Jan. 14, 2006

Showdown for first place on Wednesday
Hope visits Adrian for MIAA lead

Wednesday evening’s game between the Adrian College Bulldogs and the Hope College Flying Dutchmen will put one team in the driver’s seat in the race for the MIAA title.

While both teams are undefeated through four conference games, they have taken very different paths to the shared top of the MIAA standings.

Hope, a perennial power in the league and region, is ranked 11th in the nation by D3Hoops.com and brings a 12-2 record into the Wednesday’s tilt at Adrian College’s Merillat Center. The Dutchmen went 8-2 in non-conference games, defeating area rivals such as Aquinas and Cornerstone.

By defeating their long-time rival Calvin College on Saturday, the team from Holland has won 14 out of their last 16 conference games dating back to last year.

The Bulldogs started the season by dropping their first eight games. After returning from the holiday break, Adrian has won five-straight, including two overtime wins on the road; at Albion two weeks ago and at Olivet this past Saturday.

AC surprised the MIAA by defeating Calvin at home last Wednesday, 77-75. The upstart Bulldogs have already eclipsed their total for conference wins a year ago when they finished 3-11 in the league.

The Flying Dutchmen are led by senior guard Stephen Cramer who pours in over 15 points per game and is hitting 52% of his shots from the floor. Fellow guard Derek Van Solkema, a junior, hits for just under 12 points per game and shoots 44% from long distance.

Adrian boasts an undefeated player on their team. The team has not lost since the addition of Desmond Young, a transfer from Saginaw Valley State, who joined the team just prior to the Bulldogs first win on December 30 against Oberlin College. The sophomore guard has hit for 14.4 points per game and is also good for three assists per contest.

Two other Adrian guards, junior Ryan Gallus and freshman Lamar Cardenas, also average double-digits in scoring.

On paper, Hope is the favorite. The Dutchmen lead the all-time series against Adrian 107-18 and downed the Bulldogs by double-digits in both meetings a year ago.

The game, however, is not played on paper, it will be played in the confines of the Merillat Center on the campus of Adrian College. A Bulldog following that has grown in both size and decibels has emerged along with the early hopes of a conference title at AC.

So it will be tradition against surprise, history against home court advantage, when the two teams tip off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.