Wildcats prepare to meet Mitchell again

Chestnut Hill, Mass. - In only the second year of existence, the Wheelock men's basketball team not only earned a trip to the playoffs, but put together a .500 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) record and finished in fourth place in the conference with a hard-fought 74-68 win over Mitchell College on Saturday.

The win over Mitchell earns the Wildcats a chance to play the Mariners for the third time this season and the second time in four days when they tip off at 5:50 pm Tuesday evening at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill. Wheelock was led to victory Saturday by Robbins and freshman Kyle Pierce, who put up a game-high 22 points with a six for ten performance from the floor and a perfect nine for nine day at the charity stripe.

The Wildcats have gotten themselves into the playoffs by winning four of the past six contests. The home court advantage should prove a key advantage for Wheelock, a team that has won six of their nine games at home.

The Wildcats have ridden the strong play of junior team captain Sherard Robbins (Malden, Mass.) to accomplish a turnaround that few could have imagined in November. Perhaps motivated more than anyone else on the team by a pre-season poll that picked Wheelock to finish last in the conference, Robbins stepped up his game to a new level; netting an incredible 15 double-double games for Wheelock, consistently leading the team and the conference in rebounding and scoring.

"Sherard has done everything necessary to help elevate our basketball program from obscurity to respectability in one short season," said second year head coach John Preziosa. "It's been a pleasure to watch Sherard grow and develop into the leader he has become since arriving here at Wheelock."

Robbins finished the regular season ranked sixth in the NECC in scoring, averaging 16.4 points a game, and he finished second in rebounding, with an average of 11 boards each contest. The 6'5" forward also earned two conference player of the week award, while freshman Pierce and Max Kaim each earned a rookie of the week award.