| Jake Mays has been in double
figures five times this season as he becomes a mainstay in the
Scots' starting lineup. Wooster athletics file photo |
Jake Mays was a sophomore when Wooster last played in the Final Four. He played in all 34 games that season, and while his contributions were minor at 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, Mays gained invaluable experience from a run that ended with a runner-up finish in the national championship game.
As the 6-8, 230-pound senior center makes his way through his senior season, he can look back on that tournament run of two years ago and use it as a reminder of what it takes to be one of the top teams in the nation.
Mays is now a key player for the Fighting Scots, and if Wooster is going to contend for a national title this year, Mays will play a part in making it happen.
“That team set the standard very high and I learned a lot about how hard you have to play if you want to compete at a high level,” Mays said. “You have to be ready to play your best day in and day out, regardless of who the opponent is, and I’ve tried to share that advice with the younger players.”
Mays played in all 31 games last season and averaged 6.1 points per outing. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds per game and blocked 25 shots.
This season, Mays has taken his game up a notch, clicking for 9.8 points per game during Wooster’s 7-1 start to the season. He is also grabbing 7.9 rebounds per game and has already swatted 11 shots.
It’s not a surprise that he has thrived for the Fighting Scots, who are 4-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Mays spent the offseason getting stronger and improving as much as possible to take even more advantage of his athleticism this season.
It has no doubt paid off.
“Offensively, I wanted to be as much of a presence in the post as possible,” Mays said. “I’ve also gotten better as a rebounder and I’ve done a better job of taking advantage of my length when it comes to playing defense. I feel like I’ve improved a lot since last year. Things are going well.”
And the play of Mays has helped Wooster get off to another strong start. The Fighting Scots are No. 13 in the nation this week and entered the Don Lane Classic at Transylvania riding a six-game win streak. Their only setback of the year was a 57-56 setback to nationally ranked Adrian last month before falling to their Transylvania hosts on Tuesday night.
“I’m really proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far,” Mays said. “We have put together a good string of wins but we have to continue to work hard. I’m doing what I can to be a leader, especially by leading by example, and it seems like everyone is getting comfortable with their roles. We are playing well as a team.”
Wooster is averaging 75.4 points per outing, with Xavier Brown leading the way at 17.6 points per game. Doug Thorpe is clicking for 10 points per contest.
The Fighting Scots have been stellar on the defensive end of the floor as well, holding opponents to 59.9 ppg. Only one opponent has scored more than 70 points as Baldwin Wallace lost 81-74 to the Fighting Scots last month.
“Defense is a priority for us,” Mays said. “Everyone knows they have to play hard on defense and we have all bought into it.”
As good as Wooster has been in the early going of this season, it is hardly where it wants to be as a team.
Championships aren’t won in November or December and Mays said it’s important for him and his teammates to maintain their focus for every game. Losing that focus could cost the Fighting Scots a shot at achieving their lofty goals.
“We have to maintain a level head. We can’t get too high about wins and we can’t get too low about losses,” Mays said. “As long as we don’t get overconfident and take every team we play seriously, we are going to have a chance to be very successful.”
Top 25 Notes
Men: Top-ranked Virginia Wesleyan never led against Salisbury on Monday night and shot just 7-of-24 from beyond the arc as it was upset 74-67 at home on Monday night. Tim Harwood and Travon Vann scored 21 points apiece to pace Salisbury, which beat the Marlins for the second consecutive season. ... It wasn’t easy, but No. 12 Adrian held off Northwestern (Ohio) 71-68 on Monday night and is off to its best start since the 1954-55 season at 8-0. It is the third-best start in program history. Cody Barnes scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half to help propel the Bulldogs to the win. ... Kenny DeBoer came through with the first double-double of his career to help No. 13 Wooster knock off Kenyon 89-62 on Friday night. DeBoer scored 11 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Fighting Scots, who have an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. ... Behind a stellar defensive effort, 19th-ranked Christopher Newport took down Eastern Mennonite 66-46 on Monday night. The Captains held the Royals to a season-low in points as they forced them to shoot 27.4 percent from the field. Tra Benefield scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. ... Claude Gray scored 14 points and Andy Winters scored 13 points to go along with nine assists as No. 21 Ohio Wesleyan edged DePauw 64-61 on Saturday. The Bishops shot 41 percent from the field as they won their home opener.
Women: DePauw is the top-ranked team in the nation and is off to its best start in program history at 7-0 after cruising to a 71-48 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Dec. 8. The Tigers were led by Savannah Trees and Alex Gasaway, who scored 14 points apiece in the win. DePauw has won its last 26 conference games, including 18 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. ... Amanda Turner drilled seven 3-pointers, one shy of the school record, and scored a career-high 21 points to lead No. 2 Mount Union to a 77-62 win over Otterbein on Saturday. The Purple Raiders got 29 points from its bench in the victory. ... Third-ranked Calvin returned from an 11-day break and rolled to a 77-56 win over St. Mary’s on Saturday. Carissa Verkaik delivered a solid performance as she scored 18 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. Kelsey Irwin made four treys in the first half and is now third all-time in 3-pointers made…Defense was the key to success for No. 7 Hope in its showdown against Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Post Exam Jam on Saturday. The Flying Dutch led 31-9 at the half as it held the Warhawks to 17 percent shooting and went on to earn a 63-52 victory at home. Liz Ellis and Courtney Kust scored 18 points apiece. ... No. 11 Thomas More didn’t have any trouble with Wittenberg on Saturday as it rolled to a 71-51 win. Jenny Burgoyne and Allison Long dropped in 17 points apiece for the Saints while Katie Kitchen clicked for 13 points. ... No. 15 Ohio Northern stretched its win streak to eight games with a 66-62 road win over Denison on Saturday. Cenzie Yoder poured in 20 points to pace the Polar Bears, who shot a season-best 91.4 percent (16-of-17) from the free-throw line. ... Despite scoring a season-low in points, No. 25 Louisiana College still managed to win easily, crushing Hardin-Simmons 76-59 on Saturday. The Wildcats are unbeaten at 8-0 and drilled 13 treys in the win. Natosha Gottleib scored 13 points and pulled down 16 rebounds for a team that has scored 100 or more points three times.
American Southwest Conference
Mary Hardin-Baylor’s men’s basketball team remained unbeaten in the conference with an 89-73 win over Ozarks on Saturday. The Crusaders opened up a 45-27 lead at halftime and never looked back on a day when James Allen poured in 17 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds.
Kitrick Bell came through with his second consecutive double-double as he clicked for 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The Crusaders are 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the ASC.
Kelly Loukanis scored 16 points and Jo’Anna Davis added 15 points as Texas-Dallas won its fourth consecutive game with an 83-63 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor last Thursday.
The Comets shot 55.6 percent from the field and got limited the Crusaders to 36 percent shooting. A total of nine players scored in the win for Texas Dallas, which is 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the league.
Great South Athletic Conference
Agnes Scott came up short in a nonconference game against LaGrange on Dec. 8 as it fell 84-61. Arielle Register, Morgan Cooper and Tiffany Jones scored 13 points apiece in the loss, which leaves the Scotties at 4-4 on the season.
Register is the second-leading scorer on the team at 11.4 points per outing. The Scotties are averaging 55.6 points per game as a team.
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Alma was pushed to the limit in a nonconference men’s basketball game against Spring Arbor on Saturday but found a way to grind out a 74-69 overtime win. The Scots improved to 4-4 and used a balanced attack to earn the win as five players scored in double figures.
Isiah Law led the way with 16 points and Chris Williamson pumped in 13 points. Alma won despite being outrebounded 47-28 in the game. One of the keys to success was the fact that the Scots held a 25-8 edge in bench points.
Trine’s women’s basketball team didn’t take its first lead until the 6:57 mark of the second half, but it proved to be a confidence boost for the Thunder, which rallied for a 46-41 win over Adrian on Saturday.
Trine trailed 10-1 at one point and shot only 28 percent from the field in the first half. Sydney Spragg helped lead the way for the Thunder, pouring in 25 points. She also pulled down six rebounds and tallied four steals and three assists. The Thunder forced 25 turnovers and held the Bulldogs to a season-low in points as they improved to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
North Coast Athletic Conference
Oberlin closed out the 2012 portion of its schedule with a 57-55 win over Grove City last Wednesday. The Yeomen, who are 4-6 overall, had to hold on for the win after leading 51-40 with 6:52 to go in the game.
Geoff Simpson paced Oberlin with 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. He also matched his career-high in assists with six.
Andrew Fox came through with his fifth double-double of the season, clicking for 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Oberlin won despite turning the ball over 19 times, which led to 19 points for Grove City.
Kenyon’s women’s basketball team won its sixth consecutive game on Dec. 8 as it knocked off Hiram 58-42. It was the final game before Christmas for the Ladies, who are 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
Maureen Hirt poured in 14 points and pulled down four rebounds while Kayla Ernst clicked for 12 points. Kenyon also stepped up on defense as it forced 20 turnovers and held Hiram to 30 percent shooting.
Ohio Athletic Conference
Matt Napier came off the bench and scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds as he helped Marietta remain unbeaten in conference play with an 88-73 win over Muskingum on Monday night.
The Pioneers are 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the OAC after shooting 47 percent from the field and outscoring the Muskies 40-24 in the paint.
J.J. Martin and Brennan McKean scored 18 points apiece for the Pioneers, who did a good job of taking care of the basketball as they turned it over only five times. McKean nailed four treys in the win.
Capital’s women’s basketball team used solid teamwork as it tallied 23 assists in a 76-54 win over John Carroll on Saturday. The Crusaders, who are 7-2overall and 3-0 in the OAC, trailed 17-14 early but led 36-25 at the half.
Stacy Timmerman poured in 21 points, including 15 in the first half, while Cookie Geroski scored 10 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
The Crusaders dominated in the paint against the Blue Streaks, holding a 46-14 advantage in points, and also forced 28 turnovers.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Guilford overwhelmed North Carolina Wesleyan with its balance as it had five players score in double figures in an 80-64 nonconference win on Saturday.
Josh Pittman and Matt McCarthy led the way for Guilford (6-2), scoring 18 and 17 points, respectively. McCarthy’s point total was a career high as the Quakers won for the fourth time in their last five games.
Jake Hopkins came through with a solid performance as he poured in 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Zeb Richardson turned in the first double-double of his college career. The freshman tallied 13 points and 12 rebounds and has averaged 15 points and 8.8 rebounds in his last four games.
Four players scored in double figures as Lynchburg’s women’s basketball team knocked off Averett 71-57 on Saturday in a nonconference affair.
Shannon Allan clicked for 17 points to pace the Hornets, who improved to 6-3 on the season. Lauren Penley added 16 points, Sammi Goldsmith pumped in 12 points and Chaney Forbush scored 10 on a day when Lynchburg shot 50 percent from the field and forced 23 turnovers.
Lynchburg held Averett to 34.9 percent shooting from the field as it won its fourth consecutive game.
Presidents’ Athletic Conference
Down by 12 with nine minutes left, the Westminster men’s basketball team put together a remarkable rally and knocked off LaRoche 75-73 on Monday night as the Titans snapped a four-game win streak in thrilling fashion.
Doug Smith provided much of the offensive punch for the Titans, scoring 19 points while Adam Carswell added 14 points. Anthony Thomas and Paul Carswell scored 12 points apiece.
The Titans shot 42.4 percent from the field and secured the win by going 5-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final 1:30 of the game. Westminster is now 3-4 on the season.
Geneva’s women’s basketball team found the win column for the first time this season as it knocked off Houghton 64-55 on Saturday.
Geneva was down by as many as 12 in the first half as its hopes for a win looked bleak. But the Golden Tornadoes went in front 42-41 on a 3-pointer by Leah Prisuta with 12:21 to go in the game and never looked back.as it improved to 1-8 on the season.
Geneva forced 22 turnovers and got 20 points from Heidi Mann. Prisuta finished with 16 points. An interesting side note from the game is that head coach Lori Wynn and assistant Ashley Duper are both graduates of Houghton.
Southern Athletic Association
Birmingham Southern played its first home game in nearly a month on Monday night and rolled to a 102-89 win over Rust.
Larry Thomas scored 17 points to pace the Panthers and Ross Welch added 17 points. Zac Richards continued his consistent play as he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. He has scored in double figures in all eight games as Birmingham Southern improved to 6-2.
The Panthers shot 52.5 percent from the field and tallied 20 assists.
Millsaps’ women’s basketball team knocked off Birmingham Southern 64-62 in its conference opener on Saturday and the Majors are now 3-4 overall.
Millsaps forced 27 turnovers and limited Birmingham Southern to 27 percent shooting. Lovie Love scored 15 points to pace the Majors, who also got 15 points from Velvet Johnson. Samantha Perez was solid running the point as she dished out a season-high 12 assists and did not turn the ball over.
USA South Athletic Conference
In the last 15 home meetings against Maryville, LaGrange always ended up on the losing end of the scoreboard. But the luck of the Panthers changed on Saturday as they rolled to an 81-57 win in their conference debut.
Mark Wagner and Patrick Dugger scored 15 points apiece to lead the Panthers, who improved to 6-1 overall. Wagner drilled four 3-pointers in the victory.
LaGrange trailed 31-30 at the half but stepped up its game in the second half to pull away for the victory. The Panthers shot 52.4 percent from the field and scored 29 points off of turnovers.
Christopher Newport’s women’s basketball is unbeaten through eight games, picking up its latest win with a 64-61 victory over Virginia Wesleyan on Monday.
The 8-0 start ties the 1985-86 team for the second-best start in program history. Tia Perry played a pivotal role in the win as she scored 24 points, including hitting all 10 of her attempts from the free-throw line.
The Captains trailed by as many as 10 at 45-35 but never folded as they opened their nine-game road swing with a win. Nicole Mitchell pumped in 17 points in the win.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Trinity won the opening game of the Southwestern Classic on Monday as it took down Howard Payne 58-54. The Tigers were down 31-28 at the half and trailed by as many as seven in the second half.
Trinity went 6-of-8 from the line in the final 1:27 to seal the deal.
Zach Lambert had a solid all-around game as he scored 17 points, tallied four steals and blocked three shots. Joe Shortland came off the bench to score 10 points.
The Dallas women’s basketball team suffered a 76-74 loss to Centenary on Monday night, dropping two consecutive games for the first time this season.
Dallas got 24 points from Marleyna Bustamante but it wasn’t enough to overcome 21 turnovers and a 23-point effort by Dionecia Warr, who dropped in 23 points. Vashni Sharp-Moore clicked for 19 points in the victory as Centenary improved to 3-7 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Dallas fell to 5-3 overall and to 0-2 in the SCAC.
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