By Miranda Parrish
Elm Staff Writer
The Washington College Shoremen hosted two Centennial Conference games this week against rivals McDaniel College and Ursinus College.
The first game was against the Green Terror in the Penny J. Fall Gymnasium on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. The Shoremen teamed up with the Pride in Athletics Club to host an LGBTQ+ game. The Shoremen tie-dyed shirts with the club before the game and wore them during their warm-ups to show support.
In the first half of the game, the Shoremen started out strong with a jumper made by freshman guard Ryan Lang. A minute later two free throws by sophomore guard Precieux Tshibangu and a layup by freshman guard Marcus Scott kept the Shoremen ahead of the Green Terror.
A three-pointer by freshman guard Davis Bland and another three-pointer by junior guard Jason Zielinski, who scored multiple three-pointers in the first half, kept the Shoremen in the game. A jumper by senior guard Nick Romeo and another three-pointer by Bland helped the Shoremen keep up with McDaniel. By halftime, the Shoremen were 40-37.
In the second half, the Shoremen continued to play strong. Back-to-back layups and one free throw by Scott contributed to the Shoremen’s lead, as well as a layup and one free throw by junior guard Kedrick Frink. The Green Terror were fouled again, leading Frink back to the free throw line, where he made his two shots.
Romeo made a jumper after the Green Terror tied the Shoremen’s score, and a three-pointer by freshman forward Braden Rodriguez helped them pull back ahead. A three-pointer by junior guard Sam Corrao and two free throws by Tshibangu sealed the win for the Shoremen, ending the game 74-68.
“Winning feels great because we work hard, and we play and get along with each other really well. Performing well for the crowd and knowing our work pays off feels amazing, and we always enjoy the crowd when we have home games,” Frink said after posting a 28-point game.
The second game that the Shoremen played this week was in the Penny J. Fall Gymnasium against Ursinus College at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. This was their senior game, where they honored lone senior Nick Romeo, who played for the Shoremen all four years.
In the first half, the Shoremen made several shots, including the first three-pointer of the game. Two layups by Frink contributed to the Shoremen’s score, plus a layup by Zielinski and a three-pointer and a jumper by Tshibangu. Despite these efforts, the Bears were winning at the end of the first half 43-36.
In the second half, Ursinus was fouled by the Shoremen, leading the Bears to the foul line. A jumper by Frink kept the Shoremen with the same score as they came into the game with, and a three-pointer by Scott helped keep the team in contention. Frink with a layup and a three-pointer by Jason Zielinski let to close race continue.
Sophomore guard Ishmael Baqai made a layup and a free-throw by sophomore forward Ethan Schwantes were the last points of the game for the Shoremen. The Shoremen lost to the Bears 85-60.
“We work really hard together and hope to stay strong and work well together,” Tshibangu said.
The Shoremen end their season shortly, playing their last games at Johns Hopkins University on Feb. 15 and Muhlenberg College on Feb. 18.
Photo by Grace Hazlehurst
Caption: Sophomore guard Precieux Tshibangu scoring over an Ursinus College player.