Defiance, OH - The Prairie Fire looks to continue its strong play recently on Thursday and Friday in the 2011 Purple and Gold Tournament in Defiance, Ohio.
Knox has won two of its last three games going into Thursday night’s contest against host Defiance College (2-7). The tip-off against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled at approximately 7:00 following the first game of the evening between Lakeland College (5-2) and Trine University (6-3).
The Prairie Fire’s only loss in the past three games was a 55-53 setback against #3 nationally ranked Augustana College on December 19 at Memorial Gym. Knox defeated Midwest Conference foe Lawrence University 71-68 on December 13 in Appleton, Wisconsin and Milwaukee School of Engineering 63-58 on December 17 at Memorial Gymnasium prior to the game against Augustana.
Defiance College has struggled lately, dropping its last five games. The Yellow Jackets last won on November 22 – an 83-80 victory at home against Ohio Northern. Since then, between November 30 and December 17, four of the losses by Defiance have been against Heartland Athletic Conference opponents Anderson (70-69 at home), Rose-Hulman (87-70 at home), Hanover (82-72 on the road), and Franklin (83-68 on the road). The Yellow Jackets also suffered a 70-64 non-conference loss on the road against Adrian.
Defiance can put the ball in the basket but has struggled at times on the defensive end. The team is averaging 73.6 points per game while surrendering 79.3. Opponents are shooting nearly 48 percent against the Yellow Jackets and 39 percent from 3-point range. Defiance is knocking down 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
Opponents are getting to the foul line against the Yellow Jackets, who’ve been outscored 173-107 at the stripe and outrebounded by nearly 6 boards per game. The Yellow Jackets are committing 12.9 turnovers per game and forcing 13.3.
Defiance has two players scoring in double figures and a third that’s close. Logan Wolfrum, a 6-4 junior guard, leads the team with his average of 17.7 points per game – second in the Heartland Athletic Conference -- and has made 18 3-pointer baskets. Mason Roth, a 6-0 freshman guard, is the second on the squad in scoring at 11.7 and has connected on 14 3-point buckets. Wolfrum and Roth have started all nine games for the tournament hosts. The third leading scorer averaging 9.8 points per game is Anthony Brown, a 6-3 senior guard from Glenview, Illinois.
Wolfrum, Roth, and Brown have combined to make 44 of the team’s 59 baskets from long distance. Kevin Tietje, a 6-6 senior forward who has started every game, is averaging 8.8 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds. He’s also shooting 61.5 percent from the floor, which is tops in the Heartland Athletic Conference.
The Prairie Fire also features a balanced offensive attack with three double-figure scorers.
Junior Lukas Shaw (Portland, OR, U.S. Grant) leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game; followed by senior forward Joe Kozak (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) at 13.1 and senior guard Tanner Carlson (Annawan, IL, Annawan) at 10.8.
Shaw, who is shooting a team-high 56 percent from the floor, also leads Knox in rebounding with an average of 7.5. Kozak is next with 6.8 rebounds per game, is knocking down 51 percent of his shots. Carlson is averaging 5.5 assists per game and is the best free throw shooter at 77 percent.
The Prairie Fire is holding opponents to just 41.6 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from 3-point range. Knox is allowing 70 points per game on the season. However, over the last three games, the Prairie Fire defense has stiffened up and surrendered only 60.3 points. Offensively the Fire is putting up 61 points per contest.
Knox is also doing a good job controlling the glass by outrebounding the opposition 36 to 35.5. The Fire's bench is making significant contributions as well, averaging 22.5 points -- including 26 of the squad’s 38 baskets from 3-point range -- and 18.7 rebounds per game.
The Prairie Fire, with a victory in the first game, would play the winner of the contest between Trine and Lakeland on Friday night at 7:00. The teams that lose their opening games tonight will play Friday at 5:00 p.m.
Live streaming of the Fire’s game against Defiance College will be provided by clicking on the following link: http://www.defianceathletics.com/mbasketball/tournament11/
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