Feb 25, 2015 By Brendan Keany staff Writer 4 min read

After having already lost to Waynesburg twice during the regular season by at least 14 points, Grove City head coach Steve Lamie knew that he needed to try something different in game number three.

“My mindset was that they had the firepower with the scoring,” said Lamie. “If you look at the differential between what [Waynesburg] is scoring and what we were scoring per game, if we play a regular game, then it’s not going to turn out well in our favor. We felt that we needed to play the game at a different pace, just to try and level the playing field.”

It almost worked. The painfully slow pace at which Grove City held possessions became mind-numbing for Waynesburg, and as a result, the game was a tightly

contested, low-scoring battle the entire way through in round one of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament.

Junior B.J. Durham led the charge in the 53-45 victory for the Yellow Jackets with 13 points, but he even admitted the startling game plan of Grove City was a head scratcher.

“We knew Grove City was going to try something different, but we just didn’t know what,” said Durham. “At first we were kind of shocked. We didn’t expect it to be that slow of a game, but we adapted to the speed of what they were trying to do, and it worked.”

The adjustment certainly ended up working as the Yellow Jackets battled for a hard-fought win over the visiting Wolverines.

Grove City’s tactics did not necessarily surprise Waynesburg head coach Mark Christner, but his message to the team was to stay focused and not let the slow pace become frustrating.

“In my first year, before the current seniors were here, [Grove City] held the ball too,” said Christner. “So I told them to be ready for something a little bit different, and the biggest thing was to not get frustrated, because we still have to play with the style and the intensity we need to be successful.”

The first half ended at the paltry score of 22-21 in favor of Waynesburg. There were several times throughout the first half when it appeared Grove City was beginning to mount a solid lead.

However, the standout shooting of Durham always seemed to shift the momentum back in Waynesburg’s favor. He made nine of his 13 points from beyond the arc, behind a three-of-four shooting performance.

“Honestly, I kind of knew that we needed a big bucket,” said Durham. “I got some good looks, so I went for them and luckily, they went in.”

However, the turning point in the game was a clutch three-point shot by senior guard Casey Hope with just over six minutes to play in the second half. The play actually began in Grove City’s favor, as senior wing Thomas Ellis missed a foul shot. The shot bounced off the back of the rim, right out to senior Kenny Klase, who found a wide open Hope for the three. That put the Jackets up 35-32 as the game hit the home stretch.

Waynesburg was able to sink a couple more shots, and the team eventually extended its lead to seven points with 3:45 remaining in the game. The Jackets were nearly perfect from the free throw line, as they finished Grove City off by going 17-21 from the charity stripe in the second half.

Grove City’s J.T. Schwartz and Mitch Marmelstein tied for the game-high in points with 15 apiece. Despite the victory, only two Jackets finished in double digits as

Durham knocked down 13, and senior forward Jason Propst gathered 10 points.

Next up for the Orange and Black is a home game against the Bison of Bethany, after they defeated Geneva 70-52 Tuesday evening.

The Jackets have handled Bethany quite easily this year, as both wins for Waynesburg came well into double-figures.

However, as Grove City showed, tournament play tightens up and games rarely end in blowouts.

Therefore, Waynesburg must be sharp to continue its aspirations for a conference championship.

“We’re playing for a conference tournament championship,” said Christner. “It’s helpful to know that we’ve had success, but each game has its own story. Bethany’s going to come, they’ll be

excited to play, and I am just thankful that the game is here. The game will be its own story, so we’ll hit practice tomorrow, and we’ll be ready to go.”