November 3-4, 2007

 

     Rome, GA-- The Bryan College Men's Basketball team returned empty handed from their weekend trip to Rome, GA for the Berry College Classic. After losing a heartbreaker to Shorter College on Friday night 75-73, the Lions were looking to rebound against Berry on Saturday Evening.

     In the opening game on Friday night, newcomer Cody Christopher got off to a hot start for the Lions with a couple quick baskets, draining a three pointer and a layup on back to back possessions. The Lions fought hard in the early going with the lead trading hands back and forth, and with about four minutes left in the first half, Shorter led by 7. Bryan made a small run capped off by a Mike Lytle three at the buzzer to cut the lead to 1: 40-39.

     The second half remained close, and was a battle of two talented teams; Defensively the Lions played extremely well, holding Shorter to 40% shooting in the second half of play. Bryan held a six point lead with about seven minutes to go, but on three consecutive trips down the floor, the Lions squandered scoring opportunities allowing Shorter to claw back into the game. Down the stretch the Hawks pulled in front by three with 30 seconds to go, and the Lions again battled back on a Scott Newton layup with 8 seconds to play. Bryan fouled and Shorter made 1 of 2 from the line. Kyle Terry had a look at the basket as time expired, but the shot fell short and the Hawks snuck away with a victory, 75-73.

     The Lions were led by Junior Lamarr Shorts with 18 points, and Newton, a freshman contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds. Mike Lytle had 12 points, 9 assists, and brother Charlie scored 12 points while grabbing 9 rebounds and blocking four shots.

     In the second game of the Berry Classic, the Lions took on the host Vikings of Berry College. Bryan fell behind early, and struggled from the floor, shooting only 29% in the first half. At the break the Lions trailed 43-29, and had an uphill battle to fight. Hoping to turn their fortunes around in the second half, the Lions turned up the pressure defensively, holding Berry to 32%. The Lions matched their opponent’s performance however, shooting at a 32% clip themselves in the half. The poor shooting combined with an early deficit proved to be too much for the Lions to overcome.  The Vikings won going away, 76-61.

     Lamarr Shorts again led the Lions with 16 pointsand 9 rebounds, while Cody Christopher added 10 points. The Lions’ bench contributed well despite the loss, with Derek Batt scoring 9 points and Thomas Davis adding 8 points and 3 rebounds. 

     Bryan Head Coach Don Rekoske talked about the loss, “Saturday’s game was very disappointing from my standpoint. I thought our effort was far greater in the first two ballgames of the year and the lack of effort really contributed to our offensive struggles tonight. We settled for far too many threes and we didn’t work to get as many easy shots as we have in our prior two contests. Friday night however, we really played hard, and it was disappointing to come away with a loss.  “ 

The Lions return to work again on Thursday when they’ll face Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, TN at 7:00.