In rank No. 6, the VWC women’s basketball team was upset by No.11 Shenandoah by a score of 73-82 in the first round of the ODAC tournament on Feb. 21, 2017.
Outscored by 26-11 in the first quarter, the Marlins responded in the second quarter to take the 39-37 lead at the start of half-time. They struggled in the fourth quarter, shooting 7-22 from the field and 1-7 from behind the arc. They were outscored 27-15 and saw their season end to the Hornets.
Sophomore guard Jayla Harris lead the way for the Marlins with 30 points while junior NiAsia Caldwell and sophomore Amanda Gerni each netted 12 points in the contest.
The Marlins finished the season at 13-13 and 8-8 in ODAC play, which is an improvement from the 9-17 (6-10) record from a season ago. They will look to improve next season as they return key players Jayla Harris, Naeemah Morris, NiAsia Caldwell, Amanda Gerni and Raya Berkley, who all started in at least 16 games, with Harris and Morris starting in all 26. Caldwell and Gerni both averaged at least 10.0 points per game while Harris finished with 19.7 points per game, which was good for third in the ODAC.
The Men’s Basketball team’s season ended on Feb. 25 in the ODAC semi-finals, when it lost to top-seeded Guilford College by a final score of 67-64. After upsetting No. 4 seeded Lynchburg two days prior, the Marlins fell just short of another comeback.
Andre Banks led the way with 15 points, Tim Jones pitched in with 14 points and Khory Moore had 11 points. Kaelin Poe contributed with six rebounds and two blocks.
“I felt like we fought hard and competed the entire game, we just came up short,” Banks said.
The Marlins finish the year with a 19-9 record and a 10-6 record in ODAC play. Next year, the team will look to Keijon Honroe, Khalil Barnette, Lamont Steward and Percy Bert to replace the six graduating seniors. Honore leads all returners in scoring with 9.0 points per game. Steward averaged 3.0 rebounds during his freshman campaign, which also leads all returners.
Although Banks will graduate in May and not be with the team next year, he is confident about the returning talent.
“I expect another very athletic team that will have weapons everywhere,” Banks said.
The Marlins will be young, but under Head Coach Dave Macedo, they will look to be competitive in the ODAC during the 2017-2018 season.
Luke Chiasson
lachiasson@vwc.edu
Corey King
ckking1@vwc.edu
(Photo: Anthony Dellmura | Marlin Chronicle)
