2008 Woodie Awards
Start the Madness For Men's and Women's Hoops
Mike Barrett
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
As the regular season draws closer and closer to the end, the men and women's basketball teams are primed for the Northeast Conference tournament. The women head into the tournament looking to defend their NEC title while the men are ready to make their presence felt.
After Monday nights win against Mt. Saint Mary's, the women are standing at second in the NEC, tied with Robert Morris with a 12-3 record. The Pioneers will face a tough stretch ahead, going on the road for their two final games against Monmouth and Quinnipiac.
"With the way we can play, we should be good and ready for the playoff's but we know that there are now cake walks here," said Pioneer Head Coach Ed Swanson.
Carrying the Pioneers into the playoffs will be the play of there seniors. With all-star's Amanda Pape, Jasmine Walker, and Kerri Burke leading the way, there is every reason to believe the Pioneers have a team as strong as any in the NEC.
"This time of year, seniors aren't seniors. They're dangerous because it's their final games and they certainly play like it," said Swanson.
On the men's side, the men are focused on ending an up and down season on a positive note this year. After securing a birth in the NEC tournament, the men have turned their attention on securing some home court advantage in the first couple of rounds of the playoffs this year.
"It's always good to win big at home especially now because we're playing for home court in the playoffs," said Brice Brooks after last Thursday's satisfying win over rivals Mt. Saint Mary's.
The win moved the Pioneer's to a 9-6 record and into a tie for third with Tuesday night's opponent, Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Aside from a big win in the standings, the win also gave the Pioneers the most conference wins they have had since moving to Division one.
"We're really happy about that obviously, but we need to focus on the next three games," said coach Dave Bike.
One of the main points the men will be focusing on going into the final stretch will be putting up a defense that rivals their high-octane offense. According to Bike, the men have been improving on their defense over the past weeks.
"We've been struggling throughout the year defensively, but we've been picking it up the past few games. We also rebounded pretty well," said Bike.
With the next two weeks the most important in the season, the Pioneers will be striving to achieve something that Sacred Heart has never seen before. The men and woman will aim to be the first men and women's team in the same sport to win their respected conferences.
So with that, let the road to March Madness begin.
After Monday nights win against Mt. Saint Mary's, the women are standing at second in the NEC, tied with Robert Morris with a 12-3 record. The Pioneers will face a tough stretch ahead, going on the road for their two final games against Monmouth and Quinnipiac.
"With the way we can play, we should be good and ready for the playoff's but we know that there are now cake walks here," said Pioneer Head Coach Ed Swanson.
Carrying the Pioneers into the playoffs will be the play of there seniors. With all-star's Amanda Pape, Jasmine Walker, and Kerri Burke leading the way, there is every reason to believe the Pioneers have a team as strong as any in the NEC.
"This time of year, seniors aren't seniors. They're dangerous because it's their final games and they certainly play like it," said Swanson.
On the men's side, the men are focused on ending an up and down season on a positive note this year. After securing a birth in the NEC tournament, the men have turned their attention on securing some home court advantage in the first couple of rounds of the playoffs this year.
"It's always good to win big at home especially now because we're playing for home court in the playoffs," said Brice Brooks after last Thursday's satisfying win over rivals Mt. Saint Mary's.
The win moved the Pioneer's to a 9-6 record and into a tie for third with Tuesday night's opponent, Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Aside from a big win in the standings, the win also gave the Pioneers the most conference wins they have had since moving to Division one.
"We're really happy about that obviously, but we need to focus on the next three games," said coach Dave Bike.
One of the main points the men will be focusing on going into the final stretch will be putting up a defense that rivals their high-octane offense. According to Bike, the men have been improving on their defense over the past weeks.
"We've been struggling throughout the year defensively, but we've been picking it up the past few games. We also rebounded pretty well," said Bike.
With the next two weeks the most important in the season, the Pioneers will be striving to achieve something that Sacred Heart has never seen before. The men and woman will aim to be the first men and women's team in the same sport to win their respected conferences.
So with that, let the road to March Madness begin.
Be the first to comment on this story