Heave ho, away Knights go
Orrville beat the Knights by two, so it’s easy to do the math.
Yet West Holmes coach Jim Lindeman focused not on the 90-footer Brenner swished in to end the half, but a host of little things in the fourth quarter as the keys to the Knights loss, another in a series of close-but-no-cigar games for the Knights this season.
Coming into their contest with West Holmes at The Dungeon in Millersburg on Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Red Riders’ lone victory came at the hands of Ohio Cardinal Conference rival Wooster earlier this season in a 60-51 victory.
Traveling to another big rival in West Holmes, the Riders came away with a scintillating 66-64 victory that left both sides of the fan base breathless following the contest.
But even as Orrville escaped with a much-needed road win, they couldn’t celebrate until the final horn, when Brady Arnold’s hopeful prayer from mid-court fell off the mark. Only then could the Riders rejoice.
And only then would the Knights let the sorrow of letting one get away, that they felt they should have won, ooze in.
For the Knights, that feeling has become all too common, as Jim Lindeman’s crew tries to figure out how to get over the hump, having dropped five of their six games this season by four or fewer points.
Has that become frustrating for the Knights?
“Well, yes and no,” said Lindeman. “I think we’ve gotten to the point where we know that we can play with anyone, and compete every night. We expect to win every time out, and we have put ourselves in position to do just that. We just haven’t been able to get over the hump yet, but we are getting there.”
A few breaks here and there and the Knights could easily be 8-2 instead of 4-6.
Yet Lindeman understands that they must continue to work hard and tweak their game in order to turn the Ls into Ws.
The positive thing for his staff and players is, they are willing to work hard to make that happen.
“These kids have done a fantastic job of working at this to get better,” said Lindeman. “They deserve to turn these close games around and start winning them. We are at a point now where we simply have to trust our abilities and believe in ourselves enough to get it done when it counts.”
On this night, against a talented but struggling Orrville team, Lindeman saw some of the same little inconsistencies rear their ugly head that have haunted the team down the stretch in several games.
The back-and-forth contest saw a miracle shot at the half by Orrville’s Drew Brenner, a full-court, 90-foot heave that nestled into the net as time expired at the half, drawing the Riders to within three at 28-25.
Did that particular shot have a great deal to do with creating a massive Orrville turnaround as far as momentum was concerned?
Sure, in the final scheme of things, the three points was the difference in the score, but Lindeman said that truth be told, his Knights were in position to win late in the game and didn’t execute.
“When Drew threw that shot in, I think we were all amazed more than anything,” said Lindeman. “I actually laughed when he did it, because you just don’t see it ever. Hats off to Drew, it was an incredible shot. They should send that footage in to ESPN, because that is the kind of thing that gets air time.
“But overall, it didn’t deflate us, and we were ahead in the fourth quarter and ready to put that game away. What it really came down to was a few mistakes... some missed free throws in key situations, a couple of missed lay-ups, and while we only had eight turnovers, a couple came at pretty crucial times in the game. We have to find ways to finish off those games.”
Arnold led West Holmes with 16 points. Brock Macaulay finished with 13 points and Ryan Neer added 12 for the Knights.
The fifth near-miss for West Holmes may add to the frustration, but Lindeman believes it is a process of creating a winning atmosphere, something that he knows will not come easily.
Since taking over the reins of the Knights program three years ago, he has turned a nearly winless team into a night-in, night-out contender in fairly short order. Now it is a matter of taking the next step in the evolution of the program.
“I’m not going to lie, I was really hoping to skip this step in the maturing process,” said Lindeman of having to go through the heartbreaking stages of growing a program on the way to success. “But we realize it takes time. The effort part we have given. We are in every game, now we need to learn how to win those games, and with not a lot of winning ways to fall back on, it’s part of the process. I told the kids that they need to be the team that creates that winning tradition.”
With the loss, the Knights fall to 4-6 overall and 2-4 in the OCC, the loss putting any thoughts of a league title in grave danger with Lexington boasting just one loss in league play.
Still, Lindeman said that with the Knights so close, anything can happen, and they need to turn their attention to winning out the second half and hopefully, it will be enough to put them in the hunt.
“We’re so close, we feel like we can run the table and win out in conference, and then just see where that takes us,” said Lindeman. “We’re right on the edge.”
Now if they can just get that one little nudge that puts them over the top.
That part of the learning curve both he, his staff and players will welcome.
In case you missed it, here is Drew Brenner's incredible 90-foot shot.
Published: January 17, 2012
