Marietta College Pioneers vs. Mount Union Purple Raiders
OAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship
At Ban Johnson Arena
Saturday – February 26 – 7:30 pm
February 25, 2022 by C. Jay Prescher
The Marietta College men’s basketball team came out on top in a difficult OAC Tournament semifinal battle against Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday night. It wasn’t the prettiest of Marietta’s 24 victories thus far. However, it showed this team’s determination to persevere through adversity. It’s NCAA basketball tournament time. There is going to be adversity. The teams, which handle adversity the best, will usually win. Next, the Pioneers will host the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Final on Saturday against the University of Mount Union.
It will be the seventh time since 2011 that Ban Johnson Arena will be the host venue for the OAC Tournament Final. The Pioneers have won four titles during this sensational stretch. Standing in Marietta’s way of earning the first back-to-back conference tournament titles in school history is the #8 ranked team in the nation. Saturday night’s game will not be easy.
But this Pioneers’ team, ranked #2 in the D3Hoops national poll, is primed for the challenge. “The Banjo” should be rowdy, rocking, and ripe for another thrilling 40 minutes of college basketball. If the recent history between Marietta and Mount Union is any indicator, this one could be a donnybrook. Let’s preview what we might expect on Saturday night and why the stakes are so high.
Ready for Another Barnburner?
During a three-year stretch between 2011 and 2013, there were two OAC Tournament Championship Finals played at Ban Johnson Arena. Both games meet the definition of a “basketball barnburner”. First, in 2011, the Pioneers racked up 60 second-half points to storm back from 21 points down at halftime. That amazing comeback victory was the school’s first OAC Tournament title. It’s still known as the “Miracle on Fenton”.
Two years later, back in another OAC Tournament finale, Marietta College made a second miraculous comeback. That game was another classic. Down by 15 at halftime to Mount Union, the Pioneers fought back to send the game into overtime. The final five-minute extra period was a nail-biter. Marietta scored the first five points and then held off the Purple Raiders for a thrilling 80-76 victory.
When the 2013 OAC Tournament tipped off, virtually every player suiting up for this coming Saturday’s big game was still in junior high school. However, the significance of how that first Marietta vs. Mount Union OAC Championship basketball brawl shaped the rise of this rivalry cannot be overlooked. By making the 2013 OAC Tournament final, Mount Union announced its arrival as a basketball force in the OAC. The Pioneers had already laid the foundation for a run of excellence that has continued for over a decade.
Beginning in 2011, the Pioneers had already finished at or near the top of the conference standings three consecutive years. Marietta has been a contender every year since. In 2012-2013, Mount Union finished the regular season with a modest 9-9 record. However, the Purple Raiders upset Capital in the semifinals to advance to that memorable championship battle in Marietta.
The following year, Mount Union and Marietta would finish one-two in the final regular season standings. However, both teams were upset in the conference tournament by lower seeds. The next season, the Pioneers and Purple Raiders would again own the top two seeds for the tournament. In 2015, there were no upsets. Just like this year, the #2 seeded Purple Raiders headed south to Ban Johnson Arena to play the #1 seeded Pioneers. Marietta vs. Mount Union was a rapidly intensifying into a bitter Division III basketball rivalry.
This time, Mount Union would prevail. The game didn’t go into overtime, but it was no less exciting than the final in 2013. Marietta and Mount Union were tied at 76 with 1:34 remaining in the game. The Purple Raiders would score the next five points and then hold off the Pioneers for an 85-81 win. The Purple Raiders slipped to back-to-back 9-9 regular seasons between 2016 and 2018.
Marietta College continued to excel. The Pioneers finished atop the final OAC standings both years. In 2017, Marietta won its third OAC Tournament Title. After the two lackluster seasons, Mount Union returned to the top of the OAC in 2018-2019, finishing tied with Marietta and Capital in the final standings. One year later, the 2019-2020 Mount Union team went 17-1. That regular season won/loss mark tied Marietta’s 2015-2016 mark for the best conference record in two decades.
That is, until Marietta eclipsed it this year by going undefeated at 17-0. Needless to say, Saturday’s game is going to be a battle. Since 2011, these have been two of the steadiest basketball programs in the Ohio Athletic Conference, if not the nation. It’s going to be a war on the hardwood. Let’s explore what happened in the most recent Marietta/Mount Union games, games which involved key players from Saturday’s match-up.
Recent Head-to-Head
Head-to-head, Marietta College has won 20 of the last 29 against the Purple Raiders. The Pioneers have swept both of the two most recent regular season series. Each game in 2021 was close.
First, Marietta won by eight points up in Alliance. Then the Pioneers held off Mount Union at The Banjo, 93-89. The two games this season have not been nearly as competitive.
Game one in Marietta this season stayed tight until early in the second half. A Brennen Crawford layup, followed by Jason Ellis’ short jump shot in the lane, pushed the Pioneers’ lead out to eight points at halftime.
After the break, Mount Union would inch their way back. The Purple Raiders crept to within a single point after a Christian Parker basket. But, a bucket at the 15:46 mark by Sahmi Willoughby put Marietta back ahead by three. It would also ignite a torrid Pioneers’ run. Ellis nailed a triple, and Crawford scored again down under the basket. Marietta pushed its lead to 53-45.
Then, the Pioneers slammed the door on the Purple Raiders defensively. For nearly eight minutes, Mount Union didn’t score a single point. Following yet another Jason Ellis triple, Ethan Stanislawksi finally scored the Purple Raiders’ 46th point on a foul shot with 7:52 left to play. Tim Kreeger scored down low on an assist from Jason Ellis, and the Pioneers had a 20 point lead. Marietta finished the game off with a late three-pointer from Cooper Parrott to complete an 84-59 drubbing.
That first 25-point Marietta victory was a little more difficult than the final score might indicate. However, it was an example of how the Pioneers just continually pound on teams with their depth. Marietta just wore Mount Union down. The two OAC basketball powers hooked up again back on February 9th in Alliance. This match-up was advertised as a highly anticipated battle between a pair of top-10 nationally ranked NCAA basketball teams. In the end, the game did not come close to living up to the hype.
The Pioneers came out from the opening tip-off and stuffed the Purple Raiders. Marietta College put on a textbook defensive clinic. Mount Union shot below 25% for the first half. That wasn’t necessarily because of poor shooting. There was a blue Pioneer jersey hawking the Purple Raiders’ shooters every time they caught the ball. Marietta roared off the court, taking a 43-18 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Pioneers would sub deep down their bench late in the second-half, cruising to an 84-64 win. This game was even worse than the final 20-point margin of victory.
Part of the reason Marietta was able to dominate the regular season games against Mount Union was their defense. The Pioneer big men held Parker mostly in check. Parker is a night-in-and-night-out candidate for a double-double. Marietta held him to a 15/8 and 16/8 stat line in the two games this year. The Pioneer perimeter defense also smothered Stanislawski in game two. The 6’3” senior rarely got clean looks at the basket.
The seventh-best three-point shooter in the conference finished 1-5 from behind the arc, and 3 of 10 overall. A 13-point-per-game scorer was stuffed for seven points. As well, Braedon Poole, who averages 12.5 points per game, didn’t reach double-digits on either night. Furthermore, Marietta has been opportunistic when forcing Mount Union to turn the ball over this year.The Pioneers outscored the Purple Raiders 21 to 4 and 15 to 8 on turnover-created-points in the two contests.
Behind Sahmi Willoughby’s nine offensive rebounds and 25 points, Marietta dominated second-chance points in game two, 32-12. The Pioneers also scored 84 points in the paint compared to Mount Union’s 42-point total for both games. Make no mistake about it. Mount Union is a dangerously good basketball team. They’re ranked in the top-10 nationally for a reason. The Marietta College Pioneers were just ready to play in both of this year’s previous head-to-head victories. It had to be embarrassing for Head Coach Mike Fuline to watch his team get humbled twice. Marietta should expect a talented team to arrive at Ban Johnson Arena looking for revenge. The Pioneers must be ready.
“Key” to Victory
The key to earning a win on Saturday, and with it another OAC Tournament Title; is relatively simple. The one critical key to winning this basketball game is for the Pioneers to play their trademark stifling defense.
A smothering defense is what allowed Marietta to overwhelm Mount Union twice this year. The Pioneers are going to score points. Marietta is the top scoring team in the OAC at over 85 points per game.
The Purple Raiders rank third, so they can score the basketball as well. Marietta protects the ball better than any other team in the league. The Pioneers have the best rebounding advantage in the conference, just ahead of Mount Union. Logically, both teams want to win the rebounding battle. However, Marietta also has the best net efficiency rating in the OAC, combining offense and defense at +0.229.
Again, Mount Union has the second-best mark at +0.210. Both teams score well, and they play defense well. That’s why they’re the top two teams in the conference. This should be a tough basketball game. Marietta College can use the blueprint from their first pair of lopsided wins. Playing a smothering defense on the Purple Raiders should produce the desired final result; another OAC Championship for the trophy case.
Big-Time Game with Big-Time Players
There is a reason both Marietta and Mount Union will play in Saturday’s OAC Tournament Championship Final. They are the class of the conference in 2021-2022. Three Purple Raiders were named to the All-OAC conference team. Christian Parker and Ethan Stanislawski both earned first-team honors, while Braedon Poole was named to the second team.
However, when you’re unbeaten in the conference, plus you’re on a school-record 22-game winning streak, well-deserved honors will be forthcoming as well. Marietta one-upped the Purple Raiders with four Marietta College Pioneer players named All-OAC. Senior guards Jason Ellis and Lukas Isaly made the All-OAC First-Team, while fellow seniors Tim Kreeger and Mason Lydic were Honorable Mention. Jason Ellis also won his second consecutive Dick Reynolds Player of the Year award.
Ellis is one of the most hard-nosed and determined basketball players ever to wear Pioneer Blue. In addition, Head Coach Jon VanderWal claimed the OAC Coach of the Year Award as well. That makes multiple years that Marietta’s outstanding head coach has won this honor. So Saturday’s conference final is going to be a “big-time basketball game” with “big-time players” on both teams. The team that comes out on top at Ban Johnson Arena will be the one who stays focused and raises their intensity level. Big-game players step it up in big games. Saturday’s a biggie! The stakes are high.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Since November 12, when Marietta College’s basketball season opened in Salem, Virginia, every game has been important to this team. They’ve played like it. However, there’s no denying how much higher the stakes become with each game. These are moments when great players rise up and make great plays. The Pioneers have a few. But it must be a “only the next game matters” mentality. That’s what wins basketball games. That’s what wins championships. The stakes are high. Here are a few reasons why the stakes are so high on Saturday.
First: This game is for the conference tournament championship. With it comes another banner for Fenton Court. A win Saturday would earn Marietta, the school’s fifth tournament title since 2011. Paired with seven out of the last eight OAC regular season crowns, it places Marietta College among some of the elite basketball teams in Ohio Athletic Conference history. This team wants that banner. It is the next in line of the many goals this team set for itself way back on the first day of practice. This is the time of the year to maintain momentum by grasping the moment and achieving these goals.
Second: Marietta would become the first OAC team to finish the entire conference regular season and postseason tournament unbeaten since the 1985-1986 Otterbein Cardinals. Also, back-to-back regular season and conference tournament title sweeps, in the middle of a dominant eight-year conference run, would match a level of excellence not seen in the OAC since the Wittenberg Tigers’ teams of the early 1960s.
Third: Ahead of important games, people may not enjoy the idea of talking about “guarantees”. However, there are some obvious facts to support one guarantee. Marietta, ranked second in the national D3Hoops poll and first in NCAA Division III Region VII, will be a high seed in March, undoubtedly a #1 or #2. However, a team that can finish with an OAC Tournament Championship, earning the conference’s automatic bid into March Madness, will erase all guesswork ahead of NCAA DIII Selection Monday.
A victory over a tough Mount Union Purple Raiders’ basketball team on Saturday will produce one guarantee. The Marietta College Pioneers WILL BE a #1 seed in whichever region of the NCAA DIII bracket they’re slotted. So the stakes are high, because a victory Saturday means all roads to Fort Wayne, Indiana, could travel through “The Banjo”.
There’s obviously a lot of well-deserved pride that goes with hanging banners on basketball gymnasium walls . There are a bunch of them hanging inside Fenton Court already. Marietta College’s Director of Athletics and Recreation, Larry Hiser, and his staff will find room for more. The Marietta College Pioneers just need to go earn them.
A victory over an extremely talented Mount Union Raiders team on Saturday will add an exclamation point to a Pioneer streak of excellence. It will also clear up any confusion in the minds of the NCAA Division III men’s basketball selection committee. At least one of the four potential sectional host schools will be a no-brainer. That’s a guarantee.
With so much on the line for these outstanding student-athletes, Ban Johnson Arena should be packed with loud, proud, and super-supportive Pioneer fans. “The Banjo” can be a weapon. This team has put hours of hard work while striving to achieve greatness. They deserve support. There’s something special brewing in the air on the campus of Marietta College. It has the aroma of excellence. Be a part of it.
The Word Jester is not employed by Marietta College, and is not affiliated with the Ohio Athletic Conference or D3 Hoops.com
The opinions expressed in this article are the exclusive viewpoints of the author.
They do not reflect the points of view, policies, or principles of any outside agency or organization.
