By: Dustin Kent - JCFloridan.com
The No. 4 Chipola Indians will head to Tallahassee on Tuesday night to take on a TCC Eagles team desperate to get a win.
The Eagles (11-8 overall, 0-3 in Panhandle Conference play) are still looking for their first league win after suffering a trio of heartbreaking losses, including a pair of overtime defeats to Northwest Florida State and Pensacola State.
TCC most recently lost to Gulf Coast State 80-72 on Saturday in a game the Eagles led by 12 in the second half before a three-point barrage by Commodores guard Elliott Cole sparked a huge comeback win.
But despite the 0-3 mark, Chipola coach Patrick Blake said that he and his players are well-aware that they are facing a high-quality Panhandle team.
"The crazy thing, especially about this league, is they could easily be 3-0 and we could easily be 0-2 going into this game," the coach said, noting the Indians' close wins of 77-76 over Pensacola State and 69-65 over Gulf Coast. "They've had a couple of plays late not go their way whereas we were able to hit two free throws with seven seconds left to beat Pensacola and then blocked a three-point shot against Gulf Coast at the end to secure a win.
"Their record is not indicative of how good of a team they are. We're preparing to play a great team."
Tallahassee was on a bit of a hot streak coming into conference play having won six of its last seven before the 77-71 overtime loss to Northwest Florida State on Jan. 4.
The Eagles are led offensively by sophomore guard Earvin Morris, who is averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 51 percent from the three-point line, with freshman guard Dirk Williams scoring 12.5 points per game, and sophomore forward Cameron Naylor 11.9 points per game.
TCC has shot the ball well from distance so far, converting 39 percent from the three-point line as a team with five different players shooting 35 percent or better.
Blake said that the Eagles present problems with their versatility at both ends of the floor.
"They're very good defensively and have incredible length and athleticism at all five positions," he said. "They can score in multiple ways and really pose a challenge for the defense in keeping them out of the paint and also guarding three-point shooters. Offensively, it's really tough to score against that kind of length and athleticism."
While the Indians are 2-0 and 16-1 overall, it hasn't been exactly a smooth start to the conference season so far.
Chipola allowed 57 percent shooting against Pensacola State and won by a point despite the Pirates missing 13 free throws on the night, while the struggles transferred to the offensive end against Gulf Coast in a game the Indians shot 33 percent from the field and made only 2-of-21 three-pointers.
Blake said there really isn't just one point of emphasis to improve, but there definitely needs to be a change in the team's mental approach to the game.
"It's really everything, but my main concern is I don't think our energy and effort is where it needs to be. We're just not on the same page," he said. "We're worried about things we can't control instead of having our focus on what each player can do individually to help us win.
"I just think we're still growing. For the first time really all year, teams have made us get to our second and third options in the offense and we haven't done a good job moving the ball, and defensively it feels like we're a step behind. But I've been excited with the last couple of practices. This is a great group that wants to win."
From the look of things thus far, wins appear as if they will be even harder to come by in the Panhandle Conference this year, with all six games having been decided by single digits, including two in overtime.
"This is probably the most balanced the Panhandle has been since I've been here," Blake said. "There's never an off night, especially on the road. Tallahassee is one of the toughest places to play, so we're going to have to play our best game on both ends of the floor to come away with a win."