2 run in the middle of the second half by Washington College (4-19, 4-12 CC) put the Shoremen on top for good. Gettysburg came as close as five points shy of a tie with 5:22 left, but the Shoremen closed on a 17-7 run that the Bullets could not recover from.
Sophomore Joe Emerusabe had the hot hand in the first half as he scored four of five shots on his way to a team-high 14 in the game. Senior Benjamin Constable had a well-balanced performance as he scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds, and made two blocks. First-year Sango Amolo also recorded four steals. Senior Derek Brooks added nine points and five rebounds.
As their regular season comes to a close with their last game at McDaniel College on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2:00 p.m., Senior captain Derek Brooks commented on their playoff situation and how the team will continue without Zurn, who broke his wrist after recently reaching the 1,000 career-points mark.
“Right now we are the fifth seed in the playoffs with two games to play. We are a game ahead of Ursinus College in the standings, but we hold the tie breaker with them, so if we have the same record at the end we’ll be in the playoffs and they won’t. If we win one game out of the next two we’re in anyway,” said Brooks.
“Losing Zurn definitely hurts us. He was our leader and best player, but I believe the team is still focused and believes we can win. With him out, everyone on our team is going to step up and play better in order for us to succeed. We have to focus on McDaniel this week and if we do make the playoffs we’ll see who we get to play in the first round,” Brooks added.
