With an offensive putback at the 12:41 mark in the second half, senior聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) scored her 1000th point, becoming just the 12th 91短视频 woman to break the barrier.聽 High school teammate聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) also tied her career high with 10 assists in the win.

Eastern Mennonite’s women haven’t lost a basketball game in Yoder Arena since Jan. 7, 2013, in a 54-49 loss to Elizabethtown.

Randolph proved to be a handful in the first half, as the visitors connected on their first six field goal attempts and traded leads early.聽 The Royals eventually worked out to a seven point lead at 32-25, but the WildCats had a chance to grab the lead at halftime when they got the ball after an 91短视频 turnover with the shot clock turned off.

Brown picked out a key steal with 10 seconds left before she eventually assisted聽聽(Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) on a buzzer-beater on an inbounds play, giving the Royals a slight 39-36 cushion at the break.聽 Despite entering the game with a 38% shooting clip, Randolph shot a lights out 56% in the first 20 minutes, including 5-for-6 from long range, to put a scare into 91短视频.

The Royals took off in the second.聽 Holding a 44-40 lead with 17 minutes to play, the women clamped on the defense which got their transition game going.聽 91短视频 scored 13 unanswered points to blow open a 57-40 edge, capped by a Sykes layup with 14:16 left.

A minute and a half later Sykes got her big bucket to crack 1000 points and the women cruised.聽 Randolph would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way to the 78-63 final score.

Eastern Mennonite stifled their guests in the second half to just 30% shooting.聽 For the game, the Royals finished with a 48% to 41% shooting advantage.聽 The women also hit on 10-of-21 attempts from three point range.

Rheinheimer scored a game high 27 points as she was 5-for-6 from outside.聽 She also had six rebounds.聽 Sykes had yet another double double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.聽 She has scored 1004 points in her career.

聽(Covington, Va./Covington) was good for 12 points and six boards.聽 Brown had three steals to go with her 10 assists.

Taylor Samuels hit four triples to lead Randolph with 18 points.聽 Jensen Hoover finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Eastern Mennonite takes a 17-3 record into next Wednesday’s ODAC date at Shenandoah University.聽 Start time in Winchester is at 6:00pm.

Winter聽2015 held some uncertain moments for the Eastern Mennonite men’s and women’s basketball teams, but both squads are expected聽to be a force in the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) tournament, which begins February 27 in Salem, Virginia at the Salem Civic Center.

Lady Royals Powerhouse Record Includes聽Home Winning Streak of 30聽Games

The 91短视频 women’s basketball team closed regular season play聽out in February 2015 by solidifying聽their聽first place ranking in the ODAC.聽The team’s overall record is 21-3 (15-1 conference) as of February 26, 2015.

That powerhouse record includes a home winning streak of 30聽games: their last loss in Yoder Arena occurred over two seasons聽ago in January 2013.

In early January, the Lady Royals’ versatile forward聽聽earned her second spot on the Team of the Week and by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). This is the first season that the USBWA is recognizing national players of the week from Division III.

In February Rheinhemer was named one of five in nation to the聽Capital One Academic All-America First Team. A member of the 91短视频聽, Rheinheimer holds a 3.96 GPA in the university鈥檚 well-respected聽, along with a minor in聽.

Men’s Team Seeded聽No. 4聽in Tourney

The Runnin Royals have gathered a number of career records and personal honors聽even after battling through聽a聽tough non-conference聽and ODAC schedule.

The team has a record of 16-9聽overall (9-7 conference) as of February 26, 2015.

The men聽clinched the No. 4 seed with an .

Some of the honors accrued this season were for senior聽, who聽was named聽ODAC Player of the Week after collecting double doubles during dramatic wins聽in mid-January. 聽

As of Feb. 22 the 6-6 center is ranked third in the nation for rebounds per game.聽Falk聽is , having logged 192聽throughout the regular season.聽He聽is currently ranked . (More info:聽)

, was named Royal Athlete of the Week on January 22 after he went multiple games hitting聽100 percent of his attempts聽from the free throw line.

Runnin Royals鈥� starting point guard聽聽earned the聽Royal Athlete of the Week honor when he logged career bests of 18 points and nine assists.

鈥淚 like setting my teammates up to score,鈥� said Williams, a senior from Capitol Heights, Md. 聽鈥淲hen I give an assist I feel like I scored the bucket myself.鈥�

Tournament聽Game聽Info聽in Salem, Va.

Check out the ODAC website for聽live stats and video for postseason games yet to be played, and scores and game reports from completed games.

Men’s basketball:聽

Women’s basketball:

Games are played at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.

The two teams went back and forth with each other for most of the first, with Hollins still holding a 24-22 lead with 4:30 to go in the frame. Eastern Mennonite then owned the final minutes of the half, forcing four turnovers during the span and closing on a 14-2 tear. With a 36-26 lead at the break, the Royals were ready to roll in the second.

91短视频 scored the first seven points after halftime to build up a 43-26 cushion and they never looked back. The closest they let Hollins the rest of the way was 14 points as the Royals out-scored their hosts 48-31 over the final 20 minutes.

Although shooting percentages were fairly close, Eastern Mennonite won the game on the glass and with defense. The women had 20 offensive rebounds and a 48-37 domination of the boards. They also picked out 13 steals and forced 22 Hollins turnovers for a +11 turnover margin.

聽(Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) led the charge with 23 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) racked up her fifth double double of the year with 14 points, 14 rebounds and three steals.

聽(Goshen, Ind./Bethany Christian) hit four triples and finished with 12 points.聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had eight points, five assists and three steals.聽聽(Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) did all the little things and came up with nine rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Jewellanna Parfitt and Britney Campbell each scored 17 for Hollins.

The Royals come back home to host Washington and Lee Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Yoder Arena. The surprising Generals are also 10-2 overall with a 3-1 ODAC record.

Her previous high had been 29 points, which she set in Tuesday’s win at Christopher Newport. 聽The program record for points in a game is 58, set by recent Hall of Honor inductee聽聽in 2001. Rheinheimer also picked up her fourth double double of the season with 10 rebounds.

The Shorewomen (4-7) caused fits for 91短视频’s offense when the two teams met last year in Chestertown, Maryland. They held the Royals to 34 percent shooting in that game, although Eastern Mennonite still snuck out with a 58-55 win. It looked like the same story was unfolding Saturday afternoon in Harrisonburg as the teams were locked in a low-scoring first half.

But defense and Rheinheimer changed the tide in the final minute of the frame. The Royals forced two turnovers and scored the final six to push the lead to 33-25, which was the biggest of the game at that point. Rheinheimer was front and center, hitting a jumper with 26 seconds left before stealing the ball on the defensive end, dribbling across half court and drilling a buzzer-beating three pointer from 40 feet.

The momentum carried into the second as Rheinheimer put on a show. The junior hit 10 of her 11 shots in the final half, including a trio of threes, and she dumped in 26 of 91短视频’s 39 points. Rheinheimer was so dominant that her teammates didn’t score consecutive points until she left the game in the final minutes.

The women had a modest 41-to-30 percent聽advantage in shooting, but picked out a huge edge with 12 steals. Washington had 19 turnovers compared to just eight for 91短视频.

Along with her double double, Rheinheimer tied for the team high with three steals and added two blocked shots.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) scored 11 in the first half and finished with 14 points, seven boards and three steals.聽聽(Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) added six rebounds, four assists and three steals.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) also had four assists.

Emily Hubley led the Shorewomen with 20 points, including 16 of the team’s 22 in the second half. Kelly Sugalski had nine rebounds and six points.

After extending their home winning streak to 23 games, the Royals hit the road for two games next week. First up is a Wednesday date at Old Dominion Athletic Conference聽rival Guilford College. The Quakers have beaten 91短视频 in theconference tournament the past three years. Game time in Greensboro, North Carolina聽is 6 p.m.

The Royals improve to 6-1 as they get a few days off for final exams. 聽The women have now won 22 straight at home. Ferrum, an injury-hampered team which was picked to finish second in the USA South, slips to 2-3.

Eastern Mennonite had a 4-0 lead just 20 seconds into the game, as聽聽(Covington, Va./Covington) buried a pair of long jumpers.聽聽(Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) then scored the next eight, including a pair of three pointers, as the women led 12-0. Ferrum got their first bucket at the 16:19 mark, but the Royals scored the next 14 points, including four more triples, to blow open a 26-2 cushion just 8:33 in.

The Panthers rebounded with a 13-2 run to get within 28-15. 91短视频 stayed hot from outside, however, and never let their visitors back to within single digits.

The Royals hit 10-of-13 three pointers in the first half and led 46-31 at the break.聽 They finished 12-of-27 for the game, but still out-shot Ferrum 49 percent to 44 percent. 91短视频 also had a 36-30 edge in rebounding.

Rheinheimer was unstoppable and led the charge with 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.聽聽(Goshen, Ind./Bethany Christian) drained 6-of-9 three pointers and finished with 18 points and two blocks.聽聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) came in with 10 points and Moore charted nine.

聽(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had the eye for the open shooter and racked up 10 assists, easily breaking her career best for a game. She now has 17 assists over 91短视频’s last two outings, as the senior had seven handouts in Tuesday’s 81-76 win at Randolph-Macon.

Zarkia Mattox led Ferrum with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists off the bench. Jacole Hairston scored 14 while Kemani Crawford added 12 points and seven boards.

91短视频 has the week off before playing next Saturday at The Apprentice School.聽 Game time in Newport News, Va., is 2 p.m.

Coupled with Lynchburg’s loss at Randolph-Macon, 91短视频’s women now hold a one-lead over the Hornets with six conference games remaining. The Royals host LC to close the regular season on Feb. 22.

The Royals traded leads with Emory & Henry for the first few minutes until a quick 7-0 run gave the women an 18-12 advantage. They wouldn’t trail again. Three-point shooting helped 91短视频 open up a 13-point lead during the half. They led 35-25 at the break.

The Wasps chipped to within four points early in the second. Eastern Mennonite settled down and put the lead back around 10 points, and then iced the win by holding EHC scoreless for the final 3:59 of game.

The women forced their hosts into 18 turnovers while only committing 11 themselves. The Royals also out-shot EHC 44 percent-to-38 percent and hit six triples.

Four 91短视频 players scored in double figures headed by (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor). The senior had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) had her best game as she returns to form from an early-season sprained ankle, going for 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had 14 points and a game high three steals. (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) added 10 counters.

Kristie Langley was the lone Wasp in double figures as she scored 11.

The Royals play two on the road in the coming week, starting at Washington and Lee on Tuesday. Game time in Lexington is 7 p.m.

The non-stop first half was played to 91短视频’s tempo and they led most of the way.聽 However, the Eagles kept pace by hitting 7-of-14 three pointers.聽 The Royals used nine offensive rebounds in the frame to lead 41-37 at halftime.

The women had to lead up to as many as seven early in the second before BC came storming back.聽 Holly Morgan’s fifth triple of the game tied the score at 58-58 with 10:41 to go.聽 (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) answered with a long ball to put 91短视频 back up by three, but the Eagles kept charging and finally took a 64-63 lead with 6:30 left.

The Royals answered quickly with back-to-back buckets, triggering an 8-0 run to re-take the lead at 71-64 and forcing a BC timeout with 4:53 to play.聽 Another free throw and the women had the lead up to eight points at 72-64.

The defense held the Eagles scoreless for a key stretch of 3:51 to get some breathing room.聽 BC then scraped back within five points with two minutes to play before the home team was forced to foul.

Eastern Mennonite made eight straight free throws to balloon the lead to the biggest of the night at 83-71.聽 BC got a late bucket to provide the final 10-point margin.

The Royals out-shot their hosts 48% to 43%, and dominated the boards, 43-30.聽 The women also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.聽 The free throw line was also a difference-maker, where 91短视频 went 19-26, compared to just 8-9 for the Eagles.

(Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) proved her All-ODAC status by stepping up her play in the rivalry game.聽 She had game highs of 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals.聽 The power forward also dished out four assists.聽 (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.聽 Steph Rheinheimer canned three triples and finished with 11.

(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) added 10 points.聽 (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) had a game high five assists and (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had three steals.

Morgan finished 6-for-12 from outside and led Bridgewater with 20 points and four assists.聽 Cassidy Burkholder added 16 counters.

The Royals have now won three in a row to improve to 12-4 overall and 6-1 in the ODAC.聽 They enter a huge two-game home stand, welcoming two of the ODAC’s other top teams into Yoder Arena.聽 That stretch starts with Guilford College this Saturday at 2:00pm.聽 The Quakers have won the last two ODAC Championships.聽 Randolph-Macon visits next Tuesday.

Jess Rheinheimer (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) nailed a pair of three pointers as 91短视频 jumped ahead 10-0 just 2:09 into the contest. The host Mounties eventually tied the score at 13-13, but the Royals exploded on a 25-9 run over the final 6:04 of the half to lead 43-26 at the break.

Mt. Aloysius got within 11 points at 45-34, but the women kept control in a second half void of any large runs. The Royals led by as many as 21 before the Mountie bench ended the game on a 9-2 run for the final margin.

Eastern Mennonite had a 43-to-35 percent shooting edge, including making 7-of-17 three pointers. Even though MAC only committed 17 fouls, the Royals turned that into 27 free throw attempts, making 17. The women also had a 47-41 advantage on the boards.

Bianca Ygarza (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) led a balanced attack with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. This is the third time in the past four games that Ygarza has tied her career high with six helpers. Rheinheimer finished with 12 points and a game high nine rebounds. Alisa Brown (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) added 12 and three steals. Point guard Keyla Baltimore (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) had 10 points and six assists.

Off the bench, Shakeerah Sykes (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) was good for nine rebounds and eight points. Nora Osei (Springfield, Va./West Springfield) scored nine points.

Mt. Aloysius’ leading scorer, Becky Bard, scored a game high 20 points, but needed 23 shots to do it.

Eastern Mennonite improves to 7-2 with the win. The women have one more game before the Christmas break, playing at Washington College on Tuesday. Game time in Chestertown, Md., is 6 p.m.

Both teams entered the game at 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, but Eastern Mennonite took over sole possession of first place in the league with the win.

91短视频’s women opened the game with a three pointer from (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite), but the WildCats scored back-to-back buckets for a 4-3 lead. The Royals responded with a 14-4 run over the next three minutes, zipping ahead 17-8.

Randolph got back within five points before the women put on the defensive clamps. 91短视频 held their visitors scoreless for a span of 4:33, tallying 14 unanswered points to blow open a 37-17 cushion with 7:29 left in the period. By halftime, the Royals led 49-31.

The WildCats got within 15 two times midway through the second half, but the home team pushed back out to their biggest lead at 81-54 with 4:47 left to play. The teams emptied their benches from there, as 91短视频 cruised to the 23-point win.

Although the overall shooting percentages were close, the Royals did a ton of damage by going 7-for-17 from three point range. Randolph was just 3-15. 91短视频 also dominated at the free throw line, going 22-29 compared to the WildCats’ 9-16. The women also had a 49-40 edge in rebounding, including 18 offensive boards.

After scoring the game’s first points, Rheinheimer led all players with 17 and added six rebounds.聽 (Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor) had 15 points, six assists and six rebounds. It was the forward’s second straight game tying her career high with six handouts. (Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) hit three triples and added 15 points and three steals.

(Dumfries, Va./Forest Park) had 11 points. (Bristow, Va./Brentsville District) did a bit of everything with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. (Damascus, Md./Damascus) was good for nine points and a game high eight rebounds.

Brie Holden led Randolph off the bench with 11 points. Abigail Bullins had nine points and five assists.

The Royals hit the road to wrap up their first-half schedule with three games. That stretch opens with a tough contest at Ferrum this Saturday at 2:00pm.

Eastern Mennonite finished first in the league at 15-1, besting their previous best ODAC finish of 13-1 from 1984-85. Aside from the win total, a big accomplishment for Griffin was melding a stable full of talented players into a balanced team, as eight women average between 6.5 and 10.1 points. Griffin earns his second ODAC Coach of the Year award in eight years at the helm of 91短视频, as he also won in 2006-07. Griffin has won 135 career games to date, and leads his Royals in search of their third ODAC title.

Ygarza was named All-ODAC First Team for the second straight year, as she led the women’s attack with 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The multi-faceted Ygarza is also second on the team with 2.1 assists per game and enters the postseason in the ODAC’s top 17 in 10 different categories.

All-ODAC Second Teamer Sykes, who gave up her starting spot to Ygarza this season, has been an explosive presence coming off the bench for 91短视频. She is averaging 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds and leads the ODAC with a 53.4% shooting clip. Sykes is also first in the league at 24.7 points per 48 minutes.

The Royals enter the postseason on a 12-game winning streak, which is tied for the longest in program history. Top-seeded 91短视频, 19-5 overall and 15-1 in the ODAC, takes on No. 8 Washington and Lee in the ODAC Quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at 1:00pm.

The Royals take over sole possession of first place in the ODAC at 13-1, while Guilford slips one step back at 12-2. Based on two head-to-head wins, 91短视频 also holds the tie-breaker over Guilford should the two teams finished the regular season tied.聽 Each has two games left before the ODAC Tournament.

Saturday in Harrisonburg, the Royals turned on their defense and never trailed.聽 They held GC to just two field goals over the opening 12:07 of the game and led 17-7 when (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) converted a three-point play at the 8:09 mark.

The Quakers got within three points at 18-15, but Eastern Mennonite closed the half on an 11-2 surge, capped by a pair of (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) three pointers.

91短视频 led 29-17 at the half after holding Guilford to just 21% shooting and grabbing 15 offensive boards.

A hot start to the second half pushed the Royals’ edge to 17 points at 37-20, to make a combined run of 19-5 with the end of the first.聽 Even after a small GC run, Eastern Mennonite had the lead back at 50-33 after a (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) bucket with 4:36 to play.

With the big lead, 91短视频 slowed down over the final minutes and the Quakers closed on a 14-4 surge, but it was much too late.

Both teams showed a lot of defense in the game, with both offenses shooting just 31% from the floor.聽 The Royals made the biggest difference on the boards.聽 They grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and had 53-45 advantage over the best rebounding team in the ODAC.

Yoders provided Eastern Mennonite with their inside presence, co-leading the team with 12 points and two steals.聽 Rheinheimer gave the outside punch, going 4-for-9 from three point range for 12 counters.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) had a team high nine rebounds.聽 Brown, (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) each added seven points.

Gabby Oglesby (Winston-Salem, NC/Mount Tabor) had a double double for Guilford, topping all players with 13 points and 11 rebounds.聽 Jaclyn Nucci (Gambrills, MD/South River) grabbed 10 rebounds and four steals.

The Royals, 17-5 overall, have now won 10 in a row, which is tied with the 1987-88 team for the second-longest streak in program history.聽 In 1984-85, the Royals won 12 straight.聽 They head into the final week of the regular season with a big road game at rival Bridgewater Tuesday night.聽 The Eagles are tied for third in the ODAC at 10-4.聽 91短视频 won the previous meeting this season, 57-48, on Jan. 24 in Harrisonburg.

Eastern Mennonite scored a quick lay-up off the opening tip and jumped ahead 6-0.聽 Less than five minutes into the game, the Royals had surged to a 14-3 cushion and R-MC never recovered.聽 By halftime, the women had two players scoring in double figures and led 45-27.

The Yellow Jackets shot a little better from the floor in the second half, but 91短视频 kept the offense in high gear and rolled to the 93-68 win.

Not only did the Royals shoot 37-62 from the floor to break their program mark at 59.7%, but they also tied their highest scoring output of the season.聽 Since scoring a season-low 49 points in a loss to Elizabethtown last Monday, 91短视频’s offense has been unstoppable.聽 The women have shot 50% or better in three straight games, all double-digit ODAC victories.

Eastern Mennonite has won six of their last seven games to improve to 10-5 overall and 6-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, tied with Guilford for first place.

Junior (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) led the charge with her first double double of the season, charting 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting along with 11 rebounds.聽 She added three blocks and three steals for good measure.聽 (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) broke out of a shooting slump by drilling 5-of-7 three pointers on her way to a season high 17 points.

(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) added 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.聽 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) was good for 11 points, six boards and three assists, while (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) also scored in double figures with 10.

Point guard (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had fun setting up her teammates and tied her career high with eight assists.

The Royals held Randolph-Macon to 36% shooting and had a hefty 48-27 control of the boards.

91短视频 returns home for two key games, starting this Saturday afternoon with Virginia Wesleyan.聽 The Marlins gave the women their lone ODAC loss, a 66-58 decision in Virginia Beach on Dec. 1.聽 Then next week Thursday, the Royals host rival Bridgewater College, who is currently 5-1 in the ODAC.

After a tight start to the game, the Royals blew open a big lead.聽 The women used a 12-5 run to build up a 27-18 cushion.聽 Then after a Hornet bucket, 91短视频 turned on the defense, forcing four turnovers and a missed shot.聽 In less than two minutes, the Royals scored nine unanswered points to explode the lead to 36-20.

Lynchburg surged over the final minutes of the half to get within 38-31 at the break, but the women gained momentum right back at the start of the second.聽 91短视频 got an offensive put-back from (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) to open the frame, then back-to-back steals and layups from (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) and (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) to push the lead into double figures.

The Royals dominated the second half, and pushed the lead up to 21 points when (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County) made the score 61-40 with an offensive put-back with 7:59 to go.聽 It was coasting from there, as 91短视频’s defense won the day.

The women forced a whopping 27 turnovers and had a 56% to 41% advantage in shooting.

Seven players scored between seven and twelve points in a balanced attack for 91短视频.聽 Ygarza had 12 counters, five rebounds and four assists.聽 (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) also scored 12.

Baltimore finished with 11 points and three steals, while Brown added nine tallies and four steals.聽 (Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) also had four picks.

Now 9-5 overall and 5-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, 91短视频 stays in a first-place tie with Guilford and Bridgewater.聽 The Royals play on the road Tuesday, travelling to Ashland to take on Randolph-Macon.

After scoring just three points over the first three minutes, the women went on a 35-6 run to open up a 38-9 lead.聽 91短视频 led 51-21 at halftime and only played their starting five less than five minutes in the second half.

The Royals controlled the game and connected on 39-of-76 shots for 51.3%.聽 They were also 6-19 from three-point range and 9-16 from the free throw line.聽 91短视频 held Cairn to just 26% shooting and had a massive 46-25 advantage in rebounding.聽 The women also forced 32 turnovers, compared to just 16 of their own.

聽(Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) led the way off the bench with her first double double.聽 The sophomore charted 13 points and 13 rebounds, with the rebound total being a career high.聽聽聽(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) canned four triples and tallied 15 points.

聽(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) 补苍诲听聽(Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) each finished with 12 points, while Yoders added nine boards.聽聽聽(Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) had a game-high five assists.聽聽聽(Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) added four helpers.

The Eastern Mennonite women improve to 5-4 with the road win.聽 They return to Yoder Arena for a date with St. Mary’s (MD) on Wednesday.聽 Game time is 7:00pm.

Coach Kevin Griffin knew he had a talented crew last winter, but with just three upperclassmen on the roster, Griffin didn’t expect the explosion of wins his team earned.

“I was very surprised considering how young we were and what we had lost,” he said.聽 “Things just sort of fell into place.”

This year the eighth-year mentor returns his top six players, including all five starters. 聽Griffin acknowledges that returning core triggers an extra layer of pressure.

“It means that expectations are high from ourselves and from others,” said Griffin.聽 “And it means that we do have experience, which is why those expectations are so high.聽 I think everybody expects we’re going to be good and so there’s a pressure.聽 Our schedule is a lot tougher this year, but I think that pressure and schedule can be a good motivator.聽 At the end of the day it’s basketball and we just need to go play, try to improve and see what happens.”

The Royals return three All-ODAC performers, each of who are entering their junior seasons this year.聽 Forward (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) exploded to a team-best 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, all the while coming off the bench.聽 She was named All-ODAC First Team and All-South Region Third Team by D3hoops.com.

Whether or not Ygarza starts this year doesn’t appear to be an issue to either the player or the head coach.

“The only planned change is that Bianca plays more,” Griffin said of his dynamic player who averaged 22.9 minutes last year.聽 “It’s hard to define her role.聽 She just finds a way to score, and finds the ball and rebounds.聽 We need to find more ways to get her the ball and more minutes without wearing her down.”

(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County), the ODAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, landed on the All-ODAC Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.聽 Small forward (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) hit 39% of her three-point shots and earned Third Team honors with 11.3 points per game.

Starting guards (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) and (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) return, as does (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park).聽 Baltimore transferred to 91短视频 last year after one season at Bluefield and ended up among national leaders with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.聽 Brown scored 6.7 a game and became a harassing defender, while Sykes contributed 6.2 points and 4.8 boards in her first season.

(Bassett, VA/Bassett) will be the lone senior on the team this time around and is joined by sophomores (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County).聽 Osei had 3.7 rebounds a game as a reserve frontliner, while Patterson tantalized fans with flashy offense and defense in just eight games early in the season.聽 Sharpshooting (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) hurt her knee in the offseason and will spend this year out of uniform as a student assistant.

Griffin said the experience of his returners is evident.

“Hopefully they are smarter and are more confident and more skilled and realize the opportunity that is in front of them,” he said.聽 “I do think we’re in better shape and the confidence of some of the kids that played a lot last year is a lot higher, either because they put in a lot of work (in the offseason) or because they played a lot last year.聽 So it’s made a difference in how they’ve played at the start of practices.”

Adding to the returning core, Griffin brought in another athletic recruiting class to give his team much-needed depth for their up-tempo style.聽 Two of the newcomers are younger sisters of All-ODAC honorees for the Royals.

“I think that (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) will help us athletically,” Griffin said, “with her ability to defend and her strength.聽 (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) will help as an athlete and can really shoot the ball.聽 And (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) does a lot of things well.聽 She can score and has a very high basketball IQ.”

Other new players include: (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) and sophomore Belmont Abbey-transfer (Dale City, VA/Forest Park).

Griffin said that new wave of faces will pay dividends throughout the year.

“I hope we can just play faster,” he said.聽 “We should have someone to provide relief at every position so some of those kids aren’t playing as many minutes, which will be really helpful come January and February.”

Despite all the returners and talented newcomers, Griffin still needs to replace one key aspect 鈥� leadership, which had been provided by now-graduated Marla Young.

“I don’t think we’re going to (replace Young’s leadership),” said Griffin.聽 “It will be by committee.聽 What Marla brought you can’t measure in terms of statistics.聽 In terms of a person and vocal leader, we’re sorely going to miss her.聽 Just her work ethic was an example for everyone.聽 I’m hoping some of our returners will step up and be a little more vocal.聽 I think they will lead by example in terms of work ethic and recognize the value of what Marla brought and fill that void.”

That leadership void will be tested early, as the Royals start the year with a very tough stretch of six games, including contests against tradition powers Kean and Ferrum, nationally-ranked Mary Washington and potentially Messiah, as well as at ODAC heavy weights Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.聽 The Marlins tied 91短视频 with an ODAC-best record of 17-3 last year, while Guilford finished third before winning the ODAC Tournament.

Both Eastern Mennonite and the Quakers received votes in the two “official” preseason national polls from D3hoops.com and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Griffin said the impressive non-conference slate should benefit his women.

“I’m hoping what takes place there is that we find ourselves,” he said, “and that we are tested but not crushed, so that when we hit the rest of our league schedule we are prepared.聽 We have talked a lot about preparation this year, so the point is that 1) we needed games and 2) we needed to be better prepared.”

The Eastern Mennonite women open the year at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic, taking on Kean on Nov. 16, followed by either Messiah or Methodist the following day.聽 The Royals host Ferrum on Nov. 24 for their home opener.