Andrew Bell
Staff Writer
The Wooster men’s basketball team laced up their sneakers for one last regular season home game at Timken Gymnasium. The home season finale was against their conference rival Oberlin College. The Scots came into the matchup with a 14-8 overall record bolstered by their seven game winning streak. The Scots hoped that their dominance would continue into this contest. “Last time we were at Oberlin, we jumped on them early. We are back into the championship picture, but we’ve got to be focused,” said Coach Cline. Part of the Scots’ focus was to contain Oberlin’s standout player, JJ Gray ’27. He is currently the front-runner for the North Coast Athletic Conference’s (NCAC) Newcomer of the Year Award and averaged a total of 16.9 points per game.
Nick Everett ’24 continued his tipping duties for the Scots and won the first possession of the game. After a 4-0 run by Oberlin, Everett scored Wooster’s first basket. However, at the first media break of the game, the Yeomen’s play earned them a 6-2 lead.
The Oberlin defense was suffocating, as evidenced by the Scots not scoring on their first possession after the break. Nevertheless, EJ Kapihe ’26 powered his way to the rack to convert a quick two. Isaiah Johnson ’26 added to the comeback effort with a shot from the free throw line. A one-handed pass from Billings placed the ball into the hands of Kapihe for a close-range jumper. The next possession down the floor saw Kapihe score again with a corner three, followed by a much-needed stop. Billings brought the score within a point at the under-12 minute mark with another basket.
Ashton Price ’25 gave Wooster their first lead of the game after sinking both of his foul shots. Billings turned the Yeomen over, and Everett scored an easy two. The Scots had locked into a full-court press. Mini Veikalas ’26 sank a three from the top of the arch. Billings continued his defensive display and another steal from him resulted in an Everett basket. Another Everett two-pointer and back-to-back three-pointers by Price and Jaiden Cox-Holloway ’26 grew the Wooster lead.
The 12-0 run eventually ended by an “and-1” shot that fell for Oberlin. Wooster’s shooting was on a roll — Price sank two free throws, Kapihe converted a physical bucket, Price contributed with another set of free throws and Kapihe with a put-in — and then a slam — through the rim. Billings continued the run by burning his defender and then finding a wide-open Roeder in the corner. The deep three swished through the net as Roeder continued to heat up from beyond the arch. His score ended the exciting half with a 49-30 Wooster lead.
Wooster opened up the half with a three-point shot. The next several scores were by Everett, who converted free throws and a physical shot inside the paint. Everett had an impressive 16 points and led his team in scoring thus far. The Black and Gold continued to dominate at the first media stoppage of play with the score 58-39.
Johnson scored a bucket, followed by another by JJ Cline ’24. Everett continued his offensive efforts and scored on a physical layup. Kapihe scored on back-to-back possessions, scoring from the line and then with a tough, close-range jumper. Roeder scored on consecutive drives with a two and a three. Price recorded the next points of the game after pulling off a dribble combo on his defender. Kapihe, Veikalas and Price all scored before the media timeout to solidify a 82-55 Wooster lead.
The Scots opened up the next four-minute period with Kapihe soaring through the air to score on a lob. Roeder proceeded to block an Oberlin shot, which fueled a Veikalas bucket. Nick Prince ’27 entered his name into the scorer’s sheet for the first time of the game with a corner three. The next stoppage of play saw Coach Cline clear the bench for the second game in a row. Zach Oliver ’27 stole the ball and dumped it down to Nolan Burk ’27, who was fouled on the play and went 1-2 from the charity stripe. Bryce Sewell ’26 scored for the Scots as the final media timeout was called. The Black and Gold gained their largest lead of the game: 92-62
The last period of four saw both teams play their reserves. Oliver scored from deep to grow the Wooster lead. Jonathan Diederich ’26 scored for the first time in the game on a fast-break layup. His score would be the last of the rivalry game as Wooster defeated Oberlin 97-69.
The win against Oberlin was crucial as the Scots continued their quest for an NCAC title. However, concerns regarding the next three-game stretch crept into the minds of Wooster’s leaders as they reflected on the slow start against Oberlin. Coach Cline said, “We were pretty sluggish to start off, but our bench really came in and lifted us up.” Two out of three of this away game stretch are against the NCAC’s top ranked teams. Cline remarked, “We have to be ready to play right away when we are on the road. Our guys are excited, and we are going to take this one game at a time.”
As of right now, the Scots have stuck to the “one game at a time” mantra with a defiant 80-70 win over Wittenberg last Saturday, Feb. 10. Kapihe, who was the leading scorer in the Oberlin game, mentioned that “we need to keep on having energy. A lot of our early season struggles were from a lack of energy.” As Wooster heads into the final two contests of the season, maintaining focus on the road is a key for them to accomplish their goal.
The Scots will seek to continue their conquest as they travel to Crawfordsville, Indiana to take on the Wabash Little Giants this Saturday.