by jowens | Feb 6, 2014
Welch College 66
Appalachian Bible College 61
February 6, 2014. The long trip to West Virginia may have slowed the Flames down in the first half, but they found their shooting touch in the second half for a 66-61, come from behind, win over the host Warriors.
Trailing by 16 points at the half, it looked like Welch College was going to go down in defeat, but a harassing defense and a hot hand (49% from the field) offensively allowed the Flames pick up the win.
The first half was back and forth for the first seven minutes before the Flames fizzled out on the offensive end, being outscored 26-10 over the remaining 13 minutes of the half.
But, the Flames turned the tables in the second half, scorching the nets for 24 points in the first 10 minutes while holding the Warriors to just six during that stretch. It was Tim Hutchinson’s jumper with 10:18 remaining in the game that gave Welch the lead they would not relinquish.
“We came out a little lethargic,” said Flames’ coach Nathan Willhite. “But, we were really able to put it together in the second half.”
Carson Outlaw and Tim Hutchinson led the Flames in scoring with 29 and 25 points, respectively.
by jowens | Jan 25, 2014
Georgia Northwestern Tech 64
Welch College Lady Flames 58
January 25, 2014. Playing catch up is never fun, but it is even tougher on the road as the Lady Flames found out today, dropping a close one on the road, 64-58, to Georgia Northwestern Tech.
The Lady Cats jumped out to an early double-digit lead, putting pressure on the Flames from the opening tip-off. But Welch fought back and cut the lead down to four twice before GNT regained an eight point advantage at the intermission.
To start the second half, the Lady Cats increased their lead to 12 points. But the pesky Flames would not go away, holding GNT scoreless while making a 12-0 run to knot the game at 44 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. But, a five minute delay of game, due to faulty equipment, cooled the Flames down and the hosts were able to finish strong for the win.
“We never looked sharp after the delay,” said Flames’ coach Larry Bryan. “We were playing so well and had the momentum on our side. It was unfortunate for us when they had to work on the backboard and we cooled off. But, I was still really proud of the way we stayed in the game. I hope we can put this behind us and play a full forty minutes on Tuesday.”
Ashton Johnson led all scorers with 20 points. Amy Pickett added 18 points for the Lady Flames and Leslie Nichols chipped in 12 points while leading Welch with nine rebounds. Pickett was close behind with eight rebounds. Johnson led the Flames in assists with four.
Now, 4-8, Welch travels to Covenant College on Tuesday.
by jowens | Jan 23, 2014
Mid-Continent University 87
Welch College 64
January 23, 2014. The Mid-Continent full-court pressure was too much for the Flames as they fell to the visiting Cougars, 87-64. It didn’t help that the Flames were only able to shoot 38 from the free throw line.
Despite the lopsided loss, Lim Chol and Tim Hutchinson were able to record double-doubles on the night. Chol finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds while Hutchinson scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. David Reeves also scored in double figures for Welch with 14 points.
The Flames are on the road Saturday to play at Boyce College.
by jowens | Jan 20, 2014
Welch College 66
Hiwassee College 62
January 17, 2014. The Welch College fans were treated to fun-filled evening as the Lady Flames gave them a thrilling, come-from-behind, win over the visiting Lady Tigers of Hiwassee College, 66-62, for their third win in four games.
Hiwassee controlled the tempo in the first half, applying full-court pressure to the Lady Flames as often as possible. In the process, Welch went to the line 25 times, scoring 17 or their 37 first-half points. But, it was the Lady Tiger pressure that gave them a four point lead going into the locker room.
Early in the second half, Hiwassee went on a 10-2 run to take a 51-39 lead. But, the Flames fought back with a run of their own, scoring 13 straight points to take a 52-51 lead at the 9:22 mark. It was a back and forth game from there as neither team could mount any kind of a run. In the end, it was Ashton Johnson knocking down two big free throws to seal the deal with 5.7 seconds left in the contest.
“It was a very physical game,” said Lady Flames” coach Larry Bryan. “Because of their pressure there was a lot of contact. Because of the pressure, made some turnovers, but overall, I thought we handled their press pretty well. It was a good win for us.”
Johnson, once again, had a huge game for Welch, scoring 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds while running the Flames’ offense. Leslie Nichols also had a good night, scoring 13 points and pulling down a game-high 17 rebounds. Amy Pickett hit several key baseline jumpers to finish with 10.
by jowens | Jan 20, 2014
Warren-Wilson College 83
Welch College 50
January 17, 2014. Still lacking numbers due to injury and academic issues, the Flames couldn’t handle the quicker visitors from Warren-Wilson College and dropped an 83-50 decision to the visiting Owls.
The Flames were in it early, but went cold for six minutes and the Owls went on an 11-0 run to take a 31-9 lead. It didn’t improve much from there as Welch could only muster six more points the rest of the first half and trailed 48-15 at the break.
However, the second half was a different story as the Flames were able to mount and offensive attack and play even with the Owls, but were unable to make up the huge first half deficit.
“Playing short-handed is hard,” said Flames’ coach Nathan Willhite. “But, I was really proud of the way we played in the second half and never quit.”
Leading the way for WC was Lim Chol with 17 points. Tim Hutchinson chipped in 11 points and David Reeves added 10.
by jowens | Jan 7, 2014
After four years at the helm of the Lady Flames volleyball team, Amy Walker is stepping down as head coach. Walker took over in 2010 and immediately made an impact on her players, serving not only as coach, but mentor and friend to her players.
Walker leaves at a time when there will be only one graduating senior for the Lady Flames, so the new coach will inherit a team with some veteran players to build around.
“Coach Walker did a wonderful job for Welch College,” said Gary Turner, Athletic Director. “She was a pleasure to work with and gave a great deal to the volleyball program, moving it forward, even with her full-time teaching load at a local elementary school.”
A search will begin immediately to find Walker’s replacement.
