Charger men focus on defense, win
Andy Buss
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sports
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Junior Keith MacKenzie, a guard, said the team won with solid defense and the proper approach.
"We were focusing on defense," he said Tuesday night. "I thought we came out the way we're supposed to and the way we're capable of - with aggressiveness and confidence."
MacKenzie said the team fed off the tough play exampled by team leaders Evan Steward, a junior and guard, and junior Tony Gugino, a center.
The team hopes this game will catapult them into a winning streak.
"I think this will be the start of another good streak," MacKenzie said. "Of course we have Grand Valley [State University] on Thursday, but we're not going to back down."
Last Thursday the men lost a heartbreaker to Mercyhurst College, 59-58. Two days after brought a similar conclusion: an 80-75 loss to Gannon University causing the team to slip from second to a third place tie in the GLIAC's South Division.
The players did not make excuses for the loss against Mercyhurst.
"Thursday night we were not very good," assistant coach Daniel Evans said. "We didn't shoot the ball very well. Mercyhurst did a good job of making plays every time they needed to make plays - even when it got close."
Though Gannon delivered a loss to Hillsdale, the Chargers played at a very high level throughout the game. They attempted a comeback in the second half, eventually coming up five points short.
"In the second half our guys played really well and with an unbelievable amount of effort," Evans said. "With that said, there are plays down the stretch that decide games, and Gannon made those plays whereas we just didn't make enough of them."
Gugino, team captain, said the second half was a good example of how the team should play the rest of the season.
Tonight the Chargers will face their toughest test of the season hosting Grand Valley, the No. 2 Division II team.
For more photos see the Collegian Flickr account.
Hillsdale College Collegian 2008
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