Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Photo by James Lang

Swoosh, swish, success

By Ben Giles

After starting the season’s first five games with a record of 2-3, who could’ve imagined it would end this way? But 28 wins later, the Marlins found themselves crowned National Champions, victorious in Salem, Va. over the Wittenburg University Tigers by a score of 59-56.

Winning this game was no easy task, nor was getting there.

In sectionals, the Marlins hosted the Lincoln University Lions and had to survive Lincoln senior Kyle Myrick, the leading scorer in Division III basketball for the season.

With 2:05 left to play, it appeared as though Lincoln had the game in hand, leading by eight points. Yet the Marlins proved hungrier than Lincoln, and finished the game on a 9-0 scoring run, capped by Ton Ton Balenga burying Lincoln for good with a three-pointer from the corner with 3 seconds to go.

The following day provided a much less glamorous victory against William Paterson University. The Pioneers were able to control the tempo of the game, slowing it down to a grind that was painful to watch.

The Marlins mustered only 19 first-half points, but Brandon Adair led them into the second half with much improved shooting, and Balenga provided the one and only three-pointer of the game, giving the Marlins a nine-point lead and putting them out of reach.

After winning their bracket, and already having gone farther in the DIII Tournament than any other Marlins team before it, it was off to Salem for the Final Four.

Awaiting the Marlins in the semifinals was 11th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan College, led by two senior first-team All-Americans in Adam Dauksas and Keelan Amelianovich. It seemed the Marlins couldn’t have faced a tougher foe to start the weekend.

The Marlins found themselves behind on the scoreboard early and often, as the high flying Titans led by as many as nine points to start the game.

But adjustments were made, and the Marlins hung tough. Adair made his presence known with 15 first-half points, and a host of other players contributed as well. At halftime, the Titans led only by a point, 38-37.

“Basically, I know I need to establish the inside game to open the outside game,” said Adair.

That plan worked perfectly, with Fantin nailing two three-pointers early in the second to give the Marlins a lead. But there was no answer for Amelianovich. The Titans leading scorer shot an astonishing 63 percent from the field for the game, and used his shooting touch to bring IWC back into the lead.

Never discouraged, the Marlins rode Adair and a second-half scoring explosion from Tyke Fantin to keep within reach, as each player scored 14 second-half points. Defensively, the Marlins also did a much better job contesting shots.

“I think during the first half, I didn’t do my job defensively,” said Fantin. “Coach gave me the responsibility of covering their best inside guy. What got me going on defense was some of my offensive plays, like the three-pointer and the and-one.”

Their hard work paid off when Balenga hit a three-pointer to give the Marlins the lead at 79-77 with 1:26 to play, a lead they would not relinquish.

On the following play, the Titans threw the ball away, and Adair capitalized with a lay-up. The Titans managed to get a score and then a steal with 15 seconds to play, providing an opportunity to win.

Despite his heroic efforts, Amelianovich could not make the one shot that mattered most, as his three-point attempt in the final seconds clanked off the rim. VWC came out of the game with a win against a team that out-shot, out-rebounded, and, by every statistical right, should have won the game.

“Give VWC a lot of credit,” said Trost. “They made plays when they had to.”

In the championship game, the Marlins were up against 3rd-ranked Wittenburg University, a team who revealed the Marlins greatest disadvantage of all: size.

At 6’9” and 6’8”, seniors Dan Russ and Dane Borchers towered over the Marlins tallest starters, the 6’5” Adair and Fantin. Against the nation’s best defensive team, every player would have to be at his best. The Marlins seemed more than up for the challenge.

“We’re not satisfied yet,” said Fantin. “We’re going to take the same attitude into championship game.”

The first half of the game provided the perfect example of just how important Adair is to the Marlins. Playing all 20 minutes of the first half, Adair scored only six points on 2 of 7 shooting, and consequently the Marlins were outscored 16-6 in the paint. Wittenburg’s miserly defense held the Marlins to 26 percent shooting for the half.

Wittenburg had held the lead from the game’s beginning, and the Marlins went into halftime down 10 by a score of 29-19.

The Marlins became more competitive in the second half, and in the first ten minutes of the half, VWC came as close as four points to Wittenburg.

“We tried to spread the floor in the first half and tried to go him [Russ],” said Head Coach Dave Macedo. “At the half, we decided to stop trying to go around people and create shots for each other.”

Despite these changes in strategy, the scored remained the same. With 10:05 left in the game, the Marlins still trailed by ten, the score 43-33.

From this point on, though, things were different.

Adair and Balenga took over offensively, combining to score 21 of the Marlins final 26 points. Balenga regained his aggressiveness and constantly drove into the lane past the smothering Wittenburg defense. Adair regained his touch and quickness in the paint, as he did not miss a single field goal in the second half. Slowly but surely, Marlins chipped away at the score.

“We’re in the National Championship game,” said Macedo, “so we figured if we’re going to go down, let’s leave it all on the floor.”

Wittenburg tried everything they could to keep the Marlins at bay, but the Marlin’s held strong defensively and outscored the Tigers 26-13.

The Marlins tied the score for the first time all game when Balenga stole the ball, then scored on a jumper with 1:57 to go. Twice Wittenburg’s Borchers regained the lead for the Tigers, but twice Adair scored to tie it up again. With 49 seconds to go, Adair sank a second free throw, and the score was tied for only the third time at 56-56. Wittenburg brought the ball up court, and fed it into Russ on the left side. With Adair defending, Russ was called for traveling, and possession was given to VWC.

“I just should have shot it,” said Russ, “but I just hesitated and shuffled my feet. My nerves were up.”

With 30 seconds to play, the scored tied at 56, the Marlins controlled their own fate. There was no time on the shot clock. This was their last possession.

After winding down the clock, Tucker passed the ball off to Balenga, who found Fantin setting a pick for him at the top of key. Balenga took the shot virtually uncontested, and drilled the three-pointer with only two seconds left in the game.

Even before the game was officially over, following a missed desperation shot by Wittenburg, the celebration had already begun. Confetti fell as the players stormed the court and piled in a heap in celebration, having just become the number-one team in the nation.

“We were fighting uphill the whole game, and they had us on the ropes,” said Macedo. “We just found a way to get it done.”

The win was particularly satisfying for the two Marlins seniors, Marques Fitch and Matt Towell, who in their last game managed to go out on top.

“It’s been an honor to lead and play with this group of guys,” said Fitch.

Shortly after the game, Balenga was named Tournament MVP for his heroic last-second shots, in the championship game and the semifinals, as well as the sectionals against Lincoln.

“Honestly, the MVP is just a name, it doesn’t mean that much,” said Balenga. “I could give this to anybody on the team as long as we’ve still got a championship.”

Balenga’s words are a perfect reflection of the kind of heart Macedo has brought to this group, an unselfish attitude among a team of friends. There are no egos, no whiners, no complainers.

There is only a team of hard working players whose efforts were justly rewarded on their sport’s greatest stage.