Sagehens Try to Rebound from a Tough Start

By Rachael Warecki
Sports Editor

As the Pomona-Pitzer men’s basketball team ends their season, the Sagehens are looking to repeat last year’s SCIAC-winning ways with a strong finish in division play. As of February 12, the team was struggling within the conference, with a record of 6-4 against other SCIAC teams. However, the Sagehens still have four games left to play against divisional opponents and already they have defeated three of those four teams this season.

The team entered the season with high expectations, having won the conference last year with a final record of 12-2 and having lost only two players. Unfortunately, two key players, Alexander Lloyd (PO ’06) and David Knowles (PZ ’07), suffered injuries early in the year and missed the majority of preseason games.

The injuries proved to be more harmful than anticipated to the Sagehens’ standings. Previous to SCIAC play, the team went only a mediocre 6-5, suffering defeats to out-of-conference opponents such as Vanguard University, U.C. San Diego, Washington University, Amherst and Biola.

However, once the Sagehens began conference games, their level of play stepped up accordingly. The team began SCIAC competition with two consecutive wins against Whittier and Caltech before suffering a loss during an away game to division rival CMS, 56-42. Within SCIAC, the Sagehens have also defeated La Verne, Cal Lutheran, and Redlands to earn their current record.

But the losses to Occidental and in the second game against Whittier, although harmful to the Sagehens’ SCIAC record, were not nearly as harmful to Pomona-Pitzer pride as the two losses to rival CMS this season.

The most recent loss came on February 11 at home, where the Stags eventually defeated the Sagehens in a heartbreaker. Although both teams shot well and exchanged the lead throughout the game, the Sagehens fell victim to foul trouble. While the Stags and the Sagehens each received their fair share of free throws, the Sagehens failed to capitalize on their opportunities. In contrast, the Stags sunk every shot from the penalty line, which ultimately led to a 59-54 Sagehen loss.

Yet Pomona-Pitzer remains upbeat about their chances to finish at the top of SCIAC. Since their return, formerly injured players Lloyd and Knowles have contributed greatly both to team chemistry and to the amount of points scored. The rest of the Sagehens feel optimistic about the remainder of the season, hoping that their SCIAC improvement over their preseason play will lead to another conference title.