GAME BLOG: Central Missouri at Missouri Western
The Griffons' D stood out most but their offense deserves some credit for getting buckets in high-pressure spots. Just when it looked like No. 2 Central would snap out of its uncanny cold-shooting spell and steal the momentum, Missouri Western responded.
GAME BLOG: Missouri Western at Northwest doubleheader
Despite her team losing by 30 points, Kayla Vice displayed a solid all-around game. The freshman consistently got past defenders and into the paint, scoring 20 points and dishing out a team-high four assists. The performance was similar to her night against Pittsburg State, though Pitt didn't shoot like Northwest did on the other end and completely overshadow it.
An early Fall (Classic)
The timing is lousy. But the game is huge, just the same. Not even Chuck Broyles is crazy about the earliest date ever for the Fall Classic at Arrowhead between his Pittsburg State Gorillas and the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.
Omon positioned well in Buffalo
Sure, NFL preseason games don't count for much once they tee it up for the regular season, but the Northwest Missouri State faithful can't help but bust a few buttons after Sunday night's showing by running back Xavier Omon in the Buffalo Bills' preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. With a team-high 11 carries for 36 yards (to go with three catches for 25 yards), the former Bearcat and 2008 sixth-round draft pick got the bulk of the load during the second quarter and caught the attention of a few sports scribes and fan site pundits.
Western softball plans even-keel approach
Missouri Western might have dropped two straight on Saturday to bow out of the MIAA tournament ahead of its hopes, but the team remains upbeat and confident. Their national tournament berth - up in the air after the early MIAA exit - is literally a second lease on life. "I don't really feel like we lost our swagger at all," said pitcher Allison Jones, who is 25-4 with a 1.38 ERA. "We just had a couple of bad games." And now the Griffons know exactly who they'll have to get through in order to advance.
Northwest's invisible asset
On a campus with All-Americans and All-Region performers, conference championships and national championship contenders, one player has stood out in my mind over the past two years. He doesn't wear a jersey. Heck, he might not be able to bench press half his own weight. He is quiet, almost to the point of being timid, and frankly he looks rather bookish. It is unlikely you've ever heard of him. But boy, is Jared Verner a great team player.
Thoughts on Western's spring scrimmage
Like a midnight snack, spring football is here to tide us over until August brings the dawn of a new season. But without knowing which juco transfers will make an impact, which reserves are set for breakout seasons and how far underclassmen starters will progress, spring projections are just debate fodder until something more tangible comes along. And since that's six months away, let's project away. Until someone actually beats Northwest, the Bearcats are my No. 1. Two through six is really a crap-shoot at this point.
McCollum gets reacquainted with Bearcat family
It didn't take Northwest Missouri State men's basketball coach Ben McCollum very long to throw down the gauntlet with assistant coach Austin Meyer. Let's just call this coaching combination a Bearcat players' reunion. McCollum was a guard for the Bearcats for two seasons from 2001-03, and his Bearcat career overlapped that of Meyer, a sharpshooting forward.
Thoughts on Northwest's spring scrimmage
The wait was well worth it Tuesday - not necessarily for the football, but the sunny weather in the mid-50s. Standing on the sideline in Sunday evening's nasty, frozen drizzle seemed about as desirable as driving to Fort Hays on a Vespa. Thankfully, the Bearcats pushed back their annual spring scrimmage until Tuesday, and Mother Nature cooperated this time.
Final grades for the Western men
This blog entry is long overdue, but I decided to wait until after my annual ski trip to hand out the grades. So while the hoops season has given way to hardball in every MIAA locale except Warrensburg, I'll devote a few more words to the Western men's team before putting a wrap on the 2008-09 version of West by Northwest. Resiliency was the buzz word to describe this Western team, which lost five games by a basket.
GAME BLOG: Central 86, Western men 86 (OT)
This was just an incredible contest. Neither team made many mistakes. Neither team ever had control, and the game sat on a razor's edge throughout. It was the great plays, not the absence of, that made this game arresting from opening tip to ending buzzer. I thought Western got caught up in the first half trying to match Central shot for shot from the perimeter. But from in the final 25 minutes, both teams stuck with what they did well. The Mules have shooters all over the floor and continued to hit shot after contested shot. Western appeared to be the quicker, more aggressive team and continually got to the rim.
MIAA Tournament blog: Western still kicking
Western still dancing One day these are the run-and-gun Griffons. The next, they're playing something resembling the grinding pace of the Big 10. And it's all been gravy in K.C. The Griffons beat Baptist at the Bearcats' high-octane game on Thursday and then beat Fort Hays at the Tigers' half-court style Saturday. Now, Western is one win away from something seemingly unthinkable at any point in the past three years an NCAA tournament berth.
MIAA TOURNAMENT BLOG: Day 2 running diary
MIAA Tournament blog: Day 2 running diary For the first round of the women's tournament, I took a stab at a running diary, which seemed to be going well until I actually had to do real work during the second session. Here are the mixed results.
GAME BLOG: No. 8 Western men 93, Southwest Baptist 92
Matt Rogers' contributions Thursday amounted to the all-everything center getting down on his hands and knees to wipe up sweat on the Municipal Auditorium floor during a timeout.
MIAA TOURNAMENT BLOG: Day 1
As the dust settled on the best game of the day Central Missouri's 77-76 overtime win over Missouri Southern the Mules coaches and players stepped to the podium to dissect two hours of drama. And through the exhaustion and relief, one sound cut through Darth Vader's theme song.
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