Concord Men's Basketball: Review/Preview

When Liki Turner’s baseline jumper barely beat the buzzer and bounced Concord in the first round of the WVIAC Tournament, it provided a fitting finish to the season.

Concord played well and never quit, yet came up just short.

So to speak.

With only one player taller than 6’5”, Concord head coach Steve Cox went into the season worried about rebounding. His worries were well-founded. The Mountain Lions ranked near the bottom of the WVIAC in total rebounds, offensive rebounds and rebounding margin – and Concord finished 10^th in the league with a record of 10-18.

The box score from the tournament game at Shepherd shined a klieg light on Concord’s shortcomings. The Mountain Lions shot .553 from the field, 10-20 from 3-point range and 14-19 from the free throw line, committed only 14 turnovers, and held Shepherd to .426 shooting, .381 from the arc.

But Shepherd outrebounded Concord 39-29, including a 19-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Shepherd’s 6’8” center Justin Jarman alone grabbed 15 boards, nine on the offensive end. Numbers like that allowed Shepherd to attempt 21 more field goals than the Mountain Lions, including Turner’s game-winner.

The 2008-2009 season ended with a heartbreaker. But Concord showed great heart just to put itself on the verge of upsetting a higher seed, in the conference tournament, on the road.

After starting the season 2-1 – including a stirring run to the championship of the Currance Classic Tournament in Bluefield the weekend after Thanksgiving – the Mountain Lions slid into an 11-game losing streak, with seven of those defeats by 12 or more points.

At 2-12, many other teams might have started looking ahead to next year. But Concord instead rallied to win eight of its final 14 games and just missed earning a trip to Charleston for the conference quarterfinals.

The turnaround can be attributed largely to shooting, a must-have for Concord’s guard-dominated lineup. Much of that turnaround was due to the return to form of Matt Parker, who was slowed by nagging injuries for the first part of the season. But, once healthy, Parker combined with Cordale Boyd, Rafee Smith and Cory Willard to stretch opposing defenses nearly to the breaking point.

The Mountain Lions ended their 11-game losing streak with an 89-77 win over Shepherd in Athens January 24^th. That victory began a stretch in which Concord won seven of nine games that lifted them out of 15^th place in the WVIAC.

Over those nine games, Concord shot a remarkable .540 from the field and an impressive .442 from three-point range. In seven of those nine games, the Mountain Lions made at least 10 three-point shots.

Indeed, for the season as a whole, three-point shooting had a huge role in Concord’s chances of success. In the Mountain Lions’ ten victories, they .462 from the arc and made an average of 10.4 3-pointers. In Concord’s 18 losses, those numbers fell to .321 and 7.6.

Steve Cox will have to replace four seniors from this year’s team. The most noteworthy departure will be that of Cordale Boyd, whose value and versatility showed in the numbers -- he led the Mountain Lions in ten of the 22 major statistical categories, including scoring, assists, steals, offensive rebounds, field goals attempted and field goals made.

What’s more, Boyd attempted and made nearly 40% of Concord’s free throws – a significant number for a team that was last in the conference in free throws attempted and next-to-last in free throw percentage and free throws made.

Boyd got to the line so frequently because of his ability to drive to the basket, another aspect of his game that will be sorely missed.

Boyd finished his senior season among the conference leaders in scoring, field goal percentage, steals and assists. Yet he wasn’t flashy, and went about his business so quietly that he somehow wound up as only an Honorable Mention when the All-Conference team was announced in early March.

Seniors Ryan Vance and Jeremy Lewis didn’t get as much attention as Boyd, but they excelled as what are called “program players” – they worked hard in practice, provided leadership to younger teammates and produced when called into action. In fact, Lewis’ energy level in practice helped him solidify a spot in the rotation as the season progressed.

Then there’s Derek Calloway. After a bumpy first half of the season, during which foul trouble and inconsistent decision-making curtailed his playing time, the man whose teammate dubbed “Old School” emerged as Concord’s “glue guy,” doing the little things and the dirty work that were instrumental in the team’s progress.

Concord became a much better team once Calloway reined himself in and played deeper into games. He wound up leading the team in rebounding, blocked shots and assist-turnover ratio (an impressive 1.66), was second in steals and, while he didn’t shoot often, ended at a respectable .541 from the field. He also became an expert passer out of the post and took pride in his knack for setting up Boyd, Parker, Smith and Willard for open shots.

Calloway also fully embraced his role. Case in point: On the trip back from Concord’s 90-69 win at Salem International February 9, a game in which the Mountain Lions shot .545 and put four players in double figures, Calloway perused the box score and said, “I got my two shots.”

That was enough for Old School, who wound up that game with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, to go with two points.

At first blush, Concord’s 2009-2010 season shapes up much like this ’08-’09 -- the Mountain Lions will be undersized, guard-oriented and will only go as far as their outside shooting takes them. That said, Steve Cox has a solid three-guard core to build around.

Parker and Willard will give Concord the WVIAC’s top returning three-point shooting duo; in conference games they combined to make 139 3’s and hit on a .450 clip. For the season as a whole, Willard led all freshmen (and was fifth in the league) with 98 3-pointers made and was named to the WVIAC’s All-Freshmen Team.

Rafee Smith will return for his junior season as a shooting guard-small forward hybrid and will be relied on to do more scoring. Look for Smith to get more shots than the 8.4 per game he took as a sophomore and to add to what was a solid average stat line in ’08-’09: 11.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, .521 FG, .727 FT, .361 3-point FG and 1.51 assist-turnover ratio.

Aside from that trio Cox faces some big questions.

Who will succeed Boyd at point guard?

Sophomore-to-be Thomas Brown is one candidate. He bookended the season with two outstanding performances – 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the season opener against Alderson-Broaddus, and a 26-point outburst against Shepherd in the conference tournament. But between those superlative efforts were extended bouts of wayward decision-making that landed him on the bench.

Chance Smith showed flashes of potential as a sophomore and is perhaps Concord’s quickest player. But he too was prone to stretches of inconsistency and needs to improve his shooting.

Rustin Jessee could be the answer … if he can show the form that led Cox to bring him to Concord in the first place. Jessee was slowed by persistent foot problems that impacted his fitness (and his minutes) in the first half of the season, and just when it seemed he had overcome those woes, the problem flared up and knocked Jessee out of the lineup for the last 11 games of the season.

If Jessee can make a complete recovery, he should give Concord a steady, savvy starter at the point and allow Brown and Chance Smith more time to develop.

This will be a position to watch as the Mountain Lions try to follow up on a season in which they committed the fewest turnovers in the WVIAC.

What about rebounding?

Calloway and Boyd are gone, taking with them nearly a third of Concord’s rebounds. Among the potential returners, Daniel Johnson will be counted on most to fill the void. But the transfer from Potomac State is only 6’5” and had difficulty against taller opponents down the stretch.

Sophomore-to-be Derek Lewis could be poised for a significant step up; he has size (6’7”) and a year of experience behind him. Plus, Lewis rebounded at a rate of one every 3.5 minutes of time played. If he’s able to maintain that pace and plays, for example, 25 minutes a game next season, he’d average seven rebounds a game.

That would be a big improvement for a CU team whose top rebounder averaged 4.9 a game in ’08-’09.

The Concord coaching staff is also high on the potential of Damian Tunstalle, the Beckley Woodrow Wilson High School product who had to miss his freshman season with a knee injury suffered last summer. But, when healthy, Tunstalle he’s a leaper who would boost the Mountain Lions’ rebounding. He also has a Boyd-like drive to slash to the basket.

Who’s on the schedule?

Last season Concord endured a non-conference gauntlet that included:

Two games each against Johnson C. Smith and Tusculum. The Bulls went 23-8, won the CIAA championship and reached the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers finished 20-11, just missed winning the SAC tournament and also earned an NCAA bid.

NAIA power Bluefield College, which wound up 27-7, 18-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference and reached the second round of the national tournament.

The biggest non-conference challenge of all -- a visit to NCAA Division I Morehead State. The Eagles wound up winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and went toe-to-toe with mighty Louisville in the NCAA Tournament before being succumbing in the second half.

Safe to say Concord didn’t fill up on cupcakes in 2008-09.

Next season, the WVIAC will expand from 20 to 22 conference games, leaving Cox to fill only five vacancies. Tentatively, Concord is set to play in a two-game classic at Lincoln Memorial of Tennessee in mid-November, taking on the host school and Carson Newman. CU is also expected to return to the Currance Classic in Bluefield for games on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Mountain Lions fill out their non-league calendar by hosting Lincoln Memorial in mid-December.

Within the WVIAC, Concord will have home-and-home meetings with Bluefield State, Charleston, West Virginia State, Alderson-Broaddus, Glenville State, West Virginia Wesleyan and Davis & Elkins.

The Mountain Lions will play the other league teams once. Salem International, West Liberty, Pitt-Johnstown and Shepherd on the road; Seton Hill, Fairmont State, Ohio Valley and Wheeling Jesuit will come to the Carter Center.

As it stands now, how does the WVIAC look for ’09-’10?

Regular season champion West Virginia State will have to replace four seniors, including inside presence Hensley Charles, the gritty Wade Pidock and two-time conference Player of the Year Ted Scott. Bryan Poore always has the Yellowjackets near the top, but his program will have to recover from two straight puzzling season-ending losses that short-circuited what some thought would be a run to the Elite Eight.

Alderson-Broaddus faces the daunting task of replacing Sam Liggins, Stan Hall, Montel Lee and Zach Green. But they’ll return Terrell Eargle, one of the most versatile and dangerous players in the league.

Conference tournament champion Pitt-Johnstown will lose Marcus Tullis and William Sharpe, among others, but the Mountain Cats will build around freshman center Patrick Grubbs.

West Liberty State will have to do without Ben Howlett and front-liners Shane Maynard and Kameron Law. But the Hilltoppers look to be well-stocked for another run toward the top, with Corey Pelle and John Wolosinczuk due back.

Glenville State will try to follow on their 20-win season without Tryvan Leech, Anthony Kimble and Chase Groves, seniors who helped the Pioneers finish in the top five in the conference in offense and defense.

Fairmont State loses just two seniors, but one of them is Thad McFadden, the WVIAC’s leading scorer.

Shepherd will have to replace a trio of departing seniors, most notably 6’8” center Justin Jarman, who averaged 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds a game. But the Rams get back the backcourt duo of Jonathan Motichka and Tyrone Roach, and forward Liki Turner.

West Virginia Wesleyan will get almost everybody back, but they’ll have to recover from a late-season fade that ended with them being the only home team to lose in the first round of the conference tournament.

The team that eliminated the Bobcats, Wheeling Jesuit, loses G Maqsood Harrington. But the young Cardinals are due to get back a remarkable 13 players, including Freshman of the Year Cedric Harris. Plus, their wins over Wesleyan and State in the league tournament could be signs of things to come – causing all the WVIAC coaches who aren’t Danny Sancomb some sleepless nights.

As for the rest of the conference, Charleston could be the team best poised for a move into the first division. The Golden Eagles lose point guard Anthony Anderson, who was a steadying influence on the court, but are set to return a deep, athletic roster.

Davis & Elkins gets just about everybody back, and Bluefield State could emerge as a spoiler if they can find complements to the talented outside-inside duo of Raylon Almon and Brian Tingle.

Where Concord fits in the conference landscape right now is anybody’s guess. But a productive off-season and health during the season could help elevate the Mountain Lions into the upper division.

Practice begins October 15^th. The countdown is on.

Classic. But not completely.

I'd like to thank the programmers at ESPN Classic for helping to fill the college basketball void with replays of old championship games.
As someone who grew up in the Milwaukee area, being able to watch the second half of Marquette beating North Carolina in 1977 -- including clips from old interviews with Al McGuire -- was absolutely priceless.
Seashells and balloons, Al.

Classic also replayed the the 1983 game, when North Carolina State beat Houston. The broadcast came complete with the precursor to "One Shining Moment" -- a highlight montage set to "I Think We're Gonna Make It" by Christopher Cross.
(Christopher Cross in a sports broadcast? Who thought that was a good idea?)
Upside: Clips of Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Clyde Drexler and Waymon Tisdale in college.
Bobby Knight when he'd still wear a jacket and tie.
Jerry Tarkanian chomping on a towel.
Rollie Massimino and Guy Lewis flailing around, mussing up their hair.
Downside: The involvement of Christopher Cross.
Opinion: Thank goodness "One Shining Moment" came along.

This Time, We Mean It (hopefully)

"Mountain Lion Weekly" is scheduled to return to our airwaves tomorrow, March 24th.
Our guest this week is Concord women's basketball coach Kenny Osborne.
We'll review the just-completed 2008-2009 season and look ahead to '09-'10.
"Mountain Lion Weekly" starts at 6:00 pm EDT on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River.

Concord Women's Basketball: Review/Preview

While I sat courtside at the 2009 WVIAC Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum, a long-time league expert walked up to me and asked, “Are you the radio guy for Concord?”
After I answered in the affirmative, he said, “You guys were one player away from getting to play here.”
I knew exactly what he meant.
By “here,” he meant reaching the league quarterfinals in the CCCC. By “one player away” he meant not an individual, but a position – point guard.

The Lady Lions’ fall from a 4^th place finish in 2007-08 to 10^th this past season resulted in large part from its transition at point guard. Sarah Blevins had moved from backup to starter, following the graduation of career assists leader Jamie Cluesmann, but a knee injury ended Blevins’ season after only three games. Nearly two-thirds of the season would pass before Concord regained its bearings at the point.
In Blevins’ three games, the Lady Lions committed an average of 15.3 turnovers a game, compared to 14.7 assists. That’s an assist-turnover ratio of .96:1.
Over the next 17 games, as Concord reset its point guard rotation, the Lady Lions’ turnovers per game rose to 22.6, while the assists fell to 13.7. That’s an assist-turnover ratio of .61:1, a drop-off of 35%.
Concord went 7-10 in that 17-game stretch. Early among those 10 defeats were two that wound up being especially painful -- a 61-60 home loss to Glenville State, which wound up finishing 11^th in the league, and a 76-67 loss at Charleston in which turnovers contributed to a fade at the end for the Lions.
If Concord had hung on to win either of those games, the Lady Lions would have finished in the top eight in the WVIAC and gotten home court for the first round of the conference tournament.
Instead, Concord finished 10^th, had to go on the road to meet a red-hot Shepherd team, and got eliminated 94-79.

Head coach Kenny Osborne knew it would be a rocky road at point guard this past season. But that bumpy ride could lead to a smoother journey next year.

Blevins’ injury pressed rookie Annamarie Truckley into service, and she got better as the season progressed. Fellow freshman Sarah Boeren showed flashes of brilliance (and eye-popping speed). But by the end of the season Concord’s best ‘1’ guard was someone who earned the job almost by accident.

Sophomore Sarah Tuggle was riding the bench as a small forward, until one day in practice. Blevins was out of the lineup and classroom obligations had taken away a couple other guards. Osborne asked for a volunteer to play the point, Tuggle stepped in, and, although she had to learn on the job, the former James Monroe Lady Maverick would eventually become the starter.

Even if Osborne doesn’t bring in a new recruit who can play right away next season, point guard will be much less of a question mark. As it stands now, Tuggle, Truckley and Boeren will be back, each with a season at the point behind them. Blevins will also return after taking a medical redshirt, bringing with her the possibility Concord could have, of all things, a glut of experienced point guards when the new season begins next November 15.

Point guards are called “coaches on the floor,” but they’re not necessarily team leaders. Leadership will be an area in which Concord faces a void next season.

The Lady Lions lose Amber Schowalter, who became the team’s emotional hub on her way to leading Concord in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals and earning First Team All-WVIAC honors.
Which player or players emerge as leaders could be the biggest question facing next year’s team. There are three seniors due back – Sierra Brown (WVIAC Honorable Mention), Bre Kyle and Joanna Mills. They’ll be expected to take on added leadership roles, especially Brown, who started all 28 games last season and figures to become the focal point of Osborne’s inside-first offense following the graduations of Schowalter and small forward Cassidy Smith.
Blevins will be a junior, and she the other returning point guards will also be expected to provide leadership.
The same may be expected of Kristin Kidd, who could move into the starting lineup after sitting out a season following her transfer from Division I Presbyterian College.


How quickly Concord sorts out its point guard and leadership questions next season will dictate its chances of success.
That’s particularly true in that, if the 2009-10 campaign were to start today, Osborne would already be looking at a rotation of:

• Sarah Blevins, Annamarie Truckley, Sarah Tuggle, Bre Kyle and Holly Bibb in the backcourt;
• Meghan Cole, Sierra Brown, Jolysa Brown and Trista Thomas in the frontcourt.

Jolysa Brown made the WVIAC All-Freshmen Team last season, and Thomas is the PikeView High School star who may be the most college-ready of the incoming freshmen.

That’s a pretty solid nine-player rotation. And it doesn’t account for off-season improvements by other returning players, including Mills, Boeren and Stephanie Wallace (who worked her way into the rotation in the second half of last season). Nor does it account for the freshman class, which also includes Amanda Smith (who finished her high school career with a flourish on a Princeton team that made the WVSSAC State tournament).

Concord loses Schowalter, Smith and Repass to graduation. Schowalter and Smith were starters all season; Repass overcame a serious medical condition her junior season to begin her senior year as a starter, only to suffer an ankle injury early in the season that cost her seven lost games and plagued her for weeks after that.

Here’s how graduation will hit other WVIAC teams:

The biggest impact will be felt at West Virginia Wesleyan, West Virginia State and Charleston. The Bobcats lose four seniors, including PF Sarah Van Horn. The Yellowjackets lose five, including PG Ana Siera, SG Jennifer Setter and the always-dangerous Brittany Mingo. The reigning league champion Golden Eagles will see only two seniors leave, but they’re important – SG Veronica Carman, whose elevated play down the stretch helped lift UC into the NCAA tournament, and C Jihan Williams, “Miss Double-Double,” who was WVIAC’s most dominant inside presence.

Shepherd loses PF Katie Warehime and SG Krissy Grosselin, who torched Concord in the conference tournament. Alderson-Broaddus’ starting lineup will have to do without G Chelsea Kuehner, SF Sonya Jones and PF Katie Pollak. Glenville State will have to reconfigure its backcourt following the departures of Mallory Menendez and Christine DiSabato.

Fairmont State loses four seniors, but returns G Ashley Vavrek. West Liberty loses F Evelyn Woods and G Julie Cessna, but gets back reigning Player of the Year G Tori Hansen, F Laura Malernee and others. Wheeling Jesuit bids farewell to G Shayla Holenka, but everyone else is due to return. Davis & Elkins’s backcourt duo of Teonna Jewell and Lindsay Holliday will be back. Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill, Ohio Valley and Bluefield State will be largely unscathed.

I’m terrible at prognosticating, but look for West Liberty State to be the pre-season favorite going into 2009-2010, with a group of teams hard on their heels. Charleston, Pitt-Johnstown, Glenville State, Seton Hill and, yes, Concord will be in the mix.

Just think: Less than eight months to tip-off.

Programming Note

Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, there will be no "Mountain Lion Weekly" tonight on Classic Rock 102.3 FM The River.
We hope to bring back the show next week, when we're scheduled to be joined by Concord women's basketball coach Kenny Osborne.
Show time is set for 6:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, March 24.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Thoughts On The Tournament

My first full season of following WVIAC basketball culminated with my first visit to the conference tournament at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum. So, while I’ve accrued some knowledge of the conference, I’m still new enough to it to retain a bit of an outsider’s perspective. It’s with that perspective in mind that I offer some unsolicited thoughts on this year’s tournament at the CCCC.

Gotta love the energy level.

Clichéd as it sounds, nothing that quite matches the intensity of post-season college basketball. Teams know their seasons are literally at stake, and it shows. The players perform with an added fervor. All the little things mean more – defending, rebounding, running fast breaks at a dead sprint, deflecting a pass, setting a screen, blocking a shot, drawing a charge, making a perfect outlet pass, establishing post position and so on and so on.

The players know they’re on the state’s biggest stage and their level of effort rises to meet it.

This was a tournament in which the champions – Charleston’s women and Pitt-Johnstown’s men – proved once again that tenacity is always the first part of a winning formula.

It’s a great place to watch a game.

The Charleston Civic Center Coliseum is a wonderful venue for basketball. Large enough to hold a big crowd, but not so huge that the game becomes distant. It’s expansive and intimate at the same time.

(I digress here, but … if I hadn’t gotten a comical series of bad directions trying to find the CCCC, this Charleston newbie wouldn’t have had to walk all over what seemed to be the length and breadth of the entire city to get from my hotel to the Civic Center. I’d be quiet about it, but my feet are still sore.)

Hey Cinderella!

Everything went pretty much according to form on the women’s side, but the men were visited by the upset bug.

Ninth-seeded Wheeling Jesuit had to win on the road in the first round just to get to Charleston; once they got there the Cardinals pulled another stunner in knocking off top seed West Virginia State. WJU almost made it three in a row before getting worn down in the semi-finals by Pitt-Johnstown.

Speaking of the Mountain Cats – some old conference hands have gritted their teeth over a Pennsylvania school winning the West Virginia Conference title, but UPJ earned it all the way with their back-to-the-future game plan. They defended and rebounded maniacally and set their tempo on offense.

The same could be said for the UC women.

It may not have been 21st-Century basketball, but it was certainly timeless.

Where is everybody?

We’re living in a tough economy, but the attendance seemed much too low for an event like this. Of course, the same could be said for virtually every other conference tournament around the country. Still, the fans that turned out got their money’s worth. Leading to the question….

How can it get better?

When in comes to basketball, the WVIAC is like a smaller-scale Big East. It’s a 16-team league with a high level of play, a tough schedule and a long tradition. So to improve the conference tournament, perhaps the WVIAC should take a page from it larger cousin and bring every team to one city. In this case, Charleston.

Of course, having 32 teams in one city presents a set of potential headaches and logistical demands. It would also require some very long days for tournament organizers and conference officials.

But it would also give every team and every player the opportunity to play on the state’s biggest stage.

It would also make it easier for teams in terms of travel planning and accommodations. Instead of not knowing its first-round location until 48 hours before tip-off, each team would know where it’ll be playing and where it’ll be staying well in advance. The same goes for fans.

Best of all, it would also create a week-long celebration of West Virginia college basketball. Charleston is the state’s largest city, and the local media does a wonderful job covering the tournament. Having every team in Charleston means added exposure for the conference, while doubling the possible story ideas and angles for the media. There would be a solid week’s worth of radio, TV, internet and newspaper stories about the WVIAC. Everybody wins.

Later on Inside The Headset: 32 Teams, Six Days, One Arena – How Can It Be Done?

MLW is back!

In a programming note: "Mountain Lion Weekly" returns to Classic Rock 102.3 FM The New River Tuesday night, March 17.
The special guest this week will be Concord men's basketball coach Steve Cox. We'll review the just-completed 2008-2009 season and take a look ahead to '09-'10.
"Mountain Lion Weekly" begins at 6:00 pm EDT.

Release The Pet Peeves!

One of the more therapeutic things about doing this blog is that it allows the opportunity to speak up on some things in broadcasting that just irritate the you-know-what out of me.
So, every so often, I'll go over to where I keep my Pet Peeves, rattle the cage, and turn them loose.
Like right now.


Why is it that, when reading the weather forecast, many broadcasters have to mention the sky?
Stay with me on this.
How many times have you heard a broadcaster say "mostly sunny skies" or "look for cloudy skies out there," when, if you think about it, WHERE THE BLEEP ELSE WILL IT BE CLOUDY OR SUNNY?

Now, if the forecast calls for "cloudy ground" or "sunny rivers," that would be different. But
shoe-horning the word "sky" into a weather forecast is redundant and a waste of time. Nobody likes redundant wastes of time.

(I digress: How many times has someone in radio used "Sunny Rivers" as an on-air name?)

What's next? Telling us the sun will rise in the east and set in the west? That people will inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide? That it'll be dark all night? That if it rains, the grass will get wet?



Whoa. I feel like Andy Rooney right now....

Final "Sentencing"

We've come this far, so let's not stop.
Here are summaries of the WVIAC Tournament championship games, in one sentence or less.


WOMEN
Charleston 64, West Liberty State 59: It's one thing to knock the Eagles down but it's another thing to knock them out; Charleston trails at halftime but gets the usual Jihan Double (19 & 12), defends like crazy (allowing just .322 shooting) and wears out the Lady Hilltoppers.

MEN
Pitt-Johnstown 74, Alderson-Broaddus 73 (2 OT): Instant classic; Mountain Cats stifle A-B's high-flying offense, get double-doubles from tournament MVP Marcus Tullis (30 & 10) and Patrick Grubbs (10 & 11), a near-double-double from Quenton Davis (21 & 8) and become the first Pennsylvania school to win the West Virginia conference championsip.


Coming up later on "Inside The Headset": Thoughts on the tournament.

More "Sentencing"

We continue our service to busy basketball fans who may have been too preoccupied to follow the 2009 WVIAC basketball tournaments, with summations of each game in one sentence or less.
It's time for a look at the men's tournament.

FIRST ROUND
at Shepherd 77, Concord 76: Outstanding, well-played college basketball that ended in buzzer-beating heartbreak for the Mountain Lions.
Wheeling Jesuit 89, at West Virginia Wesleyan 79: The Cardinals shock the conference in a matchup of two teams passing in opposite directions.
at West Virginia State 126, Ohio Valley 83: Yellowjackets look invincible in what should be a run to the title -- and perhaps home court in the NCAA regionals.
at Pitt-Johnstown 89, Davis & Elkins 72: Mountain Cats stay with their game plan and overcome Tim Turner's 38-point outburst.
at Fairmont State 77, Charleston 61: Thad McFadden misses 11 of 12 from 3-point range, but makes 11-17 from everywhere else and lights up the Golden Eagles for 33 points (with seven rebounds and four assists).
at Glenville State 77, Seton Hill 65: A big first half, 11-22 3-point shooting and balanced scoring get the Pioneers past the Griffins.
at Alderson-Broaddus 99, Salem International 56: Another day at the office for the Battlers; ten players score at least five points while A-B limits the Tigers to .364 from the field, .130 from the arc.
at West Liberty State 117, Bluefield State 87: Another day at the office for the Hilltoppers, who hit 17-38 3-pointers and reach triple digits for the 13th time in 28 games.


QUARTERFINALS

West Liberty State 97, Fairmont State 93: McFadden gets another 33, but the 'Toppers play their style of game and lead for nearly all 40 minutes -- although never comfortably.
Alderson-Broaddus 87, Shepherd 71: Close at halftime, but A-B holds the Rams to just .286 shooting in the second half and pulls away for a decisive win.
Wheeling Jesuit 84, West Virginia State 75: The Yellowjackets try 79 field goals -- and miss 50 -- while the Cardinals hit .531 from the field and a healthy 25-32 from the line in springing another upset.
Pitt-Johnstown 93, Glenville State 85: Mountain Cats trail early but pound away and wear down the Pioneers, attempting 21 more free throws (and making 15 more) in the process.


SEMIFINALS

Alderson-Broaddus 97, West Liberty State 78: A-B does its most important work on rebounding (a 51-32 advantage) and defense; they limit the Hilltoppers to .394 shooting, .174 from the arc, and their second-lowest point total of the season.
Pitt-Johnstown 67, Wheeling Jesuit 55: The Cardinals' surprising run ends because they can't matchup with UPJ's big center, Patrick Grubbs (13 points, 10 rebounds) and can't stop William Sharpe (10 assists, only two turnovers) from setting up the Mountain Cat offense.

Tournament "Sentencing," Part One

In case you've been away, or busy, or somehow otherwise preoccupied, here's a chance to catch up on what's gone on in the 2009 WVIAC Basketball Tournament.
Each game will be encapsulated in one sentence or less.
We'll start with the women.

FIRST ROUND

at Shepherd 94, Concord 79: The Rams' ferocious first 25 minutes put them ahead by 24 points early in the second half, and even going 7-12 from 3-point range down the stretch couldn't get the Lady Lions all the way back.
at West Liberty State 95, Bluefield State 38: Laura Malernee went off (7-13 3's, 21 points) and so did the rest of the Lady Toppers.
at West Virginia Wesleyan 73, Davis & Elkins 32: Anytime you can get all 15 players some minutes in the post-season, that's good -- ask the Lady Bobcats.
at Charleston 127, Salem International 25: No, this isn't a misprint, it's a 102-point margin of victory.
at Pitt-Johnstown 62, Wheeling Jesuit 59: The Cardinals started too slowly (.179 FG in the first half) for their fast finish (.500 in the 2nd) to fix.
at Fairmont State 67, Ohio Valley 50: The Fighting Falcons forced frequent flubs -- OVU committed 21 turnovers, allowing FSC to overcome .387 shooting.
at Seton Hill 67, Glenville State 49: Katie Lintner's double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) kept the Pioneers at bay.
at West Virginia State 62, Alderson-Broaddus 55: Katie Pollak and Tori Charley had double-doubles -- and Chelsea Kuehner 25 points -- for the Battlers, but State had Brittany Mingo (27 points, 10-21 FG, 19 rebounds, 4 assists), and sometimes one great player makes the difference.


QUARTERFINALS

Pitt-Johnstown 78, Fairmont State 76 (OT): The Mountain Cats led by 15 in the second half, Fairmont State got its inside game going (22 paint points) and forced OT, but UPJ shared amongst themselves well enough (26 assists on 28 made field goals) to survive and advance.
West Virginia Wesleyan 62, Seton Hill 48: You do not want to get behind the Bobcats early and let them impose Sarah Van Horn on you (25 points, 10-17 FG, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks).
Charleston 53, West Virginia State 52: Sometimes Sherry Winn wonders how her team wins games, and this must be what she means -- the Eagles shot .380, allowed 17 steals, committed 23 turnovers, tried 16 fewer shots, yet out-ground a grinding team.
West Liberty State 71, Shepherd 59: The Rams returned to earth, shot 1-11 from 3-point range, and couldn't contain Tori Hansen (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).


SEMI-FINALS

West Liberty State 64, West Virginia Wesleyan 56: The Bobcats tried 59 field goals to the Toppers 46, but made only 19 to the Toppers' 20, and the big culprit was inside shooting -- Wesleyan had missed six easy layups when I lost count.
Charleston 73, Pitt-Johnstown 56: An ankle injury and foul trouble limited UC star Jihan Williams to only 21 minutes, but Veronica Carman filled the void (23 points, 5-8 3-point shooting), the Golden Eagles grabbed 12 steals and wore down the leg-weary Mountain Cats.

One More Thank You

Last but not least, a big thank you to Robert, who drove the bus for the Concord women's team.
A good bus driver does a lot of little things to make road trips more tolerable, even enjoyable, and Robert did all that and more.

Goodbye, Thank You & Good Night

Liki Turner's buzzer-beater ended the Concord men's basketball team's season Tuesday night, capping a wonderful college basketball game in Shepherdstown.
With the Mountain Lion men and women eliminated from the WVIAC Tournament, our broadcast season has come to an end on Classic Rock 102 The New River and theriver102.com.

Time for some Thank You's.

Thanks to Lew Whitener, who started the season as an untested rookie board engineer, and ended it as a proven veteran.
Board operators do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that gets our games on the air. You would literally not be able to listen to Concord or Summers County sports on The New River without people like Lew, Nate Dogg, Candyman and Rick Rizer. Thank you, gentlemen.

Thanks to Concord Director of Athletics Greg Quick. The last few months have been a time of great change for Greg, but through it all he's been unfailingly supportive and optimistic. I admire him for it.

Thanks to Concord's coaches: Greg, and now Mike Kellar, in football; Steve Cox, Will Johnson and Don Christie in men's basketball; and Kenny Osbourne, Jamie Cluesmann and Wes Aldrich in women's basketball. Your time and effort was invaluable.
This was my first season working with the Concord program and the WVIAC. The learning curve was pretty steep. Greg, Steve, Kenny and their staffs made the learning process quicker and easier.
Thanks as well to the other Concord coaches that, like the football and basketball staffs, took the time to be guests on our "Mountain Lion Weekly" program (Tuesday nights at 6:00 on The New River): Steve Barrett, Carol Bonnes, Mike Cox and Pat Hardin, and soon to come, Kevin Barrett, Lisa Blankenship and Sabrina McCullough.

Thanks to new SID Joey Fama, who had a lot to learn in a little time.
Thanks to Anita Conner and Tina Barrett in the front office in the Athletic Department, who've been unceasingly helpful and always have a friendly word to say.

Thanks to WVIAC Associate Commissioner Will Prewitt, who does yeoman's work keeping everyone in and around the league upated on, well, everything. Every time you heard an updated score from another game around the league, that update came from Will.
Will also made my first-year learning curve much easier to negotiate.

Thanks to the great businesses who sponsored our Concord broadcasts. We look forward to working together again, and for a long time to come.

Of course, great thanks to all of Concord's players, without whom none of this would be possible.
I travel with the teams, and on every trip all the players conducted themselves well as representatives of Concord University. Plus, they're a hoot to be around.

And, thanks to everyone who listened on the air and on-line. Your support and kind words
mean a great deal to me and everyone at Southern Communications. We may be in the off-season when it comes to our Concord broadcasts, but we'll work year-round to get better at what we do.

The 2009 CU football season starts August 29. It'll be here sooner than we think.

Playoff Preview #1

"The cards are on the table now/And every other cliche somehow fits me like a glove."
-- Aztec Camera, "The Bugle Sounds Again"

Time to dust off the cliches -- it's tournament time in the WVIAC.
There's no tomorrow.
Everybody needs to step it up a notch.
This is what every team plays for.
It's one-and-done, so there's no room for slip-ups.
Etc.

But seriously, folks, this is the most exciting time of the WVIAC season. Sixteen teams in eight venues playing for a spot in the quarterfinals in West Virginia's "Big House" -- the Charleston Civic Center.

The women start their playoffs first. Concord visits Shepherd tonight.

Concord is one of a remarkable ten teams to get through the league schedule with a winning record. Unfortunately, the Lady Lions are seeded 10th out of those ten, and must visit 7th-seeded Shepherd.
Concord's home losses to West Virginia State February 21st and Charleston last Wednesday ultimately knocked them out of the top eight. And the Lady Lions started slowly before coming alive in the second half to rout Bluefield State 65-39 in their final regular season game Saturday afternoon.
Concord had a wonderful inside-outside mix against the Lady Blues. First-team All-WVIAC center Amber Schowalter did the double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, complemented by guard Meghan Cole's season-high 21 points and 5-8 3-point shooting.
Concord goes into the playoffs with seven wins in its last nine games. During that stretch, the Lady Lions have shot .489 while limiting opponents to .342.

Shepherd closed out the regular season by winning three straight, five of six and 10 out of 14. They're off two impressive road wins -- 55-53 at 4th-seeded Fairmont State last Monday and 66-58 at #5 Pitt-Johnstown two days ago -- that vaulted them into the top eight.
The Lady Rams feature Katie Warehime, who's in the league top ten in scoring, FG%, FT%, blocked shots and offensive rebounds. They also have one of the conference's top point guards in Jerica Hewitt, who's among the conference leaders in assists, steals and assist-turnover ratio.

The Lady Rams have won six straight home games after losing four of their first six at the Butcher Athletic Center.
They also may be a little cranky about their first meeting with Concord this season -- a heated, physical 87-67 Lady Lions win January 24 that saw Rams coach Jodie Runner pick up two technical fouls and get ejected -- much to the consternation of a large contingent of Shepherd fans who made the long trip to Athens.
So the Rams may have a playoff-sized chip on their shoulders for the rematch.

Catch tonight's game starting at 7:10 pm EST on the air at WMTD 102.3 FM The New River, and on-line at theriver102.com.