Poets pull away in final 30 seconds, beat Redlands

Issue 17, Joseph Marlitt, men's basketball victory over redlands, Sports - By Joseph Marlitt on Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 04:09

The Poets quick start offense sputtered out of the gate, but saved the best for late. Senior guard Greg Preer’s mid-range jumper in transition with 30 seconds left proved to be the difference maker in the game as the Poets survived an offensive barrage in the second-half by Redlands to claim a 94-91 victory at the Graham Athletic Center. The Poets are now 15-6 overall, 7-3 in SCIAC and in a tie with Pomona-Pitzer for second place behind Claremont-M-S.

After coming off a road loss to the first place stags of Claremont-M-S, the Poets rebounded with a grind-it-out win over an evenly matched Redlands team. Whittier’s defense once again caused their opposition problems as they forced the Bulldogs into 27 turnovers, 11 of which were caused by Poet steals. The Poets also shot lights-out from downtown, going 8-17 from 3-point range. The Poets were far from perfect though, as they were sorely out-rebounded by the Bulldogs 37-27, giving up 7 offensive rebounds. They also allowed the Bulldogs to shoot 59 percent from the field.

Preer was a catalyst for the Poets on both ends of the court, scoring 22 points on 8-12 shooting and four assists, all the while grabbing five steals on the defensive end of the court.
Preer’s game winning shot came after Redlands had tied the game up at 90 with 37 seconds remaining. Preer took the inbounding pass and blew past the pressure defense that was still celebrating the made shot. He then pulled up from 10 feet out as his marker raced by anticipating a lay-up. The bucket capped a 5-point run where Preer was the only player to score for the Poets.

Senior forward Nathanial Easterman led the team in points and rebounds for the second consecutive game as he had a season high 28 points on 11-19 shooting while grabbing sixrebounds. His ability to draw the foul in the post-up game paid off as he cashed in from the free-throw line, making 5-6. Easterman also had an on the final possession as he blocked Redlands Jack Colston’s lay-up with one second left.

Easterman controlled the first-half of play, scoring 16 points in 14 minutes of play as the Poets went into the break down 1 point. The second-half continued in the same run of play, with the Poets getting pounded on the boards and then stealing the ball back. But Redlands guard Mychal Estrada found his rhythm, hitting six straight 3 pointers to help Redlands build up an 83-73 lead with 5:51 remaining in the contest.

The Poets responded to the adversity well, going on a 16-4 run that culminated in a Redlands timeout with with 1:38 left to play. The Poets would not trail again.

The Poets next rung of the ladder towards playoff berth is against rivals Occidental at home on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.. The Poets beat the Tigers on the road 65-46 in their third game of SCIAC play, and the Tigers sit in fifth place in SCIAC at 5-5.