The quantity has dropped. The quality has risen.
The bare bones Bristol Community College basketball team gave nationally ranked Mass Bay Community College a battle from start to finish before falling 72-61 in their Division 3 Junior College game Wednesday night at Bishop Connolly High School’s Lafrance Gymnasium.
Ranked eighth in JUCO Division 3, Mass Bay brought a 20-5 record and all-American Jamal Swanson into the gym to face the six BCC players remaining on the roster.
Swanson got 19 points but didn’t dominate. BCC’s Ricky Copeland scored 26 points and, has been the case with all the games this semester, BCC coach Rob Delaleu didn’t have to waste time formulating complicated substitution patterns.
The Bees have played .500 ball the second semester, and the effort Wednesday against powerful Mass Bay was not their best.
"If you’d told me (during semester break) we’d have six eligible players and lose by 10 or 11 points to the No. 8 team, yeah, I’d have taken that," Delaleu said. "But the way we’ve played lately, I’ve seen what our capabilities are. I think we have another level we could have taken it to tonight, and we didn’t.
"I’m not satisfied with not getting blown out. I want us to have the attitude that we can compete, and we can win."
Mass Bay held a 38-29 lead at halftime and got the lead as high as 16. BCC was within nine (64-55) on two Frank Stephenson free throws with 5:01 remaining and had three possessions (2 missed shots; turnover; missed shot) to get even closer.
"If we had played better, this could have come down to the final possessions," Delaleu said. "They (Mass Bay) kind of coasted the second half."
Stephenson, putting his own scoring on the back burner, still bagged 17 points. B.J. Shea added nine.
The Bees have two games remaining in this, the revival year for BCC basketball.
"We’ve been playing very well the second semester," Delaleu said. "I think tonight was one of our poorer efforts of the second semester. But it’s tough when you only have six player. I’ll give them a pass tonight. They’ve played hard all season."
Mass bay had pounded BCC by 20 points first semester. And the second-semester rematches with Northern Essex and Bunker Hill – teams which whipped BCC the first time around have both come down to the final possessions before BCC lost.
And after losing to Massasoit the first time around, the Bees beat MCC this semester.
And the rematch with Mass Bay was no runaway. "They (Mass Bay) are very well coached. They are a very well established program," Delaleu said. "Our goal is for in a few years to be at this level."
