March 17
March 17, 2009
Loyce "Lois" H. Matherne
March 19, 2009
The same formula that helped the Colonels prevail against the Texas State Bobcats in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament spelled the end of their Cinderella season in the semifinals.
After shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe against the Bobcats, the Colonels only shot 58.3 percent from the line against Texas-San Antonio in their 57-55 loss to the Roadrunners Friday.
On the other side, the Roadrunners shot 90.9 percent on the night to seal the Colonels fate.
Led by senior forward Ryan Bathie (18 points) and sophomore Anatoly Bose (17 points), the Colonels (20-11) remained competitive until the final buzzer, but the missed shots down the stretch made the difference.
“We have to take advantage of every shot we can get,” head coach J.P. Piper said. “That’s especially true for free throws. It seemed surreal when we shot that well against Texas State. We just couldn’t carry it over.”
After the game, an obviously disappointed Colonels team slowly walked back to their locker room where the fifth-year coach addressed his team.
As his team shed tears, the coach found himself regaining his composure.
“I was really hoping we’d win tonight because I enjoyed watching you guys play together,” Piper said. “I was really hoping I could see y’all play together at least one more time. But, I don’t want you hanging your heads, it’s been a great season.”
The Colonels were holding out hope for a CBI bid, but learned Sunday that they did not receive one.
For the coach, the hardest part of losing the tournament game is not just the fact that the Colonels’ season ended, but that it possibly marks the end of two great careers for the Colonels.
Seniors guards Justin Payne and Bathie end their careers after surviving the tough times of Colonel basketball.
Both players were members of subpar teams that finished with no more than 10 wins entering this season.
Piper said not having those two on the court will be a drastic change for not only him, but for his team as well.
“I can’t imagine coaching without J.P. and Bathie,” he admitted. “It’ll be tough for all of us to deal with. They were such great leaders on the floor. I can’t even explain how much Justin and Ryan have meant to our program.”
Payne said even if he could go back and do it all over again, he wouldn’t change anything – except maybe the ending.
“For a while we were in the dirt,” Payne said. “But we really pulled ourselves together and became the team we knew we could this season. I’ve grown a lot. I’ve become closer to my teammates and I think we set the tone for future success.”
Despite losing the two seniors, Piper remains optimistic that his team has learned from this season.
“We feel there are even brighter days ahead,” Piper said. “We have great recruits in the pipeline. Those two guys are going to be hard to replace and it may not be just one guy, it may be two or three stepping in. I think about the days three or four years ago when I didn’t want to come to work. It wasn’t fun.”
Next season Piper returns three starters – sophomore forward Anatoly Bose, freshman forward Fred Hunter and sophomore guard Kellen Carter – as well as key reserves junior forward Dominic Friend and freshman guard Chris Iles.
With the addition of his players who didn’t see much playing time this season, as well as the recruits, Piper believes the Colonels will become regulars in the conference tournament.
Bose said the experience has made him want it even more. He’s already looking forward to a return trip to Katy next season and another run at a Southland Conference championship.
“We left everything out on the floor all week,” he said. “It just didn’t work out. But I think we learned a lot about ourselves and what it takes to win here now. I’m excited about what we are capable of accomplishing in the near future.”
Senior guard Justin Payne (5) and junior forward Dominic Friend (11) trap UTSA’s Devin Gibson during semifinal action of the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament Friday. The Colonels lost 57-55 but look to build on the season’s success heading into the offseason. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
