By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
After opening the season with the program’s best start in program history, the Pitt-Bradford mens’ basketball team is ready for the real work to begin. With 14 games left on the schedule, all of them come against the familiar faces of Allegheny Mountain College Conference opponents.
Through the first eight games of the season, the Panthers were untouchable. Opening their season with four consecutive wins for Pitt-Bradford’s best start since joining the NCAA, they stretched that hot streak to eight, with an average margin of victory of 16. However, as all good things eventually do, the Panthers win streak ended this past weekend with a loss to Wooster in the Wooster Kiwanis Classic.
“I thought we started a little sluggish, which might have been the (holiday) break or the three and a half hour bus ride, but we need to come ready to play. When you’re playing a team like Wooster, who’s No. 5 in the country, your margin for error is really slim,” said Pitt-Bradford head coach Jesse DeLoof. “I wasn’t concerned with any streak though. I know we weren’t going to go 25-0.”
Despite the loss, the Panthers responded with a 102-97 win over Case Western Reserve on the second day of the showcase, closing out 2024 on a high note. Returning back to the hardwood for the new year, they are eager to get back into the swing of things.
“I love when we get into conference play personally. You deal with Thanksgiving break, you deal with Christmas break, now we can kind of get into a rhythm,” said DeLoof. “It’s practice and prepping for your opponent, and then you play on Wednesdays, and you practice and prep for your opponent, and then play on Saturday. It’s just good to get into a rhythm these last six weeks.”
Pitt-Bradford is no stranger to the AMCC playoffs, having made it to the postseason in back-to-back years. However, they are yet to make a serious push. In 2022, the Panthers (No. 6, 12-15) reached the semifinals before being sent home by No. 2 Penn State Altoona. The next year, Pitt-Bradford (14-12) entered the bracket with the fifth seed, but was dispatched in the opening round by No. 4 Pitt-Greensburg. This year, however, they have returned with a renewed determination.
This early into the season, the Panthers have played just two AMCC opponents. On Saturday, Dec. 7, Pitt-Bradford took down Mt. Aloysius in a down-to-the-wire 105-104 win before beating Hilbert in a lopsided 117-103 victory a week later. Currently, they hold the top spot in the conference.
While this is certainly a small sample size, the Panthers will find out where they stand soon enough. The first matchup Pitt-Bradford faces is the two-time defending AMCC champions, La Roche.
“It’s their league so I’m excited to see how we play against them in their place. It’ll be a really good test for conference play,” said DeLoof. “They’re a really well coached, hard-playing team that makes very few mistakes. That’s what they always are. They’re going to be there at the end of the year, they always are.”
Despite the upcoming challenges at hand, DeLoof and Co. shy away from the pomp and flair. There will be no high-intensity, heart wrenching halftime speeches at KOA Arena – DeLoof laughed off the idea of having a mantra. Rather, the Panthers are going to put their noses to the grindstone, dig in and play their brand of basketball.
“We have the talent to accomplish our goal of winning the conference, but a lot more goes into it than just having the talent to do it,” said DeLoof. “But I don’t think at any point we’ll be sitting there thinking, ‘oh if we just had one more guy’ or this or that. Everything we need is in our locker room. That’s a good feeling to have, but that alone isn’t enough. We have to improve. If we don’t keep getting better, we’re going to be a very average team.”
AMCC Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 4 – at La Roche, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 8 – vs Carlow, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 11 – at Penn St.-Behrend, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 15 – vs Alfred St., 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18 – vs Pitt-Greensburg, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 22 – at Penn St.-Altoona, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25 – at Mt. Aloysius, 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1 – vs La Roche, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 5 – at Hilbert, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8 – at Carlow, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 12 – at Alfred St., 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15 – vs Penn St.-Behrend, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 19 – at Penn St.-Altoona, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 22 – at Pitt-Greensburg, 2 p.m.
