 "Photo:")
Dumb luck. A miracle shot. A prayer answered. Call it what you want but Michael Bramos's three pointer launched in the face of two Broncos players as the shot clock expired put the nail in the coffin for Western Michigan University Saturday in their 64-46 loss to the RedHawks.
It was a gritty win. The kind of grit shown by teams who make long playoff runs. The Broncos came into the game knowing it was a must win as they too are vying for supremacy in their division.
Saturday didn't necessarily have a specific star that hurdled Miami University to its cushy 18-point victory; it was a team effort and from all sides of the ball.
Senior guard Eric Pollitz was a catalyst for the defense as he blanketed Broncos superstar David Kool. Kool has been one of if not the most feared scorer in the MAC of late posting consecutive 20 point performances. Kool's single-digit point total (eight) marked the first time he has scored in single digits since Nov. 25.
Center Tyler Dierkers turned in another impressive performance, shooting 50 percent from the field and posting a game high 13 points. Bramos and Antonio Ballard both chipped in for double digits with Ballard going 6-6 from the line.
The stat most indicative of the game, however, may have been the RedHawks' suffocating defense which holding the Broncos to 46 with no player scoring in double digits.
"He's a smart player," Pollitz said of David Kool. "He's deceiving. He is not that quick but he's deceiving. As the game progressed I was able to get more a feel for his tendencies."
Unfortunately for Kool, he could not get a feel for Pollitz as Kool went 0-11 from the field and 0-4 from beyond the arch. It was a painful night for all Broncos players as they managed to shoot only 26 percent from the field compared to Miami's 40.
"We didn't win the game on our offense," Dierkers said. "We won it because of our defense, and Eric really spearheaded that."
The Miami win combined with a loss by the University at Buffalo Sunday moves the RedHawks to just one a game behind the Bulls. Next the RedHawks travel to Akron University to take on the Zips. Going back around to play the MAC East teams again will not be an easy challenge however.
"It's going to be a battle," Dierkers said. "The tougher team will prevail. We've got to continue to work hard in practice."
The RedHawks will indeed need a strong effort as they squeaked past the Zips in their last performance, and now the stakes are even higher.
"I told them after the Central (Michigan) loss I felt bad for them," head coach Charlie Coles said. "We weren't tough enough to win that game. That's seldom been the case this year too."
