Northwood coach John Bryan has seen his team get better throughout the first part of the season and although his team sits at 1-5 overall, he seems poised to turn the page Thursday against rival Cardinal Stritch at home.

“The book of a team is in four chapters,” alludes Bryan. “The first six games are one chapter.  We don’t know what the next chapter is going to bring but we’re going to keep on reading it.  We have the next six games that will take us to 12, the six after that will take us to 18.  Then, the two games after that is chapter four.  You try to win each chapter.”

After two consecutive difficult losses by one point to Danbury and Swanton, Bryan will look to keep his players focused on the first part of chapter two against a talented Cardinal Stritch team.  The two rivals met twice last season with Stritch winning the regular season matchup and Northwood the tournament game.

“This is an enormous game.  I keep telling my kids, ‘Don’t pick them off,’” says Bryan, who coached at Maumee last season before taking the job this season at Northwood. “They [Cardinal Stritch] are in the same boat we are.  The emotions are going to be sky high and the gym should be packed. This game is going to be a great game to be at.”

Northwwood senior Zack Wielinski knocks one down against Lake at Owens College. (Press photo by Scott Grau)

Like Bryan, first year Stritch head coach Dave Rieker knows this game will be exciting. Rieker, who played forward at UT from 1979-1983, will look for his team to stick to the basics and slow the game down and improve on their 2-5 record.

“My kids will be excited to play this game.  In any rivalry game, I think the biggest thing you have to worry about is not being too excited.  Sometimes you can get a little too excited and try to take things into your own hands — not purposely — but because of the excitement and then you get away from what you have been taught to do.”

Stritch’s biggest problem this season has been banging the boards against teams which have size.  Northwood features two players taller than 6-3 — David Green (6-5) and Zack Wielinski (6-3) — who have played well this season and could give Stritch problems in the paint.

“We have some size, but we haven’t been able to take advantage of it against teams that have been taller than us.  We have been struggling on the rebounding and it will be a major issue against Northwood.  If we cannot handle them on the boards, the chances of us winning are probably pretty slim,” says Reiker.

If Northwood wants to pick up a win against arch-rival Stritch, led by senior point guard Justin Staler, they will need to study the part of chapter two which mentions defense and role players.

Northwood has struggled on the defensive end this season, allowing opponents to shoot a high percentage from the field.  The Rangers have been focused on controlling the boards, but at times have left the perimeter wide open.

Says Bryan, “We are evidently leaving too many people open because opponents are shooting high percentages against us.  We evidently aren’t putting enough pressure on the outside.  It takes hard work to be good on defense.  You can always have a lucky night offensively but you can’t have a lucky on defense.  Defense is hard work and you have to come ready to play it.”

The Rangers’ defense was torched for 91 points a few weeks ago behind Rashad Smith’s five three pointers in a losing effort to Lake and Ottawa Hills shot nearly 70 percent from the field in their early season meeting with Northwood.

If the Rangers continue to read the book they will learn about some key role players that have stepped up and will need to continue to step up if they want to remain competitive.

Bryan says his upperclassmen are beginning to trust the younger players and that it has been a big part of his team’s improvement.  Sophomore Tyler Williams has been a defensive stopper for Bryan off the bench and will be needed, along with junior defensive specialist Andrew Lord, to stop Justin Staler.

“If we can throw a kid like Andrew lord on him,” Bryan says, “he probably will not get double digits.  And that’s not a challenge, that’s reality.  We have played some great players in the TAAC and in nonconference games so they need to focus.  Staler will be nothing new.”

Justin Staler would love nothing more than to have a big game against his rivals. 

“After what happened during football (Northwood beat Stritch 44-0), I really want to beat them.  This is a rivalry game.  I’m a senior now, so I want to go out with a win against Northwood,” said Staler, who is averaging roughly ten points per game this season.  “They are a good team and we will have to play well to beat them,” says Staler, who is averaging 10 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2.5 assists per game.

Coach Rieker has a young team and says Staler will have to have a big game and get everyone involved to beat Northwood.

“Everyone knows Justin is our number one guy.  With everybody keying on Justin, my young guys will have to step up.”

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