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W&J runs to first victory of season

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It’s cliché, sure.

But basketball is, indeed, a game of runs.

The Chatham Cougars lived and died by streaks Saturday afternoon in Washington.

In what was Chatham’s second game of 2021 and W&J’s season opener, the Cougars scored the first 14 points of the second half to cap a 25-4 stretch that began before halftime.

With fewer than 14 minutes to play, Chatham led 40-28. With 10 minutes left, the Cougars had a steady eight-point lead. Then, it was W&J’s turn to catch fire.

The Presidents used an 11-0 run to move ahead with 5:23 left, and held on to start 1-0 with a 65-59 win.

“It’s great,” coach Ethan Stewart-Smith said. “We’re really fortunate with the way our group is built and our roster. We have veteran guys that have been in that exact same situation a number of times. So we’re fortunate. No matter the circumstances, we’re confident that we’re going to be able to scratch and claw our way back, and we did just that.”

The Presidents only had two players reach double figures, with Cameron Seemann scoring a game-high 22 points and Kyran Mitchell scoring 12 and adding 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. For Chatham (1-1), Marcos Cintron led the way with 16 points, and Malik Potter and Brandon Lavernia added 12 apiece.

W&J controlled the game for most of the first 20 minutes, leading by eight at the four-minute mark. That when Chatham’s charge began. The Cougars outscored the Presidents 11-4 to go into halftime down just a point, and held W&J without a basket for the first six minutes of the second half.

But the Presidents, with four seniors and five juniors on the roster, remained calm, and things started to happen. Two buckets from Mitchell cut the deficit to four.

A three-pointer by AJ Blue cut it to one. A layup by Okikiloa Agable gave the Presidents a lead they wouldn’t lose.

Chatham’s third year head coach, Dave Richards, put it bluntly.

“We took our foot off the gas pedal,” Richards said, “and when you play an experienced and talented team like W&J is, you can’t do those things.”

The Presidents returned five of their top six scorers, and for Mitchell, who is just a sophomore, leaning on experience is going to be key for W&J to finally put itself among the PAC’s elite.

“I think our biggest thing this year is that we have a lot of returners,” he said, “and just feeding to that strength is what’s going to take us the furthest.

Mitchell was the catalyst for the comeback. A part-time starter his freshman year, Mitchell worked to improve himself over the longest offseason of his life.

He lost 30 pounds, then gained seven back from weightlifting. For somebody who averaged fewer than four rebounds a game last year, 10 in game one is certainly a good start.

“He’s done an unbelievable job just of transforming his body and just improving his game,” Stewart-Smith said. “He’s one of our more competitive guys. He has big strong hands, and you see as soon as the ball touches (his hand), it sticks. So he was definitely a great boost for us this year. Now, it’s just all his work that’s paying off.”

For Mitchell and his teammates, just being able to play was a highlight.

“It was really good to be back out on the court,” Mitchell said. “It’s been a while since I personally have been able to play any organized basketball, so just taking it for what it is and being lucky enough to play was the biggest thing for us today I think.”

Playing in front of no fans was not something Mitchell looked forward to. As it turns out, however, there was more than enough noise, with most of it coming from the W&J sideline.

“At first I thought it would be more difficult, but our bench provided a lot of energy,” he said. “It did not feel quiet to me when I was on the court. It felt like everyone was there and with us. It was really good, I thought.”

Chatham has only six games left, starting Wednesday night at St. Vincent. With a nine-game season already underway, the Cougars and everybody else in the PAC can’t look back.

“There’s really no time to think about past losses,” Richards said. “You have to get right back in the gym and start looking toward the next game. In the PAC, every team is good. Anyone can beat anyone on a given night, so Monday at practice, I’m just getting ready for the St. Vincent.”

W&J will look to build off this win Wednesday night in Beaver Falls when the Presidents take on Geneva to start its final eight games. Time will tell what becomes of the 2021 Presidents, but the season opener will certainly be one to cherish.

“We’ve played some great games against (Chatham),” Stewart-Smith said. “I think every one of them has been games of runs, and fortunately, we were able to get the last punch in today.”

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