November 20, 2007

 

     Cleveland, TN—After a long off-week the Bryan College Men’s Basketball team was anxious to get back on the floor; a mid week cancellation from NCAA Division I UT-Chattanooga left Bryan Coach Don Rekoske and his team with a rare lengthy break from competition. The week off could have been either a blessing or a curse, but the team worked hard all week to get ready for NAIA Division I opponent Lee University. The Flames came into the game on a roll, undefeated so far and having defeated their opponents this year by a combined margin of 159 points through five games. Bryan came into the game with a 3-2 record, coming off convincing wins at Johnson Bible and Tennessee Temple, and looking to play well heading into conference play.

    Rekoske spent the week preparing his team to compete defensively, and hoping to create matchup problems for the talented Flames. The team was confident and Rekoske preached to his team that if they would compete and put themselves in position to win late, they had a great chance of pulling off the upset on the road. The trip down highway 60 is a short one, but with Bryan students on Thanksgiving Break, the Lions knew they were walking into hostile territory and would be lacking fan support from the bleachers.

     The Lions came out playing extremely well as they showed no ill effects from the week off, and held the Flames to just 30% shooting in the first half. The Lions were led all night by freshman Charlie Lytle who finished with yet another double-double. Heading into the break, the Lions trailed 37-30, but felt like they’d put themselves in position to make a second half run.

     The second half was a battle of two extremely talented and extremely well coached teams. The Lions came out on fire, sparked by Matt Housely and Thomas Davis off the bench, to make a run and take the lead. After a big Mike Lytle three, the Lions led 53-52 with 7 minutes left to play. It appeared as though Bryan was poised to pull off the upset, but the Flames had a different idea in mind, as Lee pressured the Lions into turnovers on four consecutive trips down the floor, converting the Lions’ miscues into 9 points and the lead.

     When all was said and done, the Flames stood victorious while the Lions had mixed emotions about the game: “We really played well for 35 minutes tonight, but we lost focus for about 30 seconds there in the second half and it came back to bite us,” commented Rekoske. “Against a team like Lee you just can’t make mistakes like that, because they’re so talented, they’ll make you pay every time.”

     Charlie Lytle led the Lions offensively, contributing 16 points and 10 rebounds while brother Mike Lytle added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Housley added 11 points off the bench, hitting 5 of 7 from the floor, and Davis and guard Kyle Terry added 9 points a piece.

     The flames were led offensively by guard Brad Harris who netted 23 points in front of his home crowd, but the flames really got a boost from guards Freddie Williams and Paco Diaw who brought the Flames back in the final 7 minutes. Williams finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds, while Diaw had only six points, but filled the stat sheet with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in his 22 minutes.

The Lions will take the court again on Friday, November 30^th when they open conference play at home against the Cavaliers from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Tip Off is at 7:30 PM.