The teams traded leads in a classic first half, with 91¶ÌÊÓƵ holding the biggest edge at seven points.  (Madison, VA/Madison) capped a 7-0 run with a dunk to put the Royals up 34-27 with 4:33 left in the half.  But Bridgewater quickly closed the gap and sliced the lead to two by halftime, 38-36.

The Eagles slid ahead 44-41 early in the second, but a 12-2 spurt put Eastern Mennonite back in front, 53-46.  Sims had the big play in the run, diving to the floor for a steal at half court, then getting up to beat the transition defense and dunk the ball.

A Thorne jumper kept the lead at 60-53 with 7:03 to go, but the Eagles scored the next eight points to take the edge at 61-60.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) accounted for the next three points, as the seesaw battle continued.

Bridgewater returned fire with the next five to go ahead 66-63 with 2:25 left, but Sims drilled a three from the left wing to knot the score.  The Royals had a chance to take the lead after a defensive stand, but Thorne missed an alley-oop from Sims.

With the score knotted at 66-66, the Eagles had their own chance for the lead, but Sims picked out the steal with 1:24 left.  Thorne made good this time, hitting a jumper in the lane to put 91¶ÌÊÓƵ up 68-66 with 1:06 left.

Zach Hunter (Newport News, VA/Woodside) missed a layup for BC on their next possession, but the Eagles kept the ball with an offensive rebound.  After a tied up ball, the home team inbounded under their hoop, and Hunter was left open on the weakside for an easy game-tying lay-in, making it 68-68 with 43 seconds to play.

The Royals got a good look on a three pointer from (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) from the right corner, but the big man’s shot rimmed out.  Thorne tipped out an offensive board to Sims, though, and the junior hit a shot from the free throw line with 8.5 seconds to go, putting 91¶ÌÊÓƵ in front 70-68.

Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) missed a running floater for BC, and Daniel grabbed the rebound.  He was fouled with 0.4 left, and made both free throws to ice the win, 72-68.

As with most rivalry games, the decision came down to who made the right plays at the right time, and the Royals inched to the road win with key plays in the final minute.  Shooting percentages were relatively even: 43% for 91¶ÌÊÓƵ and 41% for Bridgewater.  The Eagles had a 45-34 edge on the boards, but Eastern Mennonite made eight three pointers to BC’s two, and had a +4 turnover margin, 19-15.

Thorne, who had the key offensive rebound to set up Sims’ winning shot, finished with 18 points and five rebounds.  Sims charted 13 points, three assists and two steals.

Longacre just missed a double double with 10 points and nine rebounds.  He also had three picks.  Daniel came in with eight points and five rebounds.

Ed Reddick (Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam) led Bridgewater with 20 points and 12 rebounds.  Thomas had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Runnin Royals improve to 11-7 overall and 4-5 in the ODAC.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ is at upstart Lynchburg this Saturday at 3:00pm.  The Hornets are tied for third in the ODAC at 6-3 after upsetting Guilford Wednesday night.

Despite leading 40-27 at halftime, the Royals watched as Washington and Lee slowly chipped back in.  Even with 32 seconds left in regulation, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ led by five, 74-69.  W&L answered with a layup and then forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play.

The visitors got a single free throw with 21 seconds left, then a fortuitous offensive rebound off the missed second toss.  Larry Whitaker (Bartlett, IL/Bartlett) missed a jumper with 16 seconds left and (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) muscled out the rebound.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s big man was fouled and made one of two free throws to keep the lead at three, 75-72.

The Generals quickly came down the floor and guard Kelton Buchanan (Powder Springs, GA/Hillgrove) drilled a three pointer from the left side with seven seconds left to knot the score.  Eastern Mennonite couldn’t get off a clean shot, leaving the game to be decided in OT.

(Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) stepped up for the men in the extra session, scoring 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s first six points to build up an 81-77 lead.  (Front Royal, VA/ Skyline) added a fastbreak dunk after a steal by (Madison, VA/Madison) to put the edge at six with 1:37 to go.

The Runnin Royals then iced the game from the free throw line, making 6-of-8 tosses to keep W&L from making another comeback.

Eastern Mennonite shot 46% in the win, compared to 41% for the Generals.  The visitors did have a 46-40 edge on the boards, but the Royals more than made up for that by forcing 24 turnovers.  Free throws were basically even, with 91¶ÌÊÓƵ going 21-33 while Washington and Lee finished 21-31.

Longacre had one of the best games of his career and charted his first double double of the season.  He tied his career high with 20 points and pulled down 10 big rebounds.  Sims was right behind him with 19 counters.

Thorne finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) had 10 points and four assists.  (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll) added eight points off the bench.

Drew Kimberly (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) had 20 points to lead Washington and Lee.

The Royals, now 3-2 in the ODAC, move over .500 in the conference for the first time this season.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ enters a tough stretch of their schedule, playing their next games against three of the top four teams in the ODAC.  First up is Guilford this Saturday at 2:00 in Harrisonburg.  The Quakers, 4-1 in the league, beat the men 67-64 on Nov. 28 in Greensboro, NC, on a half court three pointer at the buzzer.

(Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) canned a three pointer on the first possession of the game, then after an Eagle bucket the men scored seven in a row to go up 10-2.  Mary Washington got their second basket, but (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) scored the next six points for a quick 16-4 lead just 5:14 into the contest.

The Runnin Royals surged again, as Daniel capped a 13-2 run with another triple to push the lead to 29-12.  The Eagles finally settled down and got within four before 91¶ÌÊÓƵ took a 42-36 lead into halftime.

The teams traded jabs for much of the second half until (Bassett, VA/Carlisle) scored six straight to push the edge back up to 62-51.

Mary Washington fought back but would get no closer than four points.  Down the stretch, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ made just enough free throws and played great defense, limiting the Eagles to just three points over the final four minutes, to seal the 79-71 win.

The men shot 52%, nearly double what they shot in a loss to Christopher Newport just two days earlier.

(Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) led four Royals in double figures with 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals.  Sims finished with 17 points and three assists, while Daniel charted 15 with three assists.

(Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) notched 11 points.  (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) made his presence felt with eight boards and three assists.

UMW’s Sean Armstrong (Richmond, VA/Monacan) led all players with 20 points.

The Runnin Royals close their first half at 8-4, including 1-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.  After a 16-day break in action, Eastern Mennonite returns to the floor with a road game at Emory & Henry on Jan. 5.

(Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) started things off with an offensive put-back and 91¶ÌÊÓƵ never looked back.  The Runnin Royals never trailed and used a 15-2 run to blow open a double digit lead.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ scored the final seven points of the half to lead 56-23 at the break.  (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) and (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) keyed a strong second half before the bench players took over with the lead at 89-49.

Eastern Mennonite shot 54% from the floor, had a 50-40 edge in rebounding, and forced 31 turnovers.

Yates finished 9-of-11 from the floor and charted a career high 21 points.  He tied his career high with four steals and co-led the team with six rebounds.  Sims and (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) each finished with 12 points.

Freshman (Covington, VA/Alleghany) had the best game of his career with nine points, three blocked shots and a pair of assists.  (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway) also scored nine.  (Bridgeton, NJ/Salem) and (Prince George, VA/Prince George) led the team over the final minutes of the game, with each scoring their career high.  Furbush hit 3-of-4 shots and had six points, while Sulc scored five.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ improves to 7-3 with the non-conference win.  The men return to the court Monday afternoon, playing at No. 20 Christopher Newport.  Game time in Newport News is 5:30pm.

Despite being saddled with foul trouble over the first 20 minutes, the men led much of the opening frame.  They scored the final five points going into halftime, capped by a (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) three pointer, to lead 33-25 at intermission.

Eastern Mennonite scored the first four points in the second for the biggest lead of the night at 37-25.  Goucher responded with a 12-2 run, however, to get back within two points and the battle was on.

As the teams went back and forth, (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) drilled a big three pointer to put 91¶ÌÊÓƵ back up 61-60 with 3:04 to play.  After forcing the Gophers into a missed triple, the men came down and Daniel assisted (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll) on another long bomb, blowing the lead to up to 64-60.

Goucher got a single free throw with 1:17 left, but the Royals pushed the edge up to five points when (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) drove to the hoop and dunked the ball.

The Gophers cut the lead to three with a pair of free throws with 40 ticks to go, and the men left the door open when Williams missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw.  Goucher got two shots off in the final eight seconds, but neither found the mark as 91¶ÌÊÓƵ escaped with the win.

Daniel and Sims were a two-headed monster to lead the team.  Daniel hit three three-pointers and dropped in 19 points.  He added a season high five assists along with five rebounds and three steals.  Sims was 8-for-13 from the floor to lead the team with 20 points, a season high for him.

Williams also hit double figures with 10 points.  (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) added eight rebounds and three assists.

The Runnin Royals had their best effort of the year from long range, going 8-for-18 for 44%.  They shot 28-for-61 overall for 46%, but were limited to 2-for-6 from the free throw line.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ was out-rebounded 37-28, but also forced 21 turnovers for a +4 turnover margin.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ has a few days off before returning to the court for a sure-to-be-classic game with Randolph-Macon.  The men host the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, with a 7:00pm start in Yoder Arena.

After falling behind 9-2, Eastern Mennonite led by as much as 35-21 before turnovers and poor free throw shooting let the Panthers get back in the game.  A 13-2 run by Ferrum gave the visitors their first lead since the opening minutes at 60-59 with 6:28 remaining.  The surge continued to a 69-62 edge for FC with 3:07 to go in regulation.

That’s when the men finally started to hit some free throws.  Over the first 37 minutes of play, the Royals made just 14-of-35 charity tosses.  But the men went 4-8 in the final three minutes of regulation, and even the misses proved crucial.

After the Panthers converted a big three-point play to lead 72-65 with 1:43 to go, (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) made a layup to trim the lead to five.  (Madison, VA/Madison) swatted away a Ferrum shot with 45 seconds to go and the Royals had life.  Thorne missed two free throws, but (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) picked out a steal after a Ferrum rebound, and then zipped a pass to Falk for a dunk with 25 seconds showing.

Down by three, the Royals still needed some magic.  Falk started it by forcing a turnover on the inbounds pass.  He was strategically fouled with 22 seconds to go, but hit the first attempt to trim the lead to 72-70.  His second attempt bounced off the front of the rim, and Thorne swooped in for an offensive board, and found Sims for a layup to knot up the score at 72-72 with 18 seconds left.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ scored five points in a seven-second span to erase the deficit.

Ferrum managed to get off a shot in the closing seconds, but it wasn’t close and the game headed to overtime.

The streak continued for the Runnin Royals, as they scored the first six points of OT to go ahead 78-72 after a Sims three-point play.  The Panthers finally got two free throws to end the 13-0 run, but they wouldn’t get closer than four points the rest of the way.

After the cold start, Eastern Mennonite connected on 13-of-19 free throws over final eight minutes of the contest to help ice the win.  They still finished 27-54 in the game, setting a program record for free throws attempted.

The Royals shot 56% from the floor, including 4-10 from outside, and forced 30 Ferrum turnovers.  The Panthers stayed in the game by shooting 47% from the floor and nailing 28-of-31 free throws.  They also had a 38-28 edge in rebounding.

(Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) helped steady the men throughout the game and led all scorers with 27 points, tying his career high.  Falk was 10-11 from the floor and tallied 24 points with a game high four steals.  Sims picked up his scoring in crunch time and finished with 16.  Thorne had nine rebounds, including five offensive, and five assists.

The Eastern Mennonite men remain at home next week, hosting Frostburg State on Tuesday and Marymount next Sunday.

In 2009-10, the Runnin Royals returned all five of their starters from a 15-11 campaign and vaulted to the Elite Eight in the national tourney, finishing with a final record of 25-5 and a No. 4 national ranking.  This year, Eastern Mennonite returns all five starters from a 12-15 team, and Dean is brimming with optimism.  And he will compare that.

“After the 15-11 year, going into the next year I thought we were going to be good,” said Dean.  “But never in my wildest imagination did I see those guys ascending to that level of play.  I didn’t see fourth in the country coming.  But to be honest, I’m just as optimistic now as I was then.  Can you catch lightning in a bottle twice?  I don’t know, but it’s certainly something we’ll strive for.”

Last winter, Dean needed five new starters and the young team had an up-and-down season.  But ending with three straight wins before an overtime loss in the ODAC Quarterfinals to Randolph-Macon gave the men some hope which translated into a lot of hard work in the offseason.

“I think that last year’s finish was probably about as crucial as anything could be,” Dean said.  “We were up and down so much with a young team.  Even some of the older kids hadn’t played a lot (before last year).  So I think the fact that we got things going at the end created an air of optimism and pushed us into offseason workouts.  I would say the offseason and preseason were as productive as any of my years that I’ve been here.  Through two weeks of practice I’ve seen big time improvement in my returners, as much as I’ve ever seen.”

And the returners abound, as 91¶ÌÊÓƵ brings back the top nine players from last year’s rotation.  Headlining the crew is 6-4 senior wing (Front Royal, VA/Skyline).  In his first season as a starter, Thorne averaged team highs of 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds and was named All-ODAC Third Team.  Also back is 6-4 junior (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) who was good for 12.3 points and led the men with 61 assists and 56 steals, as well as 6-6 big man (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) who averaged 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.  He also found a stroke from the outside and led the team with a 42.9 three-point field goal percentage.

Junior guards 6-2 (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) and 6-0 (Roanoke, VA/Northside) return as well.  Daniel finished with a 9.3 scoring clip and 55 assists, while Burroughs scored 8.3 a game with 60 assists.

While the men do return all five starters, Dean said nothing is a given this year as his other returners have improved in the offseason and a handful of talented newcomers will also push for playing time.

“We always say that everything is an open competition and everybody has to earn their chance to start,” said 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s tenth-year coach.  “Those guys started a lot of games last year.  If you were playing the odds, chances are that they will be the starting five again.  But the best players are going to play.”

Other returning rotation players are: 6-6 (Madison, VA/Madison) (6.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG), 6-2 (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll) (4.4 PPG), 6-7 (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams) (4.2 PPG) and 6-2 (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) (2.3 PPG), although Smith is recovering from an injury.  Dean also noted 6-4 Davis & Elkins transfer (Bassett, VA/Carlisle) as an impact player, and thinks he may see some contributions from his freshmen, especially 6-4 (Harrisonburg, VA/Broadway), 5-11 (Roanoke, VA/William Fleming) and 6-7 (Covington, VA/Alleghany).  The Royals were also hoping for added depth from 6-4 Messiah transfer Chris Yoder (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield), but he will miss the year with a knee injury.

One area of weakness last season was outside shooting, and the Runnin Royals will need to improve on their 28.3% from three point range.  Shooting and physique were two areas that Dean said his men worked on during the offseason.

“We had a lot of kids that worked really hard in the weight room, and a lot of kids that got up a lot of shots,” explained Dean.  “Our kids knew we needed to improve our shooting percentage.  You can also see a lot of changes in my kids’ bodies.  A lot of kids have bulked up and look great.  The bottom line is the kids had a good offseason.”

One key for Dean-coached teams has always been to earn extra possessions, generally through offensive rebounds and turnovers.  The men have specific statistical targets set to meet those ends.

“Last year we were +5 in shot attempts per game and dead even in free throws,” Dean explained.  “So the goal this year is to double that shot attempts to +10 and to get that into the plus side on free throw attempts.  We feel we can do that if we improve on offensive rebounds and increase the turnover margin from +3 to +5.  And then if we can shoot the ball better from three, we’ll have a chance to be a really good team.”

Thanks in part to the way his 2009-10 team made national waves, combined with the strong finish his men had last year, Dean doesn’t expect to surprise anyone this time around.

“I think people are already going to expect us to be pretty good,” he said.  “Maybe not top 25 in the country, but a really tough out.  With so many kids that played last year coming back, the way we finished (beating Guilford and taking Macon to OT in tournament), and adding a couple of kids that we think can contribute, I don’t think we can sneak up on anybody.  But I don’t see a need to sneak up on anybody.  I just think we need to be the best that we can be.”

The Runnin Royals claimed the seventh seed in last spring’s ODAC Tournament with a league record of 6-10.  The men beat rival Bridgewater College in a First Round game in Harrisonburg to earn an ODAC Tournament win for the third straight year.  Eventual NCAA-qualifier Randolph-Macon beat out 91¶ÌÊÓƵ in an overtime thriller in the ODAC Quarterfinals.  It was also the third straight year the Yellow Jackets have knocked the men out of the ODAC Tournament.

Dean knows his team might still be a bit unseasoned to win the ODAC’s regular season title, especially with Virginia Wesleyan, one of the nation’s top teams, on the schedule twice.  But he is hoping for the Runnin Royals to again peak at the right time.

“We’re looking to finish as high as we can,” he said, “obviously we’re shooting for top five to avoid that play-in game and to get a really good seed heading into tournament.  We’ll be a whole lot better in February than in November.  If we can hit our stride in February like we did last year, but with a better team, we have a chance to make some noise.  And obviously if you win the ODAC Tournament, anything can happen from there.”

Eastern Mennonite opens the regular season by hosting the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 16 & 17, playing Elizabethtown and Ferrum.  Bridgewater will be the fourth team at the Classic, making for an exciting start to what should be an exciting season in Yoder Arena.

Seventh-seeded 91¶ÌÊÓƵ heads into the ODAC Quarterfinals where they will play second-seeded Randolph-Macon.  The two teams have also developed a rivalry in the last few years, including R-MC winning twice this year on buzzer-beating three pointers.

The ODAC Quarterfinal matchup will be at 6:00pm Friday night at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.

But Tuesday night, the Runnin Royals had to take care of their fiercest rivals.

In the opening minutes, the game looked like a blowout.  (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) personally scored the first eight points of the contest and 91¶ÌÊÓƵ zipped to a 15-0 lead.

Bridgewater regrouped, however, and used a 16-2 run to tie the score at 28-28 with 5:28 to go in the half.  The Royals got back in front, but BC drew a charge with five seconds left and then nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to take their first lead of the night, 35-34 going into halftime.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ came out strong in the second and never looked back.  (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) scored the first four points to put the men back in front.  (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) banked in a three pointer to increase the lead to 48-38 with 13:10 left.

A Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) jumper got the Eagles back to within five at 52-47, but then 91¶ÌÊÓƵ unleashed a 14-4 run over a span of 2:27, blowing the lead to 66-51 with 6:09 left in the game.  Thorne scored five straight in the run, followed by Sims scoring seven in a row.

Bridgewater never recovered from there as the Royals rolled out to the First Round win.

Thorne led all players with a career high 24 points, including 19 in the second half.  The junior added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

91¶ÌÊÓƵ Coach Kirby Dean felt his team’s dry spell in the first half had something to do with Thorne sitting on the bench with two fouls.

“I thought we played really well except for that ten-minute stretch in the first half,” he said.  “When Drew’s not in there we’re a different team.  He’s doesn’t have to score to make us go.  He’s really become a complete player.  At halftime I second guessed myself on whether I should have left him in since we lost a 15-point lead.  But at the end of the game when he took over I was happy to have him in there.  He made me look smart.”

Sims didn’t look too shabby himself, as the smooth sophomore finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.  He was 4-for-6 from three point range.

Longacre added 11 points, five assists and two blocked shots.  (Madison, VA/Madison) also had a pair of blocks.  Point guard (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) made his presence felt with a game high 12 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

Aaron Adams (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) led Bridgewater with 13 while Thomas charted 12 points and five assists.  Ed Reddick (Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam) was good for 11 points.

Eastern Mennonite forced 23 turnovers while committing just 15 of their own.  The Royals had only two in the second half.  BC had a slight edge in shooting at 47% to 42%, but 91¶ÌÊÓƵ erased that by dominating the boards, 47-30.  The Runnin Royals also had 26 offensive rebounds.

Dean was ecstatic that his young team could win an ODAC Tournament game at home after such an up-and-down season.

“I’m pleased for them and happy for them,” Dean said of his players.  “Of all the teams I’ve had, they’ve deserved some success after how hard they’ve worked and when you consider the heart-breaking losses they’ve had to persevere through.  There has been no quit in these guys.”

Eastern Mennonite, now 12-14, seems to be gaining momentum at just the right time, taking a three-game winning streak to Salem.  Three wins in the Salem Civic Center would earn the men a bid to the national tournament.

The ODAC Semifinals are Saturday evening with the Championship game Sunday afternoon.

Eastern Mennonite scored first in the game, but made a statement on the defensive end.  The men frustrated the Bobcats into a season low 31.7% from the floor and never trailed.

FSU was still within two points at 17-15 midway through the first until the Royals exploded on a quick 9-0 run to blow the game open.  The men then scored the final five of the half to lead 45-30 at the break.

The Runnin Royals didn’t let up in the second and expanded the lead to the final 21-point margin.

All 15 of the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ men in uniform got to play in the win as they out-shot Frostburg State 48.5% to 31.7%.  They also had a hefty 50-39 edge in rebounding.

Junior Andrew Thorne (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) collected his third double double of the season, finishing with game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds along with two steals.  R.J. Sims (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly), who has been slowed over the past week with an illness, played a game high 34 minutes and dumped in 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Guard Adam Burroughs (Roanoke, VA/Northside) made his presence felt with a career high seven assists.  He also tied his career best with seven rebounds.  Owen Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) had ten points and five rebounds.  Freshman Corey Sheppard (Richmond, VA/Open) had his best game in an 91¶ÌÊÓƵ uniform with eight rebounds, two steals and two assists in 18 minutes.

Starting point guard Dajon Daniel (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) and reserve Josh Mallory (Round Hill, VA/Loudoun Valley) both missed the game because of illness.

The win is the fourth in the last five games for the Runnin Royals, who improve to 6-7.  They return to ODAC play for the rest of the season and will try to better their 1-3 league mark Wednesday when they host Randolph-Macon.

Sophomore (Roanoke, VA/Northside) started the game with a steal and lay-up, then 91¶ÌÊÓƵ used a 6-0 run to push the lead to 8-2.  The Hornets got within 10-8 before the Runnin Royals clamped on the defense.  Holding SU scoreless for a span of 7:54, Eastern Mennonite inflated the edge to 20-8 and never let it below double digits the rest of the night.

(Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) canned the game’s first three as the first half closed, pushing the lead to 43-17.

Shenandoah never seriously threatened in the second.  (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) provided the highlight for the opening night crowd of 745, as he stole the ball and dunked it with 4:13 to play.  The two points bumped 91¶ÌÊÓƵ over the magic threshold of 79, giving everyone in attendance a free cone from Kline’s Dairy Bar.

From there, Coach Kirby Dean flooded the court with his bench players, getting all 15 healthy Royals playing time.  Each team scored 44 points in the second as the men rolled to the win.

Dean was pleased with the first 20 minutes of the game.

“I think in the first half we showed how good we can be,” he said afterwards.  “In the second half we showed how bad we can be.  Now part of that is Shenandoah, because they played better, but our guys need to play with the same intensity from the first half for a full 40 minutes if we want to finish in the top part of the ODAC.”

Thorne led the way on the night, netting 17 points with six rebounds and four steals.  (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) notched 16 points to go along with his game high five assists.

Freshman (Madison, VA/Madison) added an efficient 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals off the bench. (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) had 10 points.

The Hornet’s Avery Green led all played with 20 points.

Eastern Mennonite squelched Shenandoah to a 21.9% shooting clip in the decisive first half.  The Royals shot 44.7% over the frame and finished 35-74 for 47.3%.  SU came in at 35.7%, going 20-56.  91¶ÌÊÓƵ also had a 47-39 edge in rebounds.

Now 1-0, the men head to Arlington this weekend for the Marymount Tip-Off Tournament.  The Royals play Springfield Friday at 4:00, and then play either DeSales or host Marymount on Saturday.

Last year Eastern Mennonite finished 22-5 with a starting lineup of five seniors, including ODAC Player of the Year Todd Phillips.  Over their four years, the core went 71-38, gathered three of the program’s ten winning campaigns in 45 years, and earned the only trip the men’s team has ever made to the NCAA Championships.

That group is gone, but hopefully has laid a legacy which this year’s men can pick up.  As part of that re-tooling process, however, the Runnin Royals must replace 79% of their offense.

“The reality is, those five changed the culture at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ,” Dean said of his departed players, which also includes George Johnson, D.J. Hinson, Orie Pancione and Eli Crawford.  “I give them all the credit in the world for what’s happened here.  But the good news is that we had some kids who were role players the last year or two who on other teams could have been focal points on the offense.  So while we lost a lot we’ve got some guys who can do a lot more than what they’ve done.”

Returning players get a chance to shine

Leading the returners is athletic junior (Front Royal, VA/Skyline).  The 6-4 wing shot 51% from the floor last winter, averaging 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds.

“Andrew is in a zone where he wants to be one of the best players in the league, and I think he has that potential,” said Dean.  “He’s just been driven.  He’s lifting, he running, he’s just doing all the little things.  He’s a prime example of someone who’s put things together off the floor as well.  With him, the better student he has become the better player he has become.”

Forward (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) is another top returner and the only other returning junior on the roster.  Longacre has been nagged by injuries at 91¶ÌÊÓƵ but averaged 3.2 points and 1.5 rebounds last year.  Dean said his 6-6 player just needs to stay on the court.

“His big thing is just staying healthy,” explained 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s ninth-year coach.  “If he just can practice for a month straight and then string things together, he’s got a chance to be a really solid ODAC player.  He’s going to do all those things that get you to the winner’s circle.”

Sophomores looking forward to playing time

Four sophomores remain from last year’s touted recruiting class and all of them should compete for regular minutes in 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s up-tempo system.  averaged 4.9 points and 1.7 rebounds while getting a handful of spot starts last year.  (Roanoke, VA/Northside) (2.2 PPG), (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) (2.4 RPG, 1.6 PPG) and (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) (2.2 PPG) all expect to show marked improvement as they get more playing time.

Because of the departed seniors, this year’s newcomers will also get more playing time than in years past.  Some of the new faces have more experience than others, however, as three of the ten on the varsity roster transferred to 91¶ÌÊÓƵ from prep schools or other colleges and two more are local players who return to hoops after time away from the game.

Headlining the class are 6-6 (Madison, VA/Madison/Hargrave Military), 6-6 (Alexandria, VA/T.C. Williams/Massanutten Military) and 6-2 (Capitol Heights, MD/Archbishop Carroll).  6-7 (Staunton, VA/R.E. Lee/Mary Washington) could also add to the inside game as the Mary Washington transfer learns the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ system.

Putting the puzzle together

Even with the added height, Dean won’t slow down the style of play which has turned the Royals in the Runnin Royals.

“When you have depth like that,” he said, “if you can get guys to play as hard as they can play then they are going to need to get a rest.  But that’s when the other team has the same guy on the floor and getting more worn out.”

91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s coach said the team’s height will add a new dimension this year.

“A key for us is extra possessions,” he explained.  “The previous years we’ve done that through turnovers.  We’ll still turn some people over, but this year we can also get some of those possessions from offensive rebounds.”

Dean knows that with many of his players finally getting consistent playing time on the collegiate floor there will be growing pains.

“We’re a puzzle that still hasn’t been put together, but has some really nice looking pieces to it,” he said.  “I don’t know how good we’ll be in November, but we’ll be so much better in February.  So the better we can be in November, the scarier we’ll be in February.  We’d be naïve to think we’ll be as good as Virginia Wesleyan and Hampden-Sydney at the beginning of the year, but I’m hoping that by tourney time people are looking at the standings and hoping they don’t have to play us in the postseason.”

Exhibition game, season opener, and more info

The Runnin Royals begin that journey at home, taking on Shenandoah on Tuesday, Nov. 15.  The men also have a home exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 10, where they will play a team of area alumni, including last year’s starters.

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