Friday’s match-up against Williams did not begin well for the Jeffs as they trailed by as many as five points. The teams entered halftime at a 31-31 tie. But the second half was quite different, as Amherst immediately took control, outscoring the third-seeded Ephs 55-43 in the final 20 minutes.
Five of the eight Jeffs that had time on the court scored double-digit points in the victory: Conor Meehan ’11 with a career-high 26 points (and seven rebounds) led teammates David Waller ’12 with 16, Steven Wheeler ’10 with 12, co-captain Brian Baskauskas ’09 with 11 and Jeff Holmes ’12 with 10.
The Jeffs returned to Pepin Gymnasium on Sunday to take on Middlebury in Amherst’s eighth title game in nine years and the Panthers’ first ever. Though the Jeffs led in the early minutes, Middlebury took a 42-37 advantage into halftime. They extended their lead to 11 just seven minutes into the half, but the Jeffs chipped away at the scoreboard, tying it up after a jumper by Holmes and going ahead 61-59 after a layup by Waller. But the Panthers scored again, and despite a late 65-65 tie with four minutes remaining, Middlebury took the lead for the rest of the game, eventually defeating the 2008 national runners-up by nine points.
“Even though we knocked off Williams it was still a very long bus ride home. We had a taste of the disappointment that comes with less than a championship,” said Holmes. Because they did not earn an automatic spot in the NCAA tournament that comes with the conference championship, the Jeffs awaited an at-large bid to play in the national tournament. “But we got our bid and I think everyone is as excited and focused as me, so I’m confident we won’t let it happen again. No one is going to rest until the plane ride home Mar. 22,” continued the first-year.
Baskauskas echoed Holmes’ sentiments. “Our senior class has been incredibly fortunate to go to the tournament every year we have been here. It’s an honor to represent the school and play against some of the best teams in the country. Every game now could be our last so we are hoping to play our best basketball of the year and hopefully make a run at getting back to the final four,” said Baskauskas.