East Stroudsburg University won big over Millersville University in PSAC quarterfinal action on Wednesday night. The Warriors split the two regular season games against the Marauders but came up with a huge victory to advance to the PSAC Final Four. They will face Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Saturday in the semi-final. I was covering the game for The Pocono Record and the above photo was published on Thursday.
Here are some additional photos from the game at Koehler Fieldhouse.
I had the opportunity to photograph a big basketball game tonight! It was the final of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Division II Atlantic Region and I was there for the Easton Express-Times.
Koehler Fieldhouse was abuzz with much excitement as I arrived, first going through the Media Room to pick up my credentials. Both teams were warming up and getting ready for the game.
The action was fast-paced, as is the custom of both of these teams. In fact, the pace was fast and furious most of the night! This made photographing the action a real challenge, but the newspaper published my favorite photo of the night, which is displayed above.
It was a great challenge and a wonderful opportunity. I felt privileged to be there!
The Panthers of Pocono Mountain West faced the Bears of Pleasant Valley for the Mountain Valley Conference Championship tonight in Stroudsburg.
The girls’ game was first and Pleasant Valley won in overtime. Then it was the boys’ turn. The Panther’s only loss this season was to Pleasant Valley, which was an upset. Tonight they were battling it out on the court again. The Panthers struck first and often. They ran off a big lead and never looked back. The Bears could not overcome the deficit and never led the game. It was a disappointing night for a team, which battled several injuries late in the season, including their all-star Nick Stanovick. The Panthers won big with a score of 82-49.
The Panthers looked strong off the glass, on rebounds, and on the floor. Their passes were crisp and sure, and their full-court press made for a difficult and frustrating night for the Bears. Both teams will play in Districts.
This is one of my favorite times of the year.
The college football championship was just decided — Roll Tide! And now the NFL playoffs are in full swing with two wildcard games completed today. College basketball is in full swing and the NHL is playing, too. Isn’t this a great time of year?
Photographically I will be shooting some upcoming basketball games and this week I will be in Chincoteague, Virginia to do some bird photography.
I love this time of year!
Tonight I photographed the Pleasant Valley basketball game. They played a good game against Northampton. In the end they came up a little short, but it was fun to try to capture the action on the court.
Indoor photography can be tricky at best. Working without a flash I had to bump up the ISO. My Nikon f/2.8 70-200mm got exclusive use and performed beautifully. Fast lenses are a necessity in situations like this. I turned my white balance to florescent which seemed to work very well and render colors correctly.
The action was fast and furious at times. I positioned myself on the baseline, hoping for the action to come straight at me. It did!
I did learn a few things that I need to remember for the next game I shoot:
1. Remember to follow the players as they jump. Sometimes they jumped out of the frame!
2. Keep shooting after the play is over. Players reactions are sometimes very photographic.
3. Bring knee pads along. They will save my knees from becoming so sore.
Overall, this was a fun shoot. I can’t wait for the next tip-off! I hope to have some of these photos posted on my website soon. www.bobshankphotography.com