Ephs Move to 4-0 Heading Into Turkey Day With Win Over Local Foe MCLA

By Press release submission

Nov 29, 2022

On Tuesday night, the Williams College Ephs (4-0) triumphed over the MCLA Trailblazers (3-5) by a score of 87-59 on a brisk evening before Thanksgiving. In an annual matchup between the neighbors, the Ephs displayed a solid brand of basketball on both ends of the floor, highlighted by impressive play in transition. Declan Porter scored 18 points, Cole Prowitt-Smith tallied 17, and Nate Karren contributed 16.

"We didn't quite have the energy or spirit I would prefer, but we buckled down and made plays when we needed to," App said postgame, in between departing messages to players headed out for break.

The Ephs' first four makes of the game were three-pointers — the opening two by Declan Porter — as they jumped out to a 12-5 lead. The Trailblazers, however, used a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 14-12 with 12:17 left in the half.

Brandon Arnold slammed home a dunk to put the Ephs up 16-12 and Ben McGraw found the hoop from deep for a 19-12 Williams advantage, yet a three-point play from MCLA guard JoJo Garcia trimmed the margin to 4. After saving the ball from going out of bounds, Ryan Moon found Karren who dished to Sammy Cooley for a lay-in.

The Ephs began to pick up steam, and a trey from Karren from the top of the arc gave the Ephs their first double-digit lead of the night with 9:23 left in the half. Just a minute later, Prowitt-Smith hit from deep in the corner.

The Trailblazers hit consecutive three-pointers to keep cut the deficit to eight, but the Ephs closed out the half with confidence to hold a 39-25 edge at the break. Cole Prowitt-Smith had 10 points for the Ephs in the first, while Porter added 9. In typical fashion from the Ephs, eight different players registered points.

Although the Ephs held a sizable advantage on the scoreboard, they needed a spark to further extend the gap. Williams began to find Karren in the paint, and he scored seven straight points to lift the Ephs to a 50-27 lead with 15:30 remaining. The first two baskets from the junior came inside, and the third a make from deep that barely grazed the net. "Those first few games were so drive and kick, so we didn't have to play through [Nate] in the post. We talked at halftime about trying to use that strength to our advantage, and I thought the guys did a great job with that to set the tone early in the second half."

As the Ephs began to pull away, Ryan Moon found Porter with a no-look pass off a fast break that the sophomore cashed in from several feet behind the arc as the Ephs went up 67-39. Out of the subsequent MCLA timeout, Moon proceeded to grab two defensive rebounds in a row as he continued to facilitate from the point guard position. "We played with pace, and pushed each other in a position to be successful," App said of the Ephs' commanding stretch in the second half.

To their credit on Tuesday, the Trailblazers did well against a stifling Williams defense all game. While it was not enough to take home the victory, MCLA was a formidable opponent for the Ephs tonight — as they are each year. "Coach Shell does a great job getting them ready to play," App remarked. "They always play hard and test us in our defensive principles."

The Ephs next play at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 27th at St. Lawrence. The next home game will take place against RPI, an undefeated top-20 opponent (5-0), on Tuesday, November 29th at 7 p.m.

In App's mind, these first four wins have been positive, but also proved that there remains much to be learned. "We validated that we have many talented individual pieces, but we need to keep finding the right combinations and mixtures to put them in the best position. We'll get a few guys back healthy in the next week or two, and then go from there."