ASHLAND, Va. — When those of us who love college sports are faced with criticism of the quality by professional fans, we’re quick to cite the rivalries between schools as a mark in our favor. Every sport, every level, rivalries create intrigue, even when there’s nothing but pride to play for. We fans love to name these rivalries (The Iron Bowl, Bedlam, The Civil War), but for the biggest of these rivalries no name is required. These are simply known as “The Game”.

At the Division I level, Ohio State-Michigan and Yale-Harvard get the attention that their size and large fan bases demand. In D-III basketball, most would say that no rivalry matches Hope-Calvin. But across all sports, and in all manner of non-athletic comparisons, no rivalry at our level matches “The Game,” between Randolph-Macon College and Hampden-Sydney College.

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Our goal in starting this project was to go to every gym in the ODAC, and with our visit to Crenshaw Gym in Ashland we accomplished our goal. We’ve seen loud atmospheres in our travels (and some not so much), but until Wednesday night, we hadn’t seen anything like what the Yellow Jackets faithful brought out to face the Tigers. As soon as you got onto R-MC’s campus you could feel the buzz, and it only grew as you entered the gym for tip-off. The parking lots were full, the gym was sold out, and media outlets that don’t usually cover Division III basketball (i.e. the NBC and CBS affiliates in nearby Richmond) sent their representatives.

When the season started, this matchup looked like it might be for the ODAC regular season title. R-MC was the preseason favorite, H-SC close on their heels, and both had earned preseason top-25 nods. The season has not played out quite as expected for the Tigers, who lost their first tilt with Macon at home, and entered the rematch with a .500 conference record. As such, this matchup wouldn’t have the same drama as their contests in 2003 and 2004 when they met as top 10 teams, even if Randolph-Macon could seal an ODAC title with a win. But when two rival schools meet up for their 138th matchup since 1956, the stakes cease to matter.

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Unfortunately for the sizeable contingent of H-SC partisans in attendance, their Tigers didn’t seem to play with the urgency the rivalry demanded. One notable exception was Khobi Williamson, who strengthened his case for another All-ODAC nod. He scored the first six Tiger points, before the entire team went into a prolonged funk. This wasn’t entirely their fault, though. Coach Nathan Davis’s squad was hounding the Tigers on defense, forcing turnovers and poor shot selection. They used this to jump out to a 16-7 lead with 14 minutes on the clock, on the back of a pair of Jamie Wilson treys.

But the shooting exhibition had not yet begun. At the 9:33 mark, Chris Hamilton entered the game. Hamilton is a role-player in the purest and least pejorative sense: he can shoot and shoot and shoot, and when you start to defend him deep, he’ll ignore it at shoot some more. In his 12 minutes per game, he’s established himself as one of the best sharpshooters in the conference (behind only Randolph College’s Seth Wimbish). 40 seconds after entering, he hit his first three pointer, extending the Jackets’ lead to 28-17.

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In addition to being a rivalry game, this game was also the final Jackets regular season home game, and therefore was Senior Night for Andre Simon and Jamie Robinson. They both took the opportunity to show off, especially Simon, who unleashed a tremendous dunk to bring the house down, and later attempted another in windmill style (which impressed even as it clanged off the rim). Only Williamson seemed able to match the energy with which the Jackets played, but he was not able to carry the team. Especially with Hamilton about to enter the game again.

With under five minutes remaining, and sitting on a 10 point lead, Coach Davis decided to spell his starters, and prepare to go in for the half. Part of the relief was Chris Hamilton, already 1-for-1 on the night. After a Marcus Badger steal, Andre Simon found Hamilton with a pass and Hamilton drilled his second three. Then he drilled his third. And his fourth. With 13 ticks on the clock, he set up to attempt his fifth, before being fouled hard on the shot. After nailing all three free throws, the Tigers went to the locker room up 14 points, with Hamilton still perfect from the floor and the line, scoring 15 points in his 7 minutes.

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Out of the break, Macon quickly went to work extending their lead, with Akeem Holmes and Connor Sulivan contributing 10 points as part of a 16-9 run. Chris Hamilton re-entered the game, and picked up right where he left off, hitting a pair of deep treys, in the process breaking his career high, all but sealing the victory for the Yellow Jackets. Despite Khobi Williamson’s best efforts, the Tigers never recovered, trailing by at least 22 for the remainder of the game. Hamilton, to raucous applause, drilled two more three-pointers, capping off an 8-for-8 performance, before R-MC went to the end of their bench for the last few minutes.

We usually remember rivalries for their close contests, when the underdog steps up their game to play a hated foe. This was not one of those games, as Macon ended all doubt early. But the season’s not over; there’s a whole conference tournament remaining, and if last year is any indication, R-MC shouldn’t rest on their laurels just yet. They remember upsetting the Tigers in Salem after being swept in their prior meetings. If anything, this loss could serve to fuel H-SC’s quest for revenge, or maybe provide the boost a burgeoning contender like Randolph-Macon needs to make a deep postseason run. One season is just about over, but a new season is about to begin.

• Final: Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets 90, Hampden-Sydney Tigers 67
• Player of the Game: Chris Hamilton (27 points, 8-8 on threes, 3-3 on free throws)
• Mileage Tracker: 2807 miles
• Next Stop: TBD, ODAC Tournament First Round (February 25)

WINCHESTER, Va. — The National Basketball Association is a league about star players. The nature of basketball allows single players to have an incredible influence on the performance of their teams. The best players in the NBA have talent far beyond the league average, and so their performances are especially noteworthy.

You’re less likely to see a player who can take over a game at the collegiate level, and even less likely to see it at the Division III level. If the NBA is a players’ game, college basketball belongs to the coaches. That’s one of the things that attracts me to the game in the first place: how coaches carefully balance the style they want to play and the athletes they recruit.

Sometimes, though, there is a player, who can be a dominant force, who will shine no matter what system he’s put in. In Division I, these players often play their one required year of college ball, before moving on to greener pastures. In Division III, we’re treated to four years of watching these players work their magic, while also engaging with them off the court. The College of Wooster, my alma mater, had a player like that in Ian Franks. Randolph College had Colton Hunt, who gave a jolt of energy to the nascent WildCats program. Cabrini College has Aaron Walton-Moss, who (academic struggles aside) has electrified Delaware County for nearly three years. Shenandoah University has Avery Green, who clearly appears to be this year’s frontrunner for ODAC player of the year.

Green got his start in Spotsylvania County, outside Fredericksburg, playing at Courtland High School, where he earned All-State honors as a senior, but was not recruited heavily, and so he applied to Shenandoah hoping to continue his basketball career. He established himself as a starter by his sophomore year, leading the team with 423 points in 27 games, averaging over 30 minutes in each start. Poised to have a breakout season as a junior, Green struggled early in the season before going down with an injury, and the Hornets limped along to a 1-15 finish in its inaugural ODAC season. You couldn’t begrudge an SU fan for being concerned about prospects for this season, Green’s last in Winchester.

The rest of the ODAC seemed to have doubts as well, picking the Hornets dead last in the preseason poll. If they were worried about Green’s production, they shouldn’t have. In his first official game back, against Methodist, he put up 29 points. When we first saw him, at the ACAC South Region Classic, he scored 37 points in 39 minutes against his hometown Mary Washington Eagles. In the process, he showed he could score from all over the floor. He’s barely slowed since, shooting nearly 53% from the floor, including 37.5% from beyond the arc, and accruing 23 points per game.

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This brings us to Shenandoah’s game against Lynchburg College. Despite Green’s monster of a season, SU still found themselves in the bottom half of the ODAC. Their record all but guaranteed this game would be their last in Shingleton Gym for the season, and Avery Green’s (along with three other seniors’) final career home game. He received a rousing ovation upon his introduction, as his accomplishments were listed over the PA system.

Manny Hernandez (#24) and Kevin Lescaint (#1) fight for the tip-off.

For the first eight minutes, however, he did not exhibit his typical magic. Still, his presence was felt, as Coach Hilliary Scott kept a double team on Green, opening gaps for his fellow Hornets, including fellow senior Dante Seraile, who scored five SU’s first 14 points. Coach Rob Pryor put Green on the bench with twelve on the clock, and the visiting Hornets up 19-14 over the home ones.

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Meanwhile, Austen Arnold was giving Lynchburg an excellent effort off the bench, making up for an off-night from LC star Manny Hernandez, scoring 13 points. After SU’s center Kevin Lecsaint went out, Lynchburg’s size advantage became even more pronounced, allowing them to score with ease in the paint, as well as getting to the foul line. After Green reentered the game, he became Coach Pryor’s defensive general, and completely took over on the offensive side of the floor, scoring 8 of the last 11 Shenandoah points in the half, going to the break down 6.

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It was more of the same for Green in the second half, accounting for more than half of SU’s offensive production. Unfortunately, that also meant he was receiving little help on offense. Xavier Alston pulled down seven offensive boards, but they did not translate to points.

Lynchburg, on the other hand, spread the ball around, allowing eight players in their ten-man rotation to score, but none of them in double figures. While they scored at a less prodigious pace than in the first, they did what they needed to do. And despite forcing 11 turnovers, SU was unable to convert them into fast-break points. Although they pulled within one early in the half, they were never able to take the lead, as Lynchburg won 74-67.

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A bulletin board in Shingleton Hall displays small bios of SU’s basketball team. Avery Green’s mentions his favorite moment as an SU basketball player (defeating North Carolina Wesleyan in the USA South tournament is sophomore year) as well as his plans for the future. He says he wants to play professionally, overseas. When we got the opportunity to interview Avery, he was quick to give credit to his teammates and coaches for his accomplishments, saying that “every award that I’ve gotten this year is because of them.” When asked to recall his experiences in Division III basketball, he recalled his first game, also in Shingleton against Eastern Mennonite, and his nerves upon getting in the game, and the faster pace of the college game. Given his development from nervous freshman to dominant senior, we have to believe he has the ability and the drive to accomplish his goals.

• Final: Lynchburg Fighting Hornets 74, Shenandoah Hornets 67
• Player of the Game: Avery Green (Shenandoah, 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals)
• Honorable Mention: Austen Arnold (Lynchburg, 17 points on 6 field goal attempts, 5 rebounds)
• Check out our photos on Flickr
• Mileage Tracker: 2668 miles
• Next Stop: Hampden-Sydney at Randolph-Macon (The Game), February 19

EMORY, Va. — Sometimes, it’s just not your season. No matter how you try, things don’t seem to go your way. This is one of those seasons for the Emory and Henry Wasps.
Expectations were not very high for the Wasps, and they were picked eleventh of twelve in the ODAC preseason poll. They had lost six-year head coach Paul Russo, who had resigned at the end of the 2011-12 season, and replaced him with Hampden-Sydney alumnus and former Furman assistant coach David Willson. They retained 2011-12 All-ODAC third team guard Malcolm Green, and it seemed they would rely on his offensive prowess to compete in the conference.

Unfortunately, things don’t always work out the way you hope for first year coaches. After a strong performance to open the season, with two neutral-court wins in the Berry College Classic in Georgia, Emory and Henry suffered 18 straight losses leading up to their matchup with Bridgewater. On Senior Day
In a touching pregame ceremony, the seven graduating seniors on the Wasps basketball team (along with the senior cheerleaders) received plaques of recognition and presented their own gift to Coach Willson. The group came together for a tender moment between the first-year head coach and the players whom his predecessor had recruited. In that moment, it was easy to fall prey to narrative tropes, to believe that the emotional power of the day would carry the Wasps to victory.

E&H got a quick start, jumping out to a four point lead by the 12-minute mark. The early success put a spark in the crowd, especially a cadre of students across from the Wasps’ bench. These fans deserve special mention for the sheer creativity of their cheering and (mostly) heckling. They particularly focused on BC’s Ronnie Thomas, whose hair drew comparisons to former Baylor star Britney Griner. Every call the officials made was met with vocal objections, even ones which to our eyes were uncontestable. We had no choice but admire their commitment to their team in a lost season.

After the early impressive start, the Bridgewater shooters began to heat up. We’d already seen what BC was capable of, after their home victory over then-ranked Virginia Wesleyan. While the opposition here was not quite at the Marlin’s level, you wouldn’t know it from the way the Eagles’ players played, or the intensity of Coach Don Burgess and his assistants. At one point during the second half, Coach Burgess adamantly argued that a foul which had been called on Thomas rightly should have been called on Romie Powell, half-jokingly asking your correspondents if we had photo evidence. (We didn’t)

Shortly after the ten-minute mark of the first half, Bridgewater took the lead on a fastbreak layup by Zach Walton, and never truly looked back. The Wasps’ inability to pull down an offensive board became hugely important when their shots stopped falling, and BC took advantage. The Eagles crafted an 18-8 run, powered by Tavis Stapleton on both defense and offense, to take a 10 point lead near the end of the half. While E&H cut into it over the last 3 minutes, they still trailed 34-28 by the break.

Stapleton and fellow Eagles star Ed Reddick continued Bridgewater’s sequence of dominance, scoring 10 of the Eagles first 23 points, and facilitating the scoring of the rest. In the process, BC opened up a 17 point lead over the first eleven minutes. E&H turnovers continued to be a problem, and the Wasps showed no aptitude for creating second-chance opportunities, or converting the few they created. Bridgewater never extended their lead beyond 17, but for a team that’s struggling like the Wasps, that might as well be 50. There might be some suffering in the future for the Wasps faithful in Southwest Virginia, with top scorers Malcolm Green and Charles Smith graduating. Coaching turnover is a difficult process, and Coach Willson has his work cut out for him.

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• Final: Bridgewater Eagles (10-10, 5-7 ODAC) 76, Emory and Henry Wasps (2-19, 0-12 ODAC) 63
• Player of the Game: Tavis Stapleton (Bridgewater, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals)
• Relive the game from our seats: check out our photos on Flickr
• Mileage Tracker: 2420 miles
• Next Stop: Lynchburg at Shenandoah, February 15