The Hopkins men’s basketball team has endured a hard fought season against tough Centennial Conference opponents. However, they've battled through and currently hold an impressive record of 7-4 in conference play. Although the Jays are in a good position, the team knows that all opponents in the conference are a threat; that reminder was seen in full force on Saturday, as the Blue Jays travelled to rival Haverford for a rivalry matchup against the Fords.
Haverford, sporting a 2-9 record in conference play going into the game, decided that Hopkins was a worthy opponent for their best and came out firing on all cylinders. Hopkins, on the other hand, came out uncharacteristically cold and flat as the Blue Jays were unable to gain any momentum early in the first half. On the other hand, Haverford appeared to be playing their best basketball of the season. Haverford opened up a big lead over the Jays heading into the half as Hopkins was unable to find any rhythm.
After consistently trading baskets, Haverford broke ahead with a five point lead after a 12-2 run with eight minutes remaining in the second half. At this time, it appeared that the drought was over as Hopkins responded in grand fashion with back-to-back three balls from senior Dan Corbett and junior Jimmy Hammer.
With a little under three minutes to play, Haverford was clutching to a one point lead that was slowly but surely slipping away from their grip. After baskets by both squads, Hopkins finally broke through the Haverford lead thanks to two huge free throws from junior Luke Chambers. Clinging to the small lead, the Jays finally started to synch up as the offense continued to shoot well. Sophomore Austin Vasiliadis was clutch down the stretch for the Jays as he drained two free throws to pump the lead to three, and with a little over one minute to play, he and junior George Bugarinovic both contributed buckets which stretched the lead to six. From there on out, Haverford had no answer for the late game resurgence by the Jays and the game ended 66-59 in favor of Hopkins.
This hard fought win was a big test for the Jays and will help them stay focused moving forward towards the playoffs. Leading the scoring charge in this matchup for the Jays was sophomore Gene Williams who chipped in 13 points while Hammer scored 12. Connor McIntyre was a defensive machine, rejecting five shots from the Fords and recording several key defensive rebounds.
Although a win always feels nice, the members of the team know that they have to perform better in games moving forward. Sophomore Niko Kotoulas spoke about conference play following the win. “In the face of adversity our team realizes that we must always come together as a collective unit in order to accomplish the task at hand," Kotoulas said. "On any given night in the Centennial a team can upset another team. We prevented that from happenning against Haverford.”
Corbett, who chipped in six points, acknowledged the slow start by the team. “During the Haverford game, we didn't play as well as we would have liked. We got off to a slow start and Haverford capitalized by hitting open shots and forced many turnovers,” Corbett said.
At the same time though, he was quick to hand out credit where it was earned and was excited to secure another conference victory. “Our senior captain Connor McIntyre had five blocks and Austin Vasiliadis hit some big shots down the stretch to help us get the win,” Corbett said.
Finally, Corbett realizes the opportunity the Jays have in front of them, and knows his team will be up for the task. “We currently sit near the top of the conference and if we continue to play as a team and improve defensively, we have the talent to win the conference,” Corbett said. Sitting in fourth place among their centennial foes currently, the Jays will square off against Franklin & Marshall next. The game is Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Goldfarb Gymnasium where the Hopkins faithful will be cheering on the team in the hopes for another conference victory.
