By Nick Forbes Asst. sports editor
The 2016-17 men’s basketball season did not begin favorably for the River Hawks, as they dropped their season opener 120-116 to Misericordia in a double-overtime thriller on Nov. 15 in Selinsgrove.
The result was not what the Hawks had hoped for in their first game back since their 24-5 record last year, the winningest season in Susquehanna history.
The Cougars established themselves from the very beginning of the game, throwing the Susquehanna defense off balance. The River Hawks found themselves in a 35-16 hole just over halfway through the first half.
Unable to find open looks on the perimeter, Susquehanna began forcing the ball inside, but were hard-pressed to score against the Cougars 6-foot 10-inch tall senior center James Hawk.
The 3-point production, which last season was led by then seniors guard Brandon Hedley and forward Josh Miller, was notably absent as the River Hawks shot 5-13 from beyond the arc in the first half of the game.
After senior guard Steven Weidlich knocked down a three and added four free throws on top of that, junior center Ryan Traub hit a three and then a lay-up to cut Misericordia’s lead to single digits, 37-28.
“Without [Miller] and [Hedley], there is going to be a lot of minutes and scoring that needs to be filled,” Weidlich said. “That being said, we have a remainder of our core guys back. Out of our eight-man rotation last year, we return six so I would still consider us a veteran team.”
Weidlich stepped up and was the go-to scoring option for the River Hawks, netting a career-high 49 points and tacking on five assists and seven rebounds in the game.
At the beginning of a season with many questions being asked about this Susquehanna team, Weidlich was the answer, at least on this night.
With 34 seconds remaining in the half, Susquehanna found itself within two points of the Cougars after Weidlich drilled a triple. The River Hawks were unable to even the score before halftime. Hawk added a Misericordia bucket right before the half to make the score 51-47.
After a neck-and-neck second half, the River Hawks found themselves down by three points with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game. Once again, it was Weidlich who answered the call, knocking down a triple with 20 seconds left to tie the game.
Weidlich hit eight threes in the game, five of which came in the second half and overtime.
Neither team was able to pull ahead in the waning seconds, sending the game to its first overtime with the score tied at 93.
Early in the first overtime, Weidlich went down with an apparent ankle injury. After being taken out of the game for two minutes, Weidlich reentered the game. He explained that he experienced foot and ankle cramps.
“I experienced a leg cramp where I was not able to move my foot. I thought I was well hydrated and very loose before the game, but with the heat in the gym and the wear and tear on my body, my leg cramped up,” Weidlich said.
“I plan to focus on rolling out that area of my calves deeply and hydrate as much as I can prior to the game.”
Susquehanna trailed 106-103 with just over a minute remaining in overtime before Weidlich drained a three.
After a turnover from Misericordia, Weidlich was fouled and stepped to the line to give Susquehanna a two-point lead with less than a minute to go.
Misericordia senior guard Griffin Sponaugle tacked on two free throws with 10 seconds left to send the game to double overtime.
Sophomore guard Jason Kenny gave Misericordia the lead with a free throw with 22 seconds remaining.
The River Hawks took one final timeout to draw up a play for their leading scorer, Weidlich.
Weidlich took the inbounds pass but was met at the hoop by a swarm of Cougars who forced Weidlich’s shot off.
The Cougars grabbed the rebound, forcing Susquehanna to foul.
Spounaugle hit both free throws to seal the win for Misericordia.
“Unfortunately, we were handed some adversity with a few injuries to some of our key guys. Although some of our younger guys stepped up and played a great game,” Weidlich said.
The River Hawks will compete in the Pepsi Tipoff Tournament beginning on Friday, Nov. 18 against Penn State Wilkes Barre.
Last year in the Pepsi tipoff tournament, Susquehanna handled Penn State Wilkes Barre, defeating the Nittany Lions 97-73. In that game it was Weidlich who led the way for Susquehanna with 14 points, a stat that bodes well for the River Hawks this year.
In 2015, Susquehanna went on to win the tournament, defeating King’s in the championship game 92-60.
Weidlich was among three players named to the All-Tournament team.
