By Nathan Deen
Published on November 21, 2007
The season for the PJC men’s basketball team has been filled with tournaments. The Pirates have played two so far with several more ahead in the non-conference schedule. PJC began their season at home with the Cici’s Tip-off Classic on Nov. 2 and just returned from the West Plains Tournament in West Plains, Mo.
PJC was defeated in game one by Missouri State, 96-69. The game was closer than the score indicates. PJC led throughout the first half and halfway into the second half before Missouri State went on three big runs to take control of the game.
PJC defeated Kishwaukee Community College, Ill. 56-51 in game two and Arkansas Tech 89-72 in game three.
PJC head coach Paul Swanson said the tournament was an excellent learning experience for the Pirates. Playing in three straight away games taught them how to build endurance and bond through adversity on the road. They also learned from their loss and are looking to improve upon playing 40 solid minutes instead of just 30, Swanson said.
PJC forward Petras Balocka has been PJC’s most dominant post player so far this season. The 6-foot-8 sophomore from Lithuania is averaging a double-double, XXXXXXX and has scored in double figures in all seven games.
Balocka was recently named to the all-tournament team in the West Plains Tournament. He scored a total of 41 points and grabbed 29 rebounds throughout the tournament.
Despite his performance, Balocka said that he would have been much happier if PJC had returned home with three wins instead of two.
After being named MVP in the Cici’s Tip-off Classic, forward Miles Taylor has been relatively quiet since. The sophomore leader had his best game since Nov. 3., scoring 14 points. Eugene Blue had a season high of 14 points against Arkansas Tech.
PJC’s record stands at 5-2. The Pirates return home to face New York Technical Career Institute in the Thanksgiving Appreciation Classic Nov. 22. Swanson said NYTCI has a lot of depth and size in the post and should prove to be a challenge for the Pirates.