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Men's basketball falls in MWC semifinals

by Kevin Byrne

It was Pioneer against Pioneer last weekend in Appleton Wis, as Grinnell College went up against Carroll College in the semifinal round of the Midwest Conference Tournament.

Unfortunately for the men's basketball team, Carroll College and Grinnell College share more than double l's and a mascot. The Carroll Pioneers are also very comfortable with a fast-paced, high-scoring game, which has made them a consistently challenging opponent for Grinnell.

Last Friday proved to be no exception to the rule.The Grinnell Pioneers had an amazing game against Carroll on Feb. 25 and the system was in full effect as the men's basketball team shot their way to a total of 127 points, with seven players contributing points in the double digits.

However, Carroll was more than up to the challenge, finishing the game with the highest score a team has put up against Grinnell this year, sweeping Grinnell for the '06 season. Carroll moved on to the MWC finals on Saturday after a convincing victory over Grinnell with a final score of 153-127.

"Carroll was able break our press rather quickly and then they were able to finish strong at the offensive end," said Toby Carlson '06. "We were able to force turnovers early and hold a short lead, but once they figured out how to break the press and we tired a bit, they were able to take advantage."

The Carroll Pioneers put pressure on Grinnell early in the game and the men's basketball team went into the locker room at halftime down by 21 points, trying to find a way to claw back into the game.

"At halftime we knew we were in a tough position, but we knew we had the offensive firepower to strike quick and jump back in it," said Carlson. "We were able to score quite a bit against their defense, but it all came down to not forcing enough turnovers in the backcourt."

The loss ended the Grinnell Pioneers' '05-'06 season with a record of 14-9 and without the MWC title. However, despite coming home without the MWC championship, the Grinnell Pioneers did not end the season empty handed.

The Grinnell offense finished with the nation's highest points per game average and first-years John Grotberg and Davie Arseneault were both voted to the All-Midwest Conference men's basketball team this past Monday.

Grotberg was voted All-MWC Second Team and Davie Arseneault was nominated as an Honorable Mention All-MWC pick.

Grotberg led the MWC in points per game (31.4) and Davie Arseneault led the nation in assists per game (8.5). Grotberg's 31.4 points per game was also good enough to be the second highest scorer in the nation.

The '05-'06 season was a clear step forward from last year, with good memories for the seniors and a solid foundation for next year's squad.

"I have no regrets on the year except for the fact that we lost our most valuable player, Paul Nordlund, half way through," said senior Jack Kennedy. "The fact that he couldn't be on the floor with us is still hard to accept. I have never had more fun with a group of guys and their friendships and memories will last forever."

Next year's team will return some valuable conference leaders and the core of what should be an exciting team to watch. Off-season training and a good recruiting class will also be invaluable the team.

"We will need a good sized recruiting class to continue our playoff trend," said Head Coach Dave Arseneault. "We could use a rebounder or two but mostly we just need numbers so none of our returning players feel compelled to play more minutes than they can handle."

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