Well they played better but there was just too many turnovers and they lost to Bridgewater College 69-63. Reed didn't dress, of course, but I did find an old pic of Reed, Nic Sulc on the left and Teriq Caldwell on the right--The Three Musketeers. And so now, the vital 4th-5th place in the standings gets real interesting as the top 4 places automatically go into the 8 team conference tournament and the other 8 teams play 1 game to see who fills the remaining 4 slots. Here are the standings with 1 game left. The Runnin Royals suffered a stinging loss Wednesday evening, falling at rival Bridgewater, 69-63. EMU played a few points down much of the evening and could never get over the hump against their rivals, snapping a six-game winning streak against the Eagles. More importantly, the men's second loss in a row drops them into a tie with Lynchburg College for fourth place in the ODAC standings. LC beat third-place Guilford Wednesday night, 81-64, to tie the Royals with an 8-7 record. Both are also 15-9 overall. Eastern Mennonite hosts Roanoke on Saturday to wrap up the regular season. The Hornets ironically play at Bridgewater. EMU and Lynchburg split their two head-to-head meetings, meaning if they remain in a two-way draw, the tie-breaker will come down to the ODAC's complicated 5-point system, which only becomes clear when the league's final standings are put in place. To avoid sweating out that process, the Royals are in the odd position of rooting for their archrivals on Saturday, while needing a win over the Maroons. In Wednesday night's game, Bridgewater scored first and worked to an 11-6 lead. The Royals tied the score at 16-16, and eventually took a 19-18 lead on a Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) free throw. That turned out to be EMU's only lead of the night, although the deficit was never more than eight points. The Eagles responded with a quick 10-1 run to get that eight-point lead at 28-20, and held a 34-28 cushion at halftime. Eastern Mennonite scored the first five points of the second half to drive within one, forcing a BC timeout. The Eagles steadied and kept the lead, including their biggest of the final 20 minutes at 50-45 with 9:23 to play. Generally, most of the second half saw a one possession game, with the major story being that Bridgewater answered every Royal run. Jerome Jones (Charles Town, W.V./Washington) tied the score at 59-59, hitting a three pointer with 3:50 left. The Eagles answered with back-to-back buckets to put the lead back at four. Jones hit another triple, but BC again responded with a basket, keeping the edge at 65-62. With 1:01 remaining on the clock, David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) was fouled on a fastbreak attempt, and the big man hit one of two free throws getting the men within 65-63. The Eagles turned the ball over on their next possession, giving EMU life. But Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) missed a three pointer from the right corner with 19 seconds left, forcing the Royals to foul. BC's Aaron Adams missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw, but the long rebound was tracked down by the Eagles. After another quick foul, Bridgewater made good on their freebies, sinking two to push the edge to 67-63 with 12 seconds left. James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) had a layup blocked and Falk missed a jumper off an inbounds play to leave the men short. Two more late free throws provided the final margin of 69-63. Neither team shot particularly well from the floor, with BC holding a 42% to 37% edge. The Royals kept close by hitting 7-of-19 three pointers, while the Eagles were just 1-8. The biggest difference came in rebounding, where Bridgewater held a surprising 46-33 edge, including 18-12 in offensive rebounds. Crump finished with 17 points and was one of three Royals with three assists. Falk charted 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Williams came in with eight points, four steals and three assists, while Yates had nine points and three assists. Jones finished with eight counters. Ed Reddick and Kyle Welty each scored 17 to lead Bridgewater. They also combined for 17 rebounds, including seven offensive.

Got up to another day of new snowfall after freezing day yesterday. Bad news is the temp is not supposed to get any better until next week. Spent yesterday doing a Deep Space 9 Marathon. I think Reed was probably playing video games in the dorm. Told me the other day nobody plays poker in the dorm. What the hell am I paying all this money for?

Ok Ok So the guys didn't play inspired basketball last night and lost to Emory Henry 81-78. Hamden Sydney lost also so they remain in 4th place which is vital if they want to avoid a game to start the conference tournament. Coach Kirby talks about the game here and here's the recap: Taking a cue from the cold weather which limited the attendance in Yoder Arena, EMU's basketball men looked sluggish in an 81-78 loss to Emory & Henry at home Saturday night. A late comeback fell inches short of forcing overtime, as a three pointer from Jerome Jones (Charles Town, W.V./Washington) rimmed out at the buzzer. With the loss, the Runnin Royals gave up a chance to take a commanding cushion in the race for a top four spot in the upcoming ODAC Tournament. The men still sit in fourth place with a record of 8-6. Hampden-Sydney and Lynchburg are tied for fifth at 7-7. Guilford is in third at 10-4. The top four seed earn byes into the tourney's quarterfinals in Salem, while the fifth through twelve seeds play each other in First Round games on Monday, Feb. 23. There are just two games left in the regular season. Emory & Henry, which entered the night tied for last in the league standings, looked like the team with more on the line from the opening tip as they scored the first four points. The Wasps slowed built up the lead up to nine points at 26-17. After a flurry to finish the half, the dust settled with EHC leading 37-32 at the break. The Royals came out strong in the second, quickly trimming the deficit to 41-39 after two free throws from David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) followed by a steal and three-point play by Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams). But in a microcosm of the night, Emory & Henry responded. The Wasps scored on five of their next six possession to inflate to their largest lead of the game at 52-39. But with a lineup generally consisting of four freshman on the floor, the Royals quickly came back. Jones drilled three triples during a 17-4 streak, and Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) finally tied it up with a free throw at 56-56 with 10:49 to play. EHC responded again though, and the teams traded leads and ties the rest of the way. Crump had the score re-knotted with an offensive tip-in with 2:18 left, leaving the score at 75-75. But after that point the Royals struggled to get good shots and the Wasps slowly rebuilt their lead. The visitors couldn't close the door, though, as on three separate trips to the free throw line, EHC made just one of two attempts, leaving the lead at 80-75 with nine seconds left. Jones hit another triple with 4.8 ticks to go, cutting it to 80-78 and giving life to small crowd. The Wasps again made just one of two free throws with 4.0 left, and the men turned back to Jones. The freshman took the outlet and dribbled across midcourt. He pulled up just short of the three point line from the right wing, but his good-looking shot at the buzzer hit the front of the rim, leaving Emory & Henry with the win. EMU shot just 38% from the floor, and kept in the game by going 27-35 from the free throw line. Emory & Henry hit 44% of their shots, including 52% in the second half, and was 22-29 from the stripe. Six Royals scored in double figures. Falk had 13 rebounds and 10 points, and had a personal milestone muted by the loss. With a free throw at the 18:25 mark of the second half, the center became the 22nd EMU men's basketball player to score 1000 points in his career. He now has 1005 in his career. Yates also charted a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Crump had 11 counters and a game high four assists. James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) scored 10. Jones and fellow freshman RaShawn Latimer (Warrenton, Va./Kettle Run) combined to hit all seven of EMU's three pointers. Jones was 4-8 from outside and scored 12. Latimer was 3-5 and finished with 11 points. Myles Turner was unstoppable for the Wasps, scoring 28 points with six rebounds and three steals. Freshman Chase Branscomb picked a fine time to has the best game of his career, as the big man came off the bench and hit a trio of three pointers, scoring a career high 17 points. Eastern Mennonite, now 15-8 overall, heads to Bridgewater for a late season rivalry game on Wednesday. Game time at Nininger Hall is 7:00pm.

Sent this to Reed and some cousins: Gentlemen After being advised to turn the face of my club a little to correct a bad hook, today I managed to break 100 for only the second time with a 46 on the front and a 43 on the back which looks like an 89 to me. This means that after playing almost every day I could since September, I have graduated from really sucks to not soooooooo embarrassing. Thank you Thank you. However, I'm sure the golf gods will humiliate me with a vengeance at their earliest convenience. Thank you Thank you. Here's #8

EMU hopefully is peaking for the ODAC Tournament as they knocked off a D3 top ten team tonight beating Virginia Wesleyan 87-75. The first half was arguably the best half they've played this year and the second half they just gassed them out. Reed did figure in the game as the Ref told him to sit down at one point in the second half. :-)) Defense wins games, and Wednesday night it gave the Runnin Royals their biggest win of the year, an 87-75 upset of No. 5 Virginia Wesleyan in Yoder Arena. Eastern Mennonite held the Marlins to just 33% shooting, their second-lowest mark of the season. EMU made a firm statement as they look to lock up a top-four seed in the upcoming ODAC Tournament. The men improve to 15-7 on the year and 8-5 in the ODAC. The second-place Marlins fall to 18-4 and 10-3. This is their first loss to a team not ranked in the national poll. Keyed by a three pointer and two three-point plays, the Royals jumped to a quick 9-4 lead just 2:09 into the game. Virginia Wesleyan answered with their best stretch of the night, scoring nine unanswered points for a 13-9 lead. EMU scored the next 10 points to go back in front and the battle was on. The Royals led by as many as eight in the first half, but VWC never wilted. The men were up 38-35 at halftime. A listless start to the second opened the door for the Marlins to make a quick run, going in front 39-38. The visitors got their lead to as many as three points at 43-40 and 45-42 before Eastern Mennonite worked back ahead to a small edge. At the midway point of final period, the Royals had a modest 57-55 advantage. Led by James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll), the men then took over. They methodically inflated up the cushion and finally pushed it to 71-60 when Williams converted a three-point play with 4:35 left. VWC hit a three pointer, but could get no momentum from it as Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) answered with a long ball of his own. Holding a 77-66 lead with 2:25 to play, what had been the James Williams show became the James William victory lap. EMU's senior point guard iced the decision by going 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch, pushing the lead to as many as 15 before a late VWC three produced the final 12-point margin. Williams had the best night of his career with 27 points, five assists and five rebounds. He finished 13-13 from the stripe to tie an EMU record for free throw percentage in a game. Only George Johnson made more tosses in a perfect effort, going 16-16 in 2010. Defensively, Williams also locked down VWC's Khory Moore, smothering him to a season-low three points. Moore entered the night second in the ODAC in scoring at 18.5 point per game. Yates strolled in with 15 points and five assists, while Woody Furbush (Bridgeton, N.J./Salem) scored a career high 12 points with a pair of blocked shots. David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) cleaned up everything inside, racking up 18 rebounds to go with nine points and two blocks. Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) had nine points and four assists. Greg Montgomery picked up the slack for Virginia Wesleyan, scoring 26 points with eight rebounds. Brandon Mitchell added 17 counters and nine boards off the bench. The Runnin Royals stay at home this Saturday, hosting Emory & Henry at 7:00pm. The Wasps are coming off a 72-68 road win at Bridgewater. Coach Kirby Dean said his team has really stepped up defensively over the last few games:

So the boys won last night 57-55. A 2 point win at their house like they had a 2 point win at EMU. Fun game to watch especially the 2nd half. Reed did not dress and is evidently done for the season with his bad ankle. He also told the coach his plans for next year which includes transferring to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville (where Jade lives) and changing his emphasis to music although he still wants to get a major in Phys Ed. I did make the 2 hour jaunt to Lynchburg and managed to visit Appomattox Court House where Lee surrendered to Grant.-------------------------- Here are the standings and recap. In the ODAC, a good goal is to hold serve at home and pick out a few wins on the road. The Eastern Mennonite men got one of those much-needed road wins Saturday afternoon, holding off Lynchburg College by a final of 59-57. The Runnin Royals improve to 14-7 overall and 7-5 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. More importantly, EMU keeps a grip on fourth place in the league standings while sinking Lynchburg in a four-way tie for sixth place at 5-7. The top four seeds in the ODAC Tournament get byes directly into the quarterfinals. It was just the third road win of the year for the men. They are 7-1 at home as they look to close out the year with three of four games in Yoder Arena. The Runnin Royals finally approach the large circle on their calendar which represents the biggest home game of the year. EMU hosts nationally-ranked Virginia Wesleyan this Wednesday night at 7:00pm. The Marlins, 18-3 overall and 10-2 in the ODAC, were ranked No. 8 in last week's national poll and are likely to move up a spot or two this week. Wednesday's game in Yoder Arena is designated a White Out, as are all remaining home games, so Royals fans are encouraged to wear white to support the basketball men. Despite the positive outcome, the game at Lynchburg had a worrisome start. EMU made just one three pointer and shot a mere 26.7% in the first half. Fortunately the Hornets weren't shooting much better and the game stayed close. Then the men didn't score over the final 3:21 of the frame and LC ended on an 8-0 run to inflate to their biggest lead of the game by halftime, 29-19. The 19 points represented EMU's lowest-scoring first half of the year. The Runnin Royals came out a different team in the second, however, methodically scoring the first 12 points to get in front. The run was capped by Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) grabbing a steal and getting held for an intentional foul. With free throws and the possession, Crump hit one toss and James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) added a three pointer on the inbounds play to complete a four-point swing to make the score 31-29 just four minutes in. The Hornets managed a few points at the free throw line, but Eastern Mennonite kept rolling. Crump hit a layup with 9:22 left to play, wrapping up a 28-7 stretch to start the second half, surging EMU to a 47-36 lead. Lynchburg responded with a quick 7-0 run, but Williams single-handedly scored the next nine points of the game to push the edge back to 56-43. After a Hornet free throw, Crump hit a layup for EMU's biggest lead of the game at 58-44 with 4:04 to go. After scoring 39 points over the first 16 minutes of the half, the Royals went cold. The men twice missed the front end of a bonus free throw situation, and LC took full advantage of the open door. Helped along mostly by offensive rebounds, the Hornets scored the next 12 points. Finally a rare four-point play by Daniel Rowe sliced EMU's lead to 58-56 with 58 seconds left. Williams hit one-of-two free throws to nudge the cushion to three points with 32 ticks to go. The Hornets missed a three pointer on their next possession and EMU rebounded, but the home team forced a turnover and called a timeout with nine seconds left. Austen Arnold missed two potentially game-tying three pointers, but each time grabbed his own offensive rebound. Arnold was finally fouled on a long two-point attempt with one second left, giving him just two free throw attempts. LC's junior hit the first toss to make it a two-point game at 59-57, but he missed the rim when he tried to miss the second attempt, giving the Royals the automatic rebound. EMU got the ball into play and time ran out and the men escaped with the quality road win. Eastern Mennonite out-shot LC 71% to 19% in the decisive second half. They had a 45% to 28% edge for the game to make up for a -8 turnover margin and giving up 16 offensive rebounds. Williams led the Royals with 17 points and four assists. The senior point guard has now scored in double figures in six of the last eight games. David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) put up 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Crump tallied 13 counters, while RaShawn Latimer (Warrenton, Va./Kettle Run) hit a pair of three pointers and added eight points off the bench. Despite going 0-5 from downtown, Arnold led Lynchburg with 20 points and eight rebounds. Rowe and Zack Burnett each scored 10.

Went over to Ashland VA, which is a little north of Richmond, to see the guys play against the best team in the league and #3 rated team in NCAA D3. They lost 73-70 but played very well. Reed did not dress as he evidently dinged his ankle again and was wearing the plastic walking cast again. He did finally send me the pictures that he took from my apt. of the new snow over the Shenandoah Valley. Trying to break one of the nation's longest winning streaks, the Runnin Royals had two chances from long range to send the game into overtime, but both were off mark as the men lost 76-73 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., Wednesday night. Eastern Mennonite has now dropped the first two games on their tough three-game road swing as they fall to 13-7 overall and 6-5 in the ODAC. EMU holds onto fourth place in the conference despite the loss, although five teams are each within a single game of the men in the standings. The Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 5 in this week's D3hoops.com National Poll, win their 15th straight game with the decision and improve to 18-2 overall and 11-0 in the ODAC. The wild finish was a bit of a let-down, as neither team actually scored over the final 1:41, combining to shoot 0-6 in that stretch. James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) missed a contested three from the top of the key with five seconds left, but center David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison County) chased down the long rebound in the right corner. Falk launched a three from there as time expired, and the desperation shot was long, leaving the Royals with the three-point loss. The men have now played nine games which have been decided by a single possession and are 4-5 in those outings. Williams had hit a couple of tough buckets to help EMU slice into a 75-69 deficit with 3:40 to play, but his jumper with 1:41 left turned out to be the last points for either team. The effort capped a good second half for the Royals, as they out-shot R-MC 47% to 37% and erased what had been as high as a 13-point deficit in the first half. After Eastern Mennonite jumped to a 6-2 lead, the Yellow Jackets took over and flew to a 33-20 cushion at the 8:51 mark of the first half. The men got within four before settling into a 47-40 deficit at halftime. Woody Furbush (Bridgeton, N.J./Salem) started the second half with a steal and the Royals got rolling. Randolph-Macon did work out to a 58-47 lead before an 11-2 run got the men within two points. The home team kept in front, but EMU kept coming. Finally a layup from Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) tied the game at 67-67 with 5:59 to play. The Yellow Jackets got back-to-back scores to key a decisive 8-2 stretch and set up the final three minutes. Eastern Mennonite ended up with a slight shooting edge, 45% to 43%. In a game where every possession mattered, the Royals made a few more free throws but Randolph-Macon hit a few more three pointers to make the difference. Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) led EMU with 18 points, while Williams was great down the stretch and totaled 14 points. Yates canned a pair of triples and had 12 points and four assists. Falk came in with his usual double double at 11 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Akeem Holmes came off the bench to lead R-MC, as the backup big man hit a trio of three pointers and charted 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Joe Hassell scored 14 points and Lamont Moore added 10 with seven boards. The Runnin Royals get one more big road test this Saturday, playing at Lynchburg College at 4:00pm. The Hornets sit one game behind EMU in the league standings and beat the men in the teams' earlier meeting in Harrisonburg, 72-70.