Men's Basketball | 12/12/2016 5:30:00 PM
LAKELAND, Fla. - After falling to Sun Conference opponent Keiser last Saturday, the Fire had the whole week to prepare for their next game against Trinity College set to take place on December 13th. Southeastern has had success against Trinity in past years outscoring their opponent 229-132. The Fire are aiming to use this game to get back on track as they head into the Johnson University Classic taking place this weekend.
Game 9: Southeastern University (3-5, The Sun Conference 0-3) vs. Trinity College (5-3)
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Game 10: Southeastern University (3-5, The Sun Conference 0-3) vs. Trinity Baptist College (5-6)
Game 11: Southeastern University (3-5, The Sun Conference 0-3) at Johnson University-Florida (1-4)
The Fire: Jeremy Oppenheimer and Deshawn Wilcox both aid in setting up the Fire's offense. The two men are first and second on the team in assists and do an exceptional job at spreading the ball around the floor to find the open man.
Oppenheimer, the freshman from Zephyrhills, Florida averages 11.5 points per game and has collected 34 rebounds. In the game against Keiser, Oppenheimer had 22 points in 36 minutes of play. He is also lights-out from the charity stripe ranking 5th in all of NAIA DII in free throw percentage shooting 92.9 percent.
Leading the scoring efforts for the Fire is Wesley Johnson. The forward transfer from Charleston Southern averages 14.6 points per game and is shooting 59 percent from the floor which ranks 28th in all of NAIA DII. Johnson is second on the team in rebounding with 41 boards.
In his senior the season where he recorded his career high 25 points against West Virginia Tech, Josue Celestin has been an important part in the rebounding efforts for Southeastern. The forward prepped at Ft. Myers High leads the team with 47 rebounds and is shooting an impressive 67.9 percent from the floor.
The Tigers: Trinity College Tigers are headed by coach Rob Oppendisano. As a collective group, the Tigers are shooting 42.5 percent from the floor as a team. In their eight games this season the Tigers are averaging 76.6 points per game. On the contrary, the Tigers defense is holding opponents to on average 71.4 points per game.
The Tigers main catalyst comes in the form of Kenton Bibbs. Bibbs is currently averaging 13.6 points per game. Braden Fisher, Lorson Baptise, and Joshua Brown are three individuals who play a big part on the defensive side of the ball. Fisher is averaging 2.6 steals per game which ranks nationally in the NCCAA. Baptise and Brown make up the duo that cleans up the glass for the Tigers. Both men combine for 73 rebounds, 42 and 31 respectively.
The Eagles: In their most recent game on December 3rd, Trinity Baptist came out on top of Columbia International in handling fashion 79-69. Trinity Baptist will have two games slated before their matchup against the Fire inside of the Furnace. The Eagles are led by coach John D. Jones who is currently in his 6th season with the ball club.
Throughout the season the Eagles have squared off against other members of the Sun Conference including Ave Maria, Johnson and Wales, and Keiser. In a closely contested game against Ave Maria, a team that the Fire lost to earlier in the season, Ezra Howard and company fell just shy of the Gyrenes. Although the Eagles suffered a loss, they did receive exceptional play from a few individuals out on the court. Howard, a freshman from Jacksonville, Florida finished with a team leading 16 points and shot an impressive 60% from the field.
Caleb Jones contributed valuable minutes off the bench against the Gyrenes. In 10 minutes, the 6'4 freshman from Starke, Florida racked up 13 points and shot 62.5 percent from the floor. Ernest Johnson was the third member of the trio that had a solid game against Ave Maria. Johnson finished with 13 points and collected seven rebounds.
The Suns: Although their record does not perhaps represent their play, Johnson University has had steady contributions from a few cornerstone players. Josh Grover is one individual who has been consistent for the Suns all season. Grover, the Jacksonville, Florida native, averages 21.6 points per game and is shooting 54.6% from the field. He also knows how to find the open man, recording an average four assists per game.
Johnson University has a trio of three point threats. Jon Baker, Douet Broughton, and Caleb Winfrey know how to shoot the deep ball. Baker, the 6'5 junior is shooting 58% from beyond the arc, while Broughton is shooting 53%. Caleb Winfrey rounds out the trio shooting 44.4% from behind the three point stripe.
Where they make up for in scoring, they lack in defense. Opponents are posting a scoring average of 94 points per game. To make up for their defense, the Suns are shooting and NCCAA DII leading 51.1% from the floor and 47.1% from three point land.
Closing Thoughts: The Fire have a very nice opportunity ahead of them to capture three wins against opponents they have had success against in the past. Southeastern will rely on their formidable offensive threats and ball movement to generate scoring chances out on the floor. Action will commence on Tuesday as the Fire take on Trinity College.
For updates on all the action throughout the week, be sure to follow @SEUFireMBB on Twitter.
