Cougar Nation!

Is anyone else ready for spring to be here? The snow started last week and hasn’t stopped yet. The total here at the Naz. is already over 30 inches and the end does not seem to be close. On the schedule for last week, we had three games to be played. Due to the madness we only played two. Off to Wilberforce.

We left campus really early because we thought we might hit rush hour traffic in Columbus. It is better to be safe than sorry because we had no problems in Columbus. We were there earlier than the Wilberforce players. We arrived at Wilberforce early enough to take a nap, eat a meal, and play HORSE with Coach. Coach and Kyle Harden (center below) played an intense game of HORSE, which provided the entire team with laughs. Kyle brought his A-game to this one-on-one match up, but Coach Moore was just too much to handle. Coach matched Kyle’s trick shots and created some very unique shots that will be carried on to future games. There were shots of the wall, ceiling, bounce shots, kicks, eyes closed, behind the back and my personal favorite, knees locked, eyes closed left handed bank shot from the baseline. I never thought it was possible. This game of HORSE ended with Coach Moore victorious and Kyle Harden walking away with a long face.

The Wilberforce game was the tale of two halves. The first half flew by and Wilberforce was shooting very well. The Cougars were missing shots we normally make and even missing some easy layups that really could have made a difference in the end result of the game. We went into the half down by double digits. Coach made a great point during halftime. He said we would not be able to beat this team playing like open gym. When it comes to skill and athleticism, they win both battles. If we wanted to win this game, we needed to play our game of organized and fundamental basketball. Coach told us not to look at the second half as 20 minutes but as four 5-minute quarters. That really put it into perspective for the team. We went to work in the second half doing exactly what Coach told us to do. We won the first quarter by 2 points. We won the second by 7 points, cutting Wilberforce’s lead to 7. We won the third quarter by 5. With under four minutes to play, we were able to tie the game up and victory was in our sights. We were unable to hang on for those last few minutes and Wilberforce came out victorious. We had no time to worry about this loss as we had to look forward and prepare for the battle against Cedarville.

I really think that Cedarville gives chapel credit to their students for coming to basketball games. Their student section is always full. Cedarville could be having an intra-squad scrimmage in the middle of July and I believe their student section would show up. Anytime the Cougars get the chance to play the Yellow Jackets, it is going to be a fun game. Both teams are competitive and it is a rivalry I am glad to say I am a part of. From tip off until the final horn sounded, the Cougars came out to play. The first half seemed to be lights out shooting by the Yellow Jackets. Believe it or not the Cougars were hitting our shots as well. Ben Severns came in and hit a few big time three-pointers. Robbie Taylor and Kyle Harden both drilled a three-pointer and our free throws were falling as well. Travis Brown played a great first half leading us with 9 of his 15 points. At the half, we were down by 14, but we knew there was a lot of basketball to still be played. We battled back just like the Wilberforce game, and we had 4 quarters to play in the second half. With under 5 minutes to play, we had cut Cedarville’s lead to 5 and the momentum was swinging our direction. Then a dagger hit us and we just were not able to recover. Cedarville stole the ball and converted a basket to extend the lead to seven. The next trip down the floor Cedarville picked off a pass and drilled a three making the lead ten points. We battled but we were not able to walk away victorious. Like I stated earlier, we have no time to dwell on the loss. The Cougars have a huge game against the #1 team in the nation, Walsh, on Tuesday in Canton. We have to bring our A-game to this battle.

Let’s Go Inside The Huddle:

Name: Kyle Harden

Number: 41

Year: Senior

Major: Double Major in Sports Management and Marketing

Nickname: Old Man, Kye-Kye, Bones

Hometown: Canal Winchester, OH

Favorite Place to Eat: Barb’s Finer Diner. According to Kye-Kye, Barb’s has the best fried bologna and pulled pork sandwich anywhere in the state. Kyle also said Barb herself makes a great apple pie.

Favorite College Activity: Shoveling snow, Chilling in Redwood 208, 2-on-2 21 and throwing Big Brother in the snow so Cody cannot find him.

Relationship Status: Kyle is single and seeking a woman who is a Christian, likes to ski the snow trails of the Mad River, doesn’t mind traveling to Houston for summer vacations, is a great cook, can enjoy laughing at some not-so-funny jokes and always has a smile on her face. If you feel you meet all, some, or none of these characteristic that Kyle is looking for, please feel free to contact him. Kyle can be contacted through the Western Union Telegraph which was invented the year he was born. Routing Number 6825.

One Quick Fact: In high school, Kye-Kye was a high jumper. On one sunny day, Kyle high jumped 6’8”. Shocked by his success, he came up with an ingenious idea. With the help of some of his friends and the local public pool, Kyle set up his highly impossible jump. Kyle pulled his 1992 blue Honda Accord next to the deep end. With a running start and cameras rolling Kyle high jumped the Honda and landed in the pool with ease. If you do not believe me look the video up on Youtube. Search under: Kye-Kye reaches for the Sky-Sky.

Peace!

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