Oracle Online

“We had a goal coming into the season that we wanted to get into the conference playoff. It seems at times this season we rode the roller coaster. We had games where we would win three then lose three, but to the guys’ credit they never stopped working and never got down,” said Wohler.

Tuesday night’s game ended up being a real barn burner, minus the flames and barn. The Johnnies (16-10) had the upper hand in the first half, leading 38-22. Unfortunately for St. Johns the score failed to communicate the message that the game might, in some way, be over. Hamline came flying out the gates in the second half, quickly cutting the lead to 46-37, on account of strong play by DeRock. The first year guard went 9 of 12 from the wood in the second half.

“We pushed the ball up court more and had more transition shots. Chris Babcock was a real key factor in that. He came off the bench and helped us establish tempo. Jon DeRock was a guy who got hot and scored 22 points in the second half. Another first-year Tony Thrasher also had a big impact,” said Wohler on the second half play.

The Pipers continued on and eventually took the lead with 2:34 in the fourth quarter thanks to help from senior Charley Good, who netted 10 points. In addition, DeRock and Thrasher continued to make their presences felt. Nonetheless, St. Johns made things interesting, closing the gap to 74-71 with a clutch three pointer. In the end, Hamline’s explosive second-half performance, which included an obscene 64 percent field-goal shooting percentage, proved to be indomitable.

Tuesday night’s game may not have played out the way they wished, but Hamline got the win, in inspiring fashion no less.
“It was probably one of the most exciting wins we have been a part of,” said Wohler.

Tommies make Pipers pay

If the word ‘miraculous’ accurately described the game against St. Johns, Thursday night’s semi-final game against St. Thomas can be illustrated as ‘disastrous’. To Hamline’s credit, they played the number-one team on a night when they could do no wrong.

Head Coach Wohler was dually aware of St. Thomas’ talent and the significance of the task at hand. “We have to get to the loose balls. We have to really pressure their guards defensively, and we need to make sure the game is going up and down. We have to be running the ball and sprinting the lanes all game,” said Wohler before the match-up.

Hamline (12-15) did what they could in the first half to keep it close, going into the locker room down only 35-46. The state of affairs is eerily reminiscent of Hamline’s first-half deficit against the Johnnies on Tuesday night. Regrettably, the Pipers didn’t have the fire-power to repeat on the obscene field-goal shooting percentage that led to their first playoff victory in 21 years. Hamline’s second-half percentage Thursday night was only a third as good as the Johnnies’ game. If you crunch the numbers you get something like this: the Pipers shot an abysmal 21 percent from the field.

If the Pipers had any chance of victory, they would have to wait for the Tommies to miss a beat. They did not.

And although it can be proven St. Thomas didn’t have Houdini in their front court, their 67 percent field-goal shooting in the second half points to, at the very least, the intervention of mystical forces. After last Thursday, the question of whether or not the Tommies are of this world is debatable.

In Hamline’s defense, they stayed true to form, never giving up. Coach Wohler said speed would be a factor in the game, and the sweat-drenched Piper jerseys were evidence enough that the underdogs played their hearts out. In the end they just got outplayed. St. Thomas promenaded away with an easy 96-51 win.

Hamline’s fans stayed true to the Pipers throughout the game. The stands were full until the final buzzer, though it was evident that a season was ending.

“I think they played well,” said Stephanie Jurewicz, a fan at the game and sophomore center for the womens team. “You put a few more of our shots in at the beginning of the second half and you’ve got a whole different game.”

Another season is done and another bit of trophy space remains vacant. Yet Hamline players, coaches, students, and alumni have every reason to be proud of the performances this season. Piper mens basketball is on the rise. Since Wohler’s arrival the team has improved, and the way he sees it, that is likely to continue.

“As a team our expectations are to move up from a sixth seed and come into next year and maybe host a game or two in the conference tournament. We are excited with the players we are bringing back. Obviously it hurts to lose six seniors, but we feel like we have some great first-years and sophomores who will step in and do a good job. If recruiting goes like it did last year we should be competitive.”

A few things are for sure: long gone are the days of last place in the MIAC. And Lionel Richie was never cool.