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Men’s basketball reaches Final Fnnr
By Dan Etter
Staff Writer
After a disappointing defeat
in the first round of the Old
Dominion Athletic Conference
(ODAC) tournament, it seemed
as if the men's basketball sea
son had come to a close.
Now, only three weeks later,
the Quakers have secured a
spot in the final four, just two
wins away from a National
Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) championship.
On Saturday, March 14, the
Quakers defeated Texas-Dal-
las 64-59 in an overtime victory
that propelled them into the
semi-finals for the first time in
school history.
Trailing 12 points with 5:27
left in regulation, the Quak
ers finished off their exciting
comeback with an off-balance
three pointer from junior Clay
Henson with .08 seconds.
Henson's game-tying three
was only his and the team's
second of the night, as they
made only three of 17 from be
hind the arc.
"He struggled," said Head
Coach Tom Palombo of Hen
son's shooting; "But (associate
head) Coach (Matt) Parke said
'Hey get him to take the last
shot. Get it in his hand,' and he
certainly did."
Rebounds helped secure the
victory for the Quakers, as they
out-boarded the Comets 7-2 in
the extra period and 44-30 over
all. Clutch free-throw shooting
from junior Tyler Sanborn wid
ened the lead with 1:01 left and
another pair of foul shots by
sophomore T.C. Anderson se
cured the final score - and the
win - with just 27 seconds left.
The win over the Comets
was the Quakers' fourth in the
tournament, as they defeated
Transylvania 71-67 in OT, Aver-
ett 91-81, and John Carroll 78-
73 previously.
The Quakers will square off
against second-ranked Wash-
ington-Saint Louis in the semi
final match on Friday, March
20 at 5:00 pm in Salem, VA.
The number-two-ranked Bears
defeated Whitewater 73-70
and Wheaton 55-52, and up
set top-ranked and previously
unbeaten St. Thomas 79-64 on
their way to the semi's.
The Quakers, ranked 23rd
nationally, improve their re
cord to 25-5 and continue to
pile up awards. Henson won
first-team all-region honors,
Sanborn was named D3hoops.
com South Region Player of
the Year, and Coach Palombo
received his second D3hoops.
com South Region Coach of the
Year award in three years.
The winner between Guil
ford and Washington will meet
the winner of Richard Stockton
College and Franklin and Mar
shall College at 3:00 p.m. on
Saturday, March 21.
A run with the Ultimate Frisbee team
By Peter Kostin
Staff Writer
My hands were arthritic from the cold
while I ran down one of Guilford's practice
fields after a Frisbee, of all things. The disc
and 1 seemed to crash against a wall of cold
air as we closed in on our rendezvous.
1 went for the catch, only it slashed my
knuckles like a whip. Keeling over, out
of breath while the little UFO crashed, I
tried to figure out what was so hard about
catching a disc.
Then senior captain Molly Finch yelled
"Sprint!" The rule is that a dropped Frisbee
means sprints for the culprit.
It was probably then ^at I realized that
Guilford's "Biohazard" Ultimate Frisbee
team was no joke.
My first impression: a deceptive game.
The players defied my stereotypes.
There were no shoeless, red-eyed, Jerry
Garcia t-shirt havin' lollygaggers. Nope. I
didn't experience any soul-seekers living
in the metaphorical conceptualization of
"to be" - just some dirty athletes.
First-year player Sarah Stangle told
me about a diving interception she had
earlier in the season. She recalled it with
the eminence of "slow-motion." With three
opposing play ere sliding on top of her, mud
spewing in a wake of limbs, she held on.
I actually learned that holding onto the
frisbee is only the second most important
part of the sport. The first is the ethics of
the game.
"The big tenet of ultimate is spirit,"
said captain Nick Mozer, recovering from
a broken collar bone. "The game teaches
people enjoyment, and especially respect
for rivals."
In some ways, ultimate is ultra
community-oriented, taking leaps in
promoting sportsmanship.
Respect for the other team is actually the
incentive for a fair game. Instead of having
referees, players officiate their own game.
Regimented post-game handshakes are
no longer needed.
During my two-hour practice with
Biohazard, I was challenged- grappling
with concepts and flying objects, indeed.
The team demonstrated an abundance of
solid fiiendships.
Biohazard practiced like they were in a
Dallas Cowboy training camp, but off the
field they got dong like brother and sister.
They're an enigma.
"We don't think, we just throw the disc,"
smiled the freshman player Tyler Lipton,
sporting grass- and dirt-peppered elbows.
Eleven of Biohazard's 17 players are
underclassmen. Surprisingly, many of
them wield varsity-sport spe^.
First-year James Williamson left me
hacking up gunk after giving me the slip on
a long throw. Williamson and other players
benefit from their speed and endurance
from their dedication during their minimal
off-season.
'The winter season is when you can
really see who the Frisbee addicts are," said
Williamson, starry-eyed.
Even for a bumbling rookie, Biohazzard
knew how to make the game fun for a
beginner.
"We don't want people to be afraid to
come out because they are intimidated by
a sport or because they've never thrown a
disc," said Mozer.
Like other club sports, ultimate is a
commitment off the field as well.
"We do a lot of team bonding like
rugby," said junior Gillian Galdy. "Except
nobody's in your face."
The players have traditionally celebrated
their hard work by partying with the other
teams after games and tournaments. Galdy
recalled a shindig with the University of
North Carolina Greensboro team after
coming in second place at a tournament
last January.
Arch rivals or not, everyone partied.
There have been instances where
Biohazard played teams who lacked
sportsmanship and respect- the two holy
grails of Ultimate Frisbee.
Junior Ben Macdonald felt strongly
about one team that seemed ultra-proud.
'They were s***-talkere," said
Macdonald, referring to the University
of Tennessee team . "They beat us and
then were talking down to our team
afterwards."
"Aggression and manipulation!" said
senior Julia Kartman as she pushed her
way into the conversation.
The team prefers to remain positive.
First-year Caroline Frantz told me about
scoring her first goal after only playing the
sport for two months.
And considering the team's young
players, there is room to grow.
This year they're 6-7. Biohazard has just
come back from the Hidetide Tournament
off the coast of Savannah, Ga., where they
made it to the quarterfinals.
.587
Compiled by Patrick Childs
Seconds that remained in men’s basketball’s “Elite
Eight” contest after junior Clay Henson beat the
buzzer with a three-pointer that tied the game.
The Quakers won in overtime...Can you say “Final
Four.” ■' ■ ■ .
Straight games that Guilford’s softball team has
won. In these wins, Guilford outscored their
opponents 43-7.
Sophomore Kyle Wooden’s batting average in
Quaker baseball’s first 18 games. Along with batting
average. Wooden is among the conference leaders
in homeruns (5), hits (37) and RBI’s (27).
Combined goals scored by women’s lacrosse play
ers Carrie Ernst (7) and Ellie Merritt (5) in a 21 -9
win over Frostburg State on Tuesday.
y,'.y. .y..V y • '•••••-. "V
President Barack Obama’s prediction for how the
% University of North Carolina will finish in this year’s
NCAA tournament, Mr, President’s bracket can be
found on ESPN.com.
SPORTS
Guilford senior Jessica Casto breezes by
the General's defense in the game against
Washington and Lee.
A rollercoaster season
comes to a close
By Patrick Childs
Staff Writer
The great NBA coach Phil Jackson once said "If you
meet a Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball." Good
advice from a coach with rings from nine career cham
pionships.
But the Buddha was never left open for the Quaker
women's basketball team (11-14)(10-10) to pass to dur
ing the team's season-ending loss to Virginia Wesleyan
(18-9)(14-6) on Feb. 26, in the Old Dominion Athletic
Conference tournament (ODAC).
The team's bad luck was evident in their shooting, as
they shot 29 percent, nine percent less than their season
percentage.
"I felt like we should have shot the ball better," said
junior Alexa Williams. "We let their defense dictate
what we did."
The Quakers' "luck" has come and gone this season
as they compiled overtime wins against Emory and
Henry and Washington and Lee in early December,
and another against Bridgewater in January. But the
Quakers suffered close losses to ODAC foes Roanoke,
Lynchburg and Randolph in November, December and
February.
"The games we lost this year we learned a lot from,"
said junior Ann Seufer. "And the next time we played
we played smarter and better."
In their wins, the lady Quakers could argue that luck
wasn't as important as having "role players." Guards
such as junior Joclyn Terry and senior Jess Casto helped
lead the team, along with senior captains Brittany
Bumgarner and Tracey Croner.
Bumgarner and Croner have received recognition off
Basketball Coach's Association (WBCA)So You Want to
be A Coach Program and Croner earned first team All-
ODAC.
In her All-ODAC season, Croner contributed buck
ets from inside the lane, which helped her reach a mile
stone mark of 1,000 career points at Guilford. Another
historic mark was reached by Seufer as she made 178
career three-pointers - a school record.
"I enjoyed it," said Seufer, referring to her milestone.
"It was a testament to my teammates, coaches and fam
ily who have helped me with my shot over the years."
Seufer will look to add to her record next season,
and the Quakers will hope to make due without their
graduated seniors.
Croner, Casto and Bumgarner, along with senior
Shavon Hacked will be missed in 2009-10, but the Quak
ers expect returning talent such as first-year Alex Miles,
who led the team in rebounds, three-point threat Lau
ren LeFevers and defensive specialist Jasmine Wood.
"I'm looking forward to winning niore games (next
season), said Miles. "And just seeing how the returning
players come back."