To Boldly Go

[Wayne23]

1/4: 81-90 at Miami (OH). This is a team we could have and probably should have beaten but when you let the other guys shoot 60% (60.4), you don't usually win. 23 for Stry and a bunch of guys had 10 or 11, but we missed 15 free throws and shot 27.8 from behind the 3 point line. Not a good night. We're 1-1 in conf. play.

Well, they left, in the middle of the night. And they took a 3D Printer with them. Now we need to figure out what to do about it.

1/6: The Council voted to let them go, and to print out another 3D printer. The feeling seems to be that unless they become a threat to us or mess up the natural habitat of the planet, good luck to them. They're going to need it.

[Wayne23]

1/7: 79-61 over Bowling Green here. We were down 5 at the half and were just awful for the first 20. I read them the riot act and changed a couple of things and the 2nd half was much better. 17, 6, 7 for Stry, 18, 4, 7 for Howe, 15, 6 for Nels. We're turning it over way too often (14.1) but we're turning the other guys over an amazing 19 times per game.

1/11: 88-50 over Central Michigan here. We were really hot tonight. Played exceptionally well. 21, 7 for Morr, 16, 7 for Stry, 15, 4, 8 for Howe, 14, 4 for Barr from the bench.

Stry hurt his calf. He'll play in our next but may not be at 100%.

No word from the settlers. We really didn't expect any word.

Frankly, our community is happier and more stable without them. We all seem to be on the same page, and are all working together to build our community.

[Wayne23]

1/14: 88-80 at Northern Illinois. 22, 4, 8 for Ed Howe, 12, 10, 4 for Morr. Good road win.

1/18: 77-72 at Ball ST. Back to back road wins! We opened up an early 19 point lead, 15 at the half, and the final was as close as they got. 20, 9 for Rowl, 19, 5, 3 for Stry. Solid D for Howe. But 22 TOs.

We're in a 3 way tie for 1st in the entire conf., with Kent ST and Miami (OH).

The rainy season is here. Most of the time the humans work side by side with the robotic workers, and oversee the job, but with this awful weather the humans are monitoring the outdoor work via videocams from indoors. It's working just fine.

[Wayne23]

1/21: 78-58 over Eastern Michigan here. We led all the way, by as many as 22. Scot Nels led us with 14, 15, 3 but all 5 starters had 10 or more. +22 RBs, 8 TOs. An all around solid performance.

In a 2 way tie for 1st with Kent ST. We have a home and home with them coming up.

Yes, I know we have it easy here. Unlike any other pioneers probably ever, it really isn't all that much of a struggle. While we want to grow our own crops, first, the robots will do most of that work, and second, crop failures won't harm us in any major way. The 3D printers assure us that we won't starve.
They're solar powered so they never run out of energy, and they don't need much sun. Even now, at the height of the rainy season, they're all fully charged pretty much all the time.

[Wayne23]

1/25: 82-73 at Western Michigan as we continue to play really good ball. We never led by more than 12 but we were never in danger in the 2nd half. 18, 4, 3 and the usual solid D for Howe, 12, 12 for Nels.

Bad news though. Mike Morr twisted something in his back and he's out for at least 3 games. Frosh Quin Barr will take his spot.

We got into the top 25 at #22. Gotta love it! And we're alone in 1st in the Mid-American!

1/28: 74-71. Nail biter with 17 lead changes, 10 ties. Cris Stry hit a three with 4.2 left, which put us up by 6. They came down and hit a three at the buzzer. Stry led us with 23, 5, 3. Barr had 20 and 6 filling in for Morr at C; great job. 10, 14, 4 for Nels.

Ed Howe is #29 on the Norton list. Quite an honor for a kid from a school like ours.

Still rainy season and it's a mess out there. When anyone needs to go out they sink ankle deep in mud and have to tread lightly, and the predators are lying in wait.

I haven't mentioned it but some of the predators are somehow able to get inside the fences. We go out only with an armed robotic escort, or more than one most of the time.

[Wayne23]

2/1: 81-57 over Toledo here. 23, 3 for Stry. 12, 12 for Nels. Barr was in foul trouble all night long. We had only 11 TOs.

We're #20 in the polls.

2/4: 72-60 at Eastern Michigan. They're not a great team but we were worried about a road game with our starting C out of action. But Barr stepped up with 17, and the rest of the guys all played solid D.

Morr will be back for our next game.

We're 20-3, 10-1, in 1st by 1 1/2 games. 7 to play, 4 of them at home.

[Wayne23]

2/8: 74-58 over 2nd place Kent ST here. Big win. Takes the pressure off when we go there later this month as we have a 2 game lead with 6 to play. 15, 2, 9 for Howe, and he handcuffed his opponent. 17 for Stry, 12, 7 for Rowl. 10 TOs.

2/11: 92-66 over Western Michigan here. A real laugher; 57-23 at the half. 8 guys had between 8 and 13. +19 RBs, 12 TOs.

Still a 2 game lead.

Got a commitment from a PF, #123.

Scot Nels hurt his arm. Day to day, and we're off for a week so he won't miss any games.

A returning settler literally crawled into our settlement. He was in really bad shape. He's being treated. Hopefully we'll be able to hear his story tomorrow.

2/12: Gary Lowe, age 26. He had quite a story to tell-

"We never had a chance. Before we got a shelter up bugs and predators got to us.

"We lost about 50 people on the first day. Once the building was up things got a little better but every time we went out we lost some people. Our 'leaders' were idiots.

They underestimated how many robotic guards we needed and the guards would be overwhelmed and then we were lunch."

"What kind of predators?"

"A couple kinds, big cats and things that were like bears but even bigger and more fierce. The cats were huge, too. Both the cats and the bears were able to out muscle the robots, which I couldn't believe. By the time we printed bigger, tougher robots we were down to about 20 people."

"Wow!"

"Yeah. Eventually, we got down to 7 and we decided to try to get back here. I'm the only one who made it."

He was in bad shape but he'd make it after a long recovery period. The lesson was that we were right to stay here behind barricades, and we now figured we'd better make the barricades even stronger.

[Wayne23]

2/18: 80-64 over Bowling Green here. We led all the way. 22, 11, 3 for Rowl, 17, 6, 5 for Stry, 18, 4, 4 for Howe. +12 RBs.

Ranked #13.

2/22: 59-72 at Kent ST. We expected a tough game and we got one. Down 13 at the half and we never got closer than 6. Poor shooting (31.3%) and foul trouble did us in. 19, 9 for Stry, 16, 7, 5 for Howe.

3 to play, 2 of them at home. We have a one game lead on Kent ST, 2 or more on the rest.

Little used Erik Bray pulled a hamstring.

[Wayne23]

2/25: 77-55 over Miami (OH) here. We were up 9 at the half and we extended that lead early in the 2nd. 18, 13, 3 for Morr, 13, 17 for Nels. +13 RBs, 12 TOs.

3/1: 69-58 over a tough Akron team here. We led all the way, by as many as 17. Great rebounding (+19), but 19 TOs. 18, 5, 9 for Howe, 14, 13 for Nels, 12, 10 for Stry, 10, 12 for Morr.

It all comes down to the last game, on the road vs. 11-17, 7-10 Buffalo. We should beat them but the road is never easy. A loss coupled with a Kent ST win will drop us to #2 in conf., but Kent ST has a tough road game.

The predators and the insects are becoming real problems. It's doubtful we'll stop the insects although great progress was made on Earth by breeding insects without a sting and making that a dominant trait. That genetic engineering eventually really helped although it never solved the problem completely. Our human and robotic scientists have begun work on that.

As to the predators, they are clearly clever, and probably highly intelligent. They continue to thwart our efforts to keep them out of our settlements, getting around, over, and/or under the walls and fences we erect. We're working on that as well. Once they get in they attack. We need heavy escorts whenever we set foot outdoors and even then people are injured and sometimes killed. It makes the idea of expanding our base impossible for now.

[Wayne23]

3/4: 88-76 and the conference title! Mike Rowl had a HUGE game, 27 and 13. 16, 6, 3 for Morr, 14, 8 for Stry. We jumped out to an early 20 point lead. It was 12 at the half but they never really threatened us. +23 RBs. Proud of my kids for rising to the occasion in a must win situation.

Kent ST lost so we won by 2 over them, 3 over Miami (OH), and 5 or more over everyone else. 26-4, 16-2, #14, RPI #23. +12.8 PPG, +9.3 RBs, -4.0 TOs. Stry leads us with 16.5 PPG. Howe gets 14.1. Nels leads us with 9.7 RBs. Howe leads with 4.8 assists and #3 guard Cory Star gets 3.8.

3/5: Our last scholarship is filled by an SG, #265, but we think he's better than that.