Bobcats Finish Road Trip With Loss To Green Mountain College

POULTNEY, VT -- On Saturday, February 2nd people packed into a small basketball gymnasium, the Eagle Dome, home of the Green Mountain College Eagles, located in Poultney, VT. It was senior night for the Eagles men's basketball team, which is normally reason enough for feelings, but this time, it was layered with more purpose: the heart of a small Vermont town. 

It was fall 2018 when Green Mountain College decided that after 185 years it would be closing its doors citing "financial pressures exacerbated by declining enrollment." On the college website, a letter from the president of the college states that "although the Trustees of the College have not yet set a specific closing date, we anticipate cessation of operations after the Spring 2019 semester."

By game time, it was clear that to the players of Green Mountain College, this was not just another basketball game. It was senior night, but it was not even another night to pay tribute and say goodbye to the seniors who had made their 15-6 season one to remember.  This game was the culmination of emotion and fight and grit that had brought each basketball player halfway across the country (California, Texas, Minnesota), or halfway across the world (Australia for 3 Green Mountain players) to follow their ambitions and dreams to Poultney, VT.

Standing in their way were the Bryant & Stratton College - Bobcats, who were on a short two-game road trip through the New England states of Massachusetts and Vermont. To begin 2019, the Bobcats had established a six game win streak, but of late, dropped two important games, the first to Wilberforce University, and the second on Friday to Pine Manor College. They looked to bounce back on a cold Saturday in the Eagle Dome.

In the first half, the Bobcats pounded the ball inside, using their size to establish the pace and style of the game. Jordan Street got two quick lay ups in the paint to establish the theme, and his teammates kept feeding him the ball on the block. Street backed his way in and got fouled on three separate occasions. Street would grab 5 rebounds in these early sequences and score 4 quick first-half points, but go 0-6 from the free throw line. 

Meanwhile, Alex Sanchez, Sean Leflore, and Tyrell Johnson capitalized on those lost opportunities. Like Street, Sanchez got to the free throw line, but went 3-5, while knocking down a couple of midrange jump shots. Leflore also got to the free throw stripe, going 3-4. Leflore had 5 points in the first half. Johnson also added 5 points, going 3-4 at the free throw line.

In a game where neither team was shooting well from the field, the Bobcats shooting 32% and the Eagles not much better at 38%, and the three point wasn't falling either, the Bobcats going 0-8 from deep and the Eagles 1-6, the contest truly became a game of will.

Going into halftime, that proved to be the Green Mountain College Eagles, who led at the midway point 31-23.

In the second half, the Eagles came out ready. Adding to the lead that they established in the first half, Jerome Dixon came out hot. He delivered on a three pointer from deep to spark an early run that the Bobcats never truly bounced back from. Dixon poured in 11 second-half points to give him 15 points on the night, but more importantly, he became the catalyst that put the game out of reach. Sean Leflore continued his tear finishing close behind Dixon with 14 points and Sanchez followed behind with 11 points.

High scorers for the Bobcats were Tyrell Mitchell with a team-leading 9 points. Jeru Molson, and new comer Jeriah Williams, finsihed with 8 points in the loss.

The game belonged to the Eagles, who improved their record to 16-6 on the year. The Bryant & Stratton College - Buffalo Bobcats (13-8) finished up a two-game road trip passing through Massachusetts and Vermont by losing to a gritty and tough Green Mountain College team, 81-53.

NEXT GAME 

On Wednesday, February 6th, the Bobcats take on cross-city rival Villa Maria at Burt Flickinger Athletic Center. Tip off is 6pm. Villa Maria is currently ranked #1 in the nation in USCAA Division II Men's Basketball. Villa Maria has lost two games all season, and the first one was to our very own B&SC Buffalo Bobcats on their home floor. 

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