With four wins in the season — a tally that doubled from last season — the Oberlin men’s basketball team went into the last week of the season with all to gain and nothing to lose. The Yeomen faced Ohio Wesleyan on Feb. 15, and then Earlham College on Feb. 17 in the final game of the season. While playoff hopes had been crushed by the loss to Kenyon on Feb. 10, the Yeomen looked to finish the season with victories.

The game against Ohio Wesleyan was originally slated for Feb. 14 but the game was postponed until the next day due to the snowstorm that hit the state. It was a disappointing game from the start, as Ohio Wesleyan went ahead early in the first half and never looked back. Oberlin went into the break with a 25-point deficit and went on to lose the game to the Battling Bishops 96-59.

Sophomore Mike Loll put up another impressive performance, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Senior Captain Quinton Spencer added 10 points for the team as he neared the end of his college basketball career. Junior Jordan Beard, who was looking to break the Oberlin season three-point record, was denied that honor as he scored only one three-pointer.

Before the Yeomen hosted Earlham in its last home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 17, the Oberlin alumni game was played. Earlier that day, the Oberlin women’s team had claimed a 69-63 victory against Earlham College and had advanced to the NCAC playoffs. The men’s team hoped to give the Oberlin fans a good show in the season finale.

It looked cloudy for the Yeomen early in the game as the Quakers jumped to a nine-point lead. However, the team replied with strong plays, cutting the lead and tying the game at 13. Oberlin fell behind again but answered Earlham’s pressure with a 16-0 run led by junior Beard who closed the run with his 58th three- point shot of the season, breaking the school record. Oberlin went into the half in good standing, leading the game 41-28.

The Quakers came out of the locker room looking to turn things around. They went on a 15-2 run in an attempt to regain the lead but Oberlin responded with six unanswered points and continued from there, going on to win the game 79-76.

Beard added two more threes in the game, bringing his season tally and the school single season record up to 60. Loll had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Spencer scored 19 points in his final home game for the Yeomen as he rounded off an impressive basketball career with 1,221 points. He also finished the season fifth in the North Coast Athletic Conference in rebounding, averaging seven rebounds per game.

Fans worry that Spencer’s departure will be a heavy blow to the team, but the veteran has faith in the Yeomen.

 “With all of the experience the younger guys got, I think they will figure it out and put the pieces together, hopefully with a strong recruiting class and a solid returning staff,” he said.

Oberlin closed the 2006-2007 campaign 5-21 overall, while 4-13 in league play. This is a great improvement from the last campaign, where the team claimed only two victories in the whole season. Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco believes that this is a “step in the right direction for the team,” and hopes that his men will continue to make great progress.