By: Briseyda Ponce Sterling, KS — Feb 12, 2018, 2:31 P.M.
On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Sterling men’s basketball team faced Friends University in Wichita, KS. with an outcome of 91-97. Ultimately what caused such a close loss was due to the major issue of the teams turnovers. With only two more games left, the defense is in a time crunch to fix the issue that is their defensive play, having difficulty to even put 80/90 points per game.
In the first half of the game, Sterling was behind 18 points. “This hurt us because we know they’re a good team and weren’t going to let us back into the game easily,” said freshman Sean Nordberg. “Secondly, there was a short stretch late in the second half when we had the lead down to six or seven. We missed our next shot, then fouled on the defensive end and shortly after found ourselves down 11 again after some calls that didn’t go our way.” Nordberg was the leading scorer of the night with 24 points.
There are only two games left for their season. Junior Keyshawn McMahon believes his team will finish strong, saying that he is “excited” and that “we will keep getting better and finish strong.” What the team is expecting is a win streak for the last two games. Due to how new and young the team is, this is a year of experimenting and learning. The team is now not only preparing for the last two games, but the next season as well.
On Thursday, Feb. 9 and Friday, Feb. 10, the Sterling baseball team traveled to San Antonio, Texas with an overall record of 1-3 this weekend. They faced Our Lady of the Lake University and Central Methodist University. The first game against Our Lady of the Lake ended with a score of 7-8. Second game they played this weekend was against Central Methodist, with an ending score 5-8. Game three against Central Methodist saw SC baseball in the lead with 5-1, but ended up losing 5-8. The fourth and final game of the weekend was a turning point with a win of 5-8. One of the highlights from those games was freshman Tyler Pfeifer pitching seven innings throughout the weekend.
With 30 plus games to come ahead, the team is facing Oklahoma Wesleyan University, ranked number five in the nation. Sterling’s baseball team will soon start conference this week, aiming to advance in regionals and working their way to the World Series this spring.
“I feel like the first win came at the right time, we have momentum going towards our conference opener against OK Wesleyan,” said sophomore Cristian Bracero. He also believes there is improvement needed to be made such as “not walking walking as many people, taking care of the ball when we are in defense.” He feels confident that the team will bounce back. “I feel confident about this team and I trust every single guy in it.”
Freshman Daniel Medina also believes the last game they played was an eye-opening moment for the team as a whole. Medina, just like Bracero, believes there is much to improve when it comes to pitching. He has full trust of the coaches in the team. “We are a family in and out of the field, making us stronger than ever…nothing but great things await us.”
Warrior Student Media 