Men's Basketball Team On Its Way to the Postseason

It's been a roller coaster ride so far in the 2011-2012 season, full of ups and downs, but with the season not even half over, things are looking the best they have all year for the Messiah Falcons' men's basketball team.

Things couldn't have started any better for the Falcons, as they coasted to a pair of dominant victories to start the season. But senior center Jeremiah Runkle would miss the next six weeks with injuries, and the Falcons struggled to replace their most valuable big man.

The Falcons dropped three in a row, including a heartbreaking 84-82 overtime loss to Lebanon Valley College in which the Falcons blew a commanding seven point lead in the last 2:26 of regulation. The loss wasted the most dominant offensive performance of the season for Messiah, and dropped them under .500 for the first time in the 2011-2012 season.

Splitting their next four games kept the Falcons under .500, but the return of Runkle has rejuvenated the squad, which has collected three straight dominant victories to climb to 7-5 on the season.

"There have definitely been some bumps in the roads but I believe they've helped us," said sophomore Brad Bolen. "We know what it is like to be in close games now and we're learning how to come out on top."

Bolen's statements couldn't be more accurate, as the Falcons, 7-5, would be 9-3 if not for a pair of close overtime losses, both of which were decided by the opposition connecting on three pointers in the closing seconds of the game.        

Despite their close losses, the Falcons are fully healthy and primed for a dominant second half of the season. They're 1-1 in the conference, meaning that they still have 10 conference games remaining this season.

"It definitely feels good to have everyone playing and healthy again," said junior forward Derek Mosley. "We feel that we are a pretty good team when we are playing at full strength."

This season, the Falcons' leading scorer is sophomore David Fernandez (17.7 points per game). Derek Mosley (13.5 PPG) and Brad Bolen (10.8 PPG) are also enjoying stellar seasons, while freshman Zach Hoy (8.4 PPG) has been a solid contributor off the bench. Runkle leads the team in rebounding (7.3 per game), and Christyan DeVan has been one of the team's top unsung heroes this season (team-leading 40 assists, plus 17 steals).

"We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but we are playing with great chemistry and we've picked up our defense as well," Mosley said.

The Falcons just finished a brutal stretch that saw them play just one home game in seven weeks. But in January and February, they will get to play in front of their home crowd seven times, all of which are conference matchups.

With their current momentum and health status, look for these Falcons to continue winning and head into the postseason for the fourth straight season.