West Liberty, Fairmont State Set for MEC Men's Basketball Championship

West Liberty 105, Glenville State 100 (2OT)

By Bryan Dillon

For MountainEast.org

WHEELING, W.Va. – Top-seeded West Liberty punched its ticket to the Mountain East Conference tournament final in a classic two-overtime victory over fifth-seeded Glenville State, 105-100, on Saturday evening at WesBanco Arena.

West Liberty improved to 26-4 on the year and clinched its tenth appearance in the league's championship game. To get there, the Hilltoppers had to overcome a late nine-point deficit in regulation to force overtime. Over the final 3:32 of the second half, WLU reeled off a 13-2 run to keep its season alive, including five points in five seconds to tie the score at 77-77 with 30 seconds left on the clock.

“What a basketball game,” exclaimed West Liberty Head Coach Michael Lamberti. “It went back and forth and back and forth … Glenville is really good! They have two of the best guards in the league between Knott and Redfern, and they put on a show for everyone.”

The Hilltoppers showed their strength on the offensive boards and with their full court press. On the offensive glass, WLU grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 30 second-chance points, while also forcing 28 turnovers and converting them into 33 points off turnovers.

“It didn’t look like things were going our way as things slowed down in the second half," Lamberti stated. “Glenville ultimately took that nine-point lead, and we talk about it all of the time, the way we play, we are not out of the game. We are going to extend the game with our pressure. “[Our] guys forced some turnovers and made big shots in a timely manner, and when we forced it into overtime, we felt very confident after the comeback.

Myles Montgomery, who was a key piece to the comeback, scored a team-high 24 points, including a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to force overtime. Montgomery was one of three players who scored over 20 points for West Liberty; he was joined by Cam Williams (21) and Jamie Muldowney (20).

Asked about the shot following the game, Montgomery said, “When the play was called in the huddle, I knew where I was going and felt that I was going to get a good look. As soon as I took the shot, it felt good coming out of my hands, and I was fortunate enough to hit it.”

Jalen Knott and Prince Mosengo paced the Pioneers in scoring, each finishing with a game-high 26 points. Knott scored all of his points in regulation, but fouled out early in the first overtime. Elijah Redfern (19) and Corey Boulden (15) joined them in double-digits.

With Glenville State in serious foul trouble and four out of five starters fouled out, West Liberty was able to pull away in the second overtime period. Cam Williams scored four of the first eight points in the period gave the Pioneers the lead for good on layup with 4:02 left to play, and added two free throws with 43 seconds left to ice the game.

Corey Boulden hit the biggest shot of the night for Glenville State when he drilled a three from the left corner as time expired to tie the game at 94-94 to force the second overtime period. West Liberty took control of the first overtime period with an 8-0 run capped by a driving dunk from Jamie Muldowney which gave the Hilltoppers a 91-86 lead with 58 seconds remaining. Prince Mosengo and Elijah Redfern closed the Pioneers’ deficit to two points. WLU’s Montgomery hit a free throw to take a three-point lead to set up the final play of the first overtime.

Six second-half three-point field goals helped Glenville State to a nine-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the second half as they looked to pull the upset on the top seed. Jamie Knott hit four of his seven shots from distance in the half, including back-to-back threes with 9:48 remaining to give the Pioneers their first lead of the half. Boulden would repeat Knott’s back-to-back three to stretch the GSU lead to eight points with 4:38remaining. The Hilltoppers showed their resiliency, putting together a 13-2 stretch. Their full-court pressure forced four turnovers during the final moments of regulation.

The first half saw five lead changes and three ties. After Glenville State took a two-point lead with 8:40 remaining in the first half, West Liberty ran off ten straight points to take an eight point lead. Montgomery and Muldowney combined for eight points during that stretch. The Hilltoppers' lead was nine after a layup from Aiden Davis.

A 9-0 run for the Pioneers tied the score at 33 with 1:18 remaining in the half. Mosengo and Knott combined for all nine points. WLU scored the final five points of the half to enter the break with a 38-33 advantage.

“I am really proud of my guys,” said Glenville State head coach Bob Bolen. “We don’t quit, and I am proud of their effort. Proud of the kind of men they are.”

For the tenth time in tournament history, the Hilltoppers will play in the championship game of the Mountain East Conference tournament. They will face the winner of the game between the second-seeded Fairmont State Falcons and the sixth-seeded Concord Mountain Lions on Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 p.m. at WesBanco Arena.

Fairmont State 91, Concord 74

By Bryan Dillon

For MountainEast.org

WHEELING, W.Va. – Fairmont State clinched a berth in the championship Game of the Mountain East Tournament presented by The Health Plan with a 91-74 victory over Concord on Saturday night at WesBanco Arena.

For the sixth time in program history, the Falcons will play for a league title, facing a familiar opponent, the West Liberty Hilltoppers. These two have played four times previously in the championship game, including a thrilling three-overtime contest last year won by Fairmont State

“I thought it was a really good win and I am really proud of all of these guys," said Fairmont State Head Coach Tim Koenig. “I am proud of our prep and our togetherness, and I am just really proud of the players and coaches. Concord is a really good team. Inside and outside a tough team, and it was a really good win.”

Fairmont State (26-4) shot 54 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc while controlling the board to earn a convincing win over Concord, which shot 41.5 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from behind the arc. It was the Falcons first half defense that helped them separate. They held the Mountain Lions to 32.4 percent shooting from the field and just 18.2 percent from long range to open up a 13-point advantage at the intermission, a lead that they would not relinquish.

“I thought Miguel [Martinez] rebounded really well and made shots,” stated Koenig. “He just spreads the court coming off the bench. Joey [Brown] and Zycheus [Dobbs] were really good in the press and really good in the half-court defensively. It was a big lift for us.”

The bench unit came up big for the Falcons as Miguel Martinez (14), Joey Brown (13), and Zycheus Dobbs combined for 38 points, giving Fairmont State a 38-17 advantage in bench points for the game. Starters Drey Carter and CJ Meredith tied for a game-high 18 points to lead the scoring effort.

Boubacara Djigo recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 16 points and 18 rebounds on the night. Four Mountain Lions joined him, scoring in double-digits. Anfernee Hanna finished with 14 points, Josiah Rickards scored 13 points, and Savior McCall and Micah Young each had 10 points.

Concord started the game on a 10-3 run with three pointers from McCall and Rickards sparking the fast start. The Mountain Lions hit five of their first nine shots, but just two of their next 18 shots. Once Fairmont State started forcing misses, they went on a 20-3 run between the 12:27 mark of the first half and the 4:52 mark, to grab a 29-17 lead. They stretched the lead to as much as 17 points following a three from Miguel Martinez, before entering the halftime break up 40-27.

The Falcons limited Concord from going on extended scoring streaks, with the Mountain Lions not being able to score more than five consecutive points at any time in the second half, thanks to strong shooting in the second half. Fairmont State was efficient in the second half, scoring on 16-of-26 shots for a 61.6 percent clip.

The closest Concord was able to get in the second half was within seven points on a short jumper from Djigo with 12:17 left to play in the contest. This was despite a better shooting half, shooting 51.6 percent of their field goal attempts and 50 percent from distance.

“I thought to start the game, we had a good amount of energy and had some early success,” said Concord Head Coach Todd May. “Give Fairmont credit, they adjusted. They weren’t hitting shots, but they were able to get offensive rebounds … Being able to convert them to get them out to a 13-point cushion.”

May continued, “In the second half, we fought back but couldn’t overcome that deficit in the first half. You have to give them credit; that is what good teams do.”

Fairmont State will be back in action against top-seeded West Liberty in the championship game of the Mountain East Conference tournament on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at WesBanco Arena. The Falcons are looking to capture back-to-back league titles and their third championship all-time.

Michael DelGiorno