No. 10 Hit Squad advances with 21-15 victory
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor
The "X-factor" helped No. 10 Hit Squad perform a number on its opponent Amazing Grace and Chuck to earn a spot in the round of 128 in Bookstore Basketball, putting it away 21-15 Monday.
Hit Squad benefits from the athleticism of three former varsity football players in Joe Ferrer, Raki Nelson and Eric Chappell, rounded out by the basketball skills of Trevor Morris and Chris Kitalong. The team's height and physical fitness held off Pat Mitchell, Chuck Kavanagh, Luke Schloegel, Mike Romero and John Lenocker of Amazing Grace and Chuck.
"Our diet of beer and cigarettes did not prepare us for their athleticism," Schloegel said.
Nelson claimed the final score would have been much more decisive had he chosen to play a little defense.
"It [the score] was tight because I let it be tight," Nelson said. "I was down there cherry-picking. I was letting him shoot and he could shoot."
Chappell and Nelson are the shooters on the team, while Morris and Ferrer dominate the boards and Kitalong dishes out the ball.
"We've got a couple guys who can rebound [Morris and Ferrer]," Chappell said. "Raki's using his finesse and shooting the j's [jumpers]. I like to drive and take it to the hole."
Kitalong and particularly Ferrer stake their claims to be the "X-factor" on the squad.
"They call me the `X-factor'. The `X-factor' is this — I'm not supposed to score, so when I do score, it's like bonus points," Ferrer said. "These guys [Chappell and Nelson] are the Bookstore legends of the past."
Defense and speed separate the Hit Squad from its opposition.
"I don't get scored on. I told my players before the game that I don't get scored on, and I didn't. Not once," Ferrer said. "I want to guard the best man — big, small, thin, fat. I want him. I was coming my senior year to play it all, and I'm starting down that track right now."
In other play by ranked teams, Jason "Tank Ass" Sullivan blew open a close game to lead Please Call Me Bosephus past Smell the Glove 21-9.
With Please Call Me Bosephus ahead just 9-6. Sullivan scored four straight points to break open the score. The five freshmen from Alumni and Morrissey — Sullivan, Brian Ostick, Andy Bozzelli, Pat O'Brien and Evan Maher — defended their No. 26 ranking. All five guys played in high school, and most played together in interhall basketball.
"We've been training and working hard for this tournament," Sullivan said.
Down the stretch, Smell the Glove, which consists of Jeff Busick, Matt Thelen, Tim Wagstaff, Eric Anderson and Mike Cretella, only managed to score three points.
The Sorin Hall residents got buckets from Wagstaff, Anderson and Busick in the second half, but they were unable to match the shooting ability of Please Call Me Bosephus.
"We just work it around and try to shoot a lot," Sullivan said. "We try to get it into our 25-year-old center. He's a freshman though."
Please Call Me Bosephus moved on to the round of 64 with the victory.
No. 28 Furious D warded off a challenge by If We Only Had Phil to win 21-19.
The Fisher Hall residents of If We Only Had Phil were all decked out in practice jerseys of hallmate Martin Ingelsby. Unfortunately, Ingelsby, who kept score in the game, wasn't allowed to suit up and join his friends Dan Lee, Mike Hogan, Kevin McGan, Ryan Valadez and Keegan Lee. They could have used him.
"Our shooting at the very end hurt us," Valadez said.
With the score tied at 17, Furious D hit two straight shots.
But then the victorious Dillon Hall team of Andrew Dayton, Colin Grady, Adam Habig, Jeff Szklarek and Chris Taggart reeled off four straight points after falling behind 19-17.
Grady knotted the score at 19, then the two teams battled back and forth scoreless for a few trips up and down the court. Taggart knocked in the final two shots to squeeze them through to the round of 64.
"We need to play better defense than today," Dayton said. "Tonight we just couldn't get anything going."
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, April 18, 2000
