Box Score
Sewanee, Tenn.- The Sewanee men's basketball team tips off the 15th edition of the Lon Varnell Classic this evening when they take on the Gorloks of Webster University at Juhan Gymnasium. Live statistics will be available here and fans can listen to live radio coverage at www.wzyxonline.com. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. Webster will face the Vikings of Berry College at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sewanee will take on Berry at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Sewanee-Webster contest features a rematch of an early-season clash between the two teams. Webster topped Sewanee, 67-60, at their own Cavallo Classic on November 19th. That seven-point Tiger loss proved to be a thriller, with 17 lead changes and nine ties along the way, before the Gorloks hit several free throws to pull away in the last two minutes. Freshman Valentino Bryant (Hendersonville, Tenn., Beech) led Sewanee in that contest, tallying 15 points and pulling down five rebounds in the effort. Willie Trimble, a junior, led the Gorloks with 18 points, while senior Drew Moore grabbed eight rebounds.
After that loss Sewanee put together three straight wins, including an 83-60 win over Johnson Bible College, before falling to Oglethorpe University 96-50 in their SCAC opener on December 4th. Sewanee hasn't been in action since the Oglethorpe clash. The Tigers are 4-2 on the year and 2-0 at home in Juhan Gymnasium. Since their season-opening win over Sewanee, the Gorloks have dropped to 3-4 overall, including an 0-3 road mark. Webster has dropped two straight, including an 83-76 loss to Rust College and a 96-72 defeat at the hands of Drury University.
Sophomore Lewis Affronti (Virginia Beach, Va., Norfolk Academy) is leading the Tigers in scoring, averaging 10.2 points per game, while Nelson adds 8.7 points per game and sophomore Matt Cowan (Goodlettsville, Tenn., Beech) chips in 8.2 points per game. Bryant is third on the team with8 8.0 points per game. Nelson also leads Sewanee in rebounding, averaging 6.3 boards per contest. Cowan is picking up 5.5 rebounds per game. Trimble leads the Gorloks with 15.0 points per game, while Moore is averaging 7.8 rebounds per contest.
On Sunday, Sewanee will face the Berry College Vikings at 1 p.m. The Vikings are 5-2 on the year after a 74-63 win over Huntingdon on Tuesday. Senior Tim Miles leads Berry with 19.7 points per game through seven games. Fellow senior David Holloman chips in 12.4 points per game for the Vikings. Miles also leads the way on the boards, grabbing 8.3 rebounds per contest, while freshman Cass LeBlanc pulls down 6.1 rebounds a game.
The annual classic is in its 15th year and is named after legendary Sewanee coach Lon Varnell. Varnell, who served as Sewanee's basketball coach from 1948-1970, coached 22 years at Sewanee and led the Tigers to 11 winning seasons, the school's first conference championship in 1966 and a school record 215 wins.
Complete statistics and full game recaps will be available at www.sewaneetigers.com following each Sewanee contest.
