Men's basketball drops two exhibitions to Wesley College

DOVER, De - Bryn Athyn drops two exhibitions to Wesley College. 

Game one - Lions struggled to put the ball in the hoop in game one, losing 79-38. Lions had some solid defensive stretches, but failed to limit the Wolverines to one possession, and could not make them pay offensively with ball movement and generating high quality looks. Coach Sean Westerlund said, "Look, right now, we are in this internal fight with ourselves about whether or not we are willing to do the things that allow us to compete. There is no question this team is capable, but at this point we are not willing. A lot of that is on me as a coach to get through to the guys what we need to do. I will say I loved the energy that some of our bench guys brought like a Mikey Jones and a Matt Contreras. We are really harping on bringing energy and effort consistently. Those dudes do that every day in practice, and I am pleased to see them utilize their opportunity last night."

Game two - Bryn Athyn came out with with the three E's: Energy, Effort, Engaged,  in the first half of the game. The Lions started fast building a 10-6 lead thanks to three shots beyond the arc and a free throw from Jamal Cannady Jr., Derreck Orr Jr., Dante Lanzetta, and Tariq Moore. The Wolverines answered with a little run 6-2 run of their own, but the first five minute segment was a microcosm of the first half. Bryn Athyn led for a good portion of the first half, but Wesley made a late push in the last two minutes with a 7-2 run to take a 32-30 lead into the break. The Wolverines came out firing on the Lions and start the half on a 7-0 run before a timeout from Head Coach Sean Westerlund. The Lions tried to regroup, and improved defensively after the opening run, but failed to execute offensively and get shots to fall. The Lions dropped the exhibition 73-50.

What the coach said - "I was really proud of our first half. I thought our effort and energy were there. We did not execute at the level we would like, but when we're engaged and the effort is there we can play with team," Coach West said. "The second half we took their first punch and failed to respond. We went away from our offensive principles and got too iso heavy. It's a process though. I am proud of our response. I thought guys like Marcell Curry and Derreck Orr played some of their best basketball of the year. I'm thrilled they had those moments. Next week is another opportunity to be on the hunt. The scoreboard will never validate our process, and we have to keep trusting each other on this journey."

Whats next - Bryn Athyn heads into their final week of their condensed season as they take on Washington College in Chestertown, Md in a Friday-Saturday series on March 19 and March 20. Games are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM.