Mar 10, 2025
picture by: Joe Lovell
West Liberty’s JJ Harper, proper, makes an attempt a shot inside in opposition to Fairmont State’s Sam Emich on Sunday inside WesBanco Area throughout the MEC males’s basketball championship recreation.
WHEELING — Sunday’s crescendo of the five-day MEC basketball event saved on constructing. And constructing. And constructing some extra.
The ultimate recreation of the event inside WesBanco Area, the boys’s championship pitting No. 1 West Liberty in opposition to No. 2 Fairmont State, had extra motion than might be contained in regulation- and even in a number of overtimes. It took three time beyond regulation durations earlier than the Fairmont State Falcons may seize their second-ever MEC Males’s Basketball Championship over the Hilltoppers, 122-114.
In a rematch of the 2017, 2021 and 2023 championships, the Falcons outlasted West Liberty, who should regroup earlier than the beginning of the D-II NCAA Match.
“The saying is it’s arduous to beat a staff 3 times, I suppose it’s true,” West Liberty head coach Ben Howlett stated. “Often after losses, I’m just a little extra down than I’m proper now, I’m really tremendous pleased with my staff, I assumed their effort was actually good. All 10 guys who performed, I assumed their effort was actually good.
“I at all times attempt to discover one thing constructive once we lose, and the constructive is that we’re not achieved enjoying but. There’s an even bigger event arising and I’ve been part of West Liberty groups who lose this recreation after which undergo the area and get to the Elite Eight. We’re going to be on a mission. We’re going to get higher this week, and we’ll be prepared for whoever we play. Congratulations to Fairmont and coach [Tim] Koenig and their staff.”
The Falcons despatched the sport to time beyond regulation on an Andre Harris midair putback with three second left, a rating which tied the sport 86-86.
That’d be a well-recognized sight within the closing seconds of the remainder of the sport.
Impressively, Harris additionally scored on a putback with 15 seconds to play within the first time beyond regulation to tie the sport 95-95 and ship the competition to a second time beyond regulation, and as soon as once more scored a putback with 14 seconds left to tie the sport 104-104 and ship the sport to a 3rd time beyond regulation.
Harris completed with 14 factors, 9 rebounds, and loads of late-game heroics. Fairmont State was led in scoring by event MVP Rudy Fitzgibbons III, who scored a game-high 26 factors.
“Fitzgibbons is an efficient participant,” Howlett stated. “I’ll put Lanyc [Shuler] on anyone within the county, I belief him, he’s going to get stops. [Fitzgibbons] made some performs, let’s give him credit score earlier than we begin saying what we did unsuitable.
“He made some performs. On the flip aspect, as soon as he did miss, Andre Harris obtained a rebound, put it up and in. We weren’t capable of full the play, get a cease and end the sport.”
Howlett acknowledged that his Hilltoppers had been one rebound in need of a convention title- 3 times over.
“We had our probabilities to win- and that’s what’s irritating if you would like me to nit-pick,” the eighth-year head coach stated. “We had a number of probabilities to get a cease after which a rebound, and we had been in all probability going to win the sport if we had been in a position to try this.
“There’s stuff you bear in mind […] as a coach you possibly can look and say ‘Ought to I’ve achieved this? Ought to I’ve achieved that?’ You possibly can drive your self loopy about it. It was only a nice basketball recreation. I assumed the group was nice, the world was nice. THey actually obtained their cash’s value in the present day.”
Within the third time beyond regulation, the Hilltoppers couldn’t generate a lot offense. They shot 2-10 total, whereas Fairmont State nonetheless appeared in fantastic type, taking pictures 5-6 from the sphere. Fairmont State shot 6-6 from the foul line, West Liberty shot 5-6, and the Hilltoppers’ title hopes slipped away beginning across the 25-second mark with a turnover by Kyler D’Augustino when the junior collided with a defender whereas driving down the lane. With possession of the ball and a 118-114 lead, the Falcons did their job on the foul line for a win that was lengthy within the works.
“I feel fatigue, and that’s on me,” Howlett stated of his staff’s offensive struggles down the homestretch. “I felt actually good with the fellows who had been enjoying. You might have a man within the recreation for 45 minutes, it’s arduous to take them out as a result of the sub’s been sitting for a very long time. I’m pleased with the trouble, the trouble wasn’t the problem. Simply didn’t make sufficient photographs to get a win.”
West Liberty wa led in scoring by Lanyc Shuler, who scored 23 factors within the championship marathon. D’Augustino and JJ Harper every scored 20 factors, whereas Finley Woodward scored 19.
West Liberty gained the turnover differential 25-15, whereas Fairmont State out-rebounded their opponents 57-39.
Within the first half, West Liberty got here out chilly, failing to search out their footing early whereas Fairmont State labored their option to a 13-point lead on the 11:32 mark of the primary half, the most important lead within the recreation by both staff.
Regardless of this, West Liberty flipped the tables on their opponent and took a 44-43 lead at halftime.
“I assumed their protection was actually good initially of the sport, possibly overdribbled just a little bit, didn’t go the ball like we normally do,” Howlett stated of his staff’s begin. “We dug ourselves a gap, however then to enter halftime up one, I felt fairly good. I don’t know what we stretched it out to within the second half, they only made extra performs then us down the stretch.”
It was the Hilltoppers’ flip to stretch out a lead within the second half, going up by as a lot as 11 earlier than issues tightened up within the last minutes.
“Hit a pair photographs from the perimeter,” Howlett stated of his staff’s resurgence after taking place double digits. “Had a tough time getting clear photographs from there. We are able to rating in bunches actually quick. If we’re down 10 or 11, we will make that disappear actual fast. That’s how we play. There was no panic inside our staff. We knew every thing’s A-okay, we’re going to determine it out. Went up one at halftime and as a training employees we had been feeling fairly good.”
West Liberty shot 40.8% from the sphere, together with 35.6% from 3 on Sunday. Fairmont State had a banner day with 54.3% taking pictures and 57.1% accuracy from distance.
It was West Liberty’s ninth championship recreation look, most within the convention. The Hilltoppers’ 4 titles stay probably the most within the MEC.
“Now it’s the NCAA Match,” Howlett stated. “Now it’s- you win, you advance, you lose, you’re achieved for the 12 months. This staff has the flexibility to make a run, we’ve improved rather a lot. We obtained beat by a extremely good staff in the present day. It stings, it sucks however we’re going to maneuver on from this. We’ll come out Saturday swinging.”
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
#1 Fairmont State def. #6 Glenville State, 79-65
WHEELING – The Falcons defeated the Pioneers by a decisive margin behind 41 mixed factors from Alyssa DeAngelo and Leslie Huffman.
DeAngelo scored 21 and Huffman 20 for Fairmont State, now repeat champions after defeating West Virginia State final season.
Jalen Gibbs collected a extremely efficient 13-point, 14-rebound double-double in 18 minutes for Fairmont State.
Glenville State acquired 17 factors from every of Dream Cherry and Tynasia Bunting. The Pioneers led 36-33 at halftime.
MORGANTOWN — TCU’s three-headed monster was value multiple decided J.J. Quinerly on Saturday. That …
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