Those who braved the elements and paid to watch Concord’s basketball doubleheader against Glenville State Monday night in Athens certainly got their money’s worth.
The women’s and men’s teams each played wild, intense, pulse-pounding contests whose numbers demonstrate their entertainment value. The four teams combined for 403 points, 266 field goal attempts, 131 attempted free throws, 99 fouls, 15 double-digit scorers (including a 41-point scorer, a 33-point scorer and two 28-point scorers) and two double-doubles.
In the end, the Glenville State women held off Concord 111-106, the Mountain Lion men returned the favor with a 102-84 victory in front of the noisiest Carter Center crowd of the season.
MEN: CONCORD 102, GLENVILLE STATE 84
The Mountain Lions went into their matchup with the Pioneers off an uneven showing at Davis & Elkins two days earlier. Concord saw an early lead turn into a 30-point halftime deficit, shot just .302 from the field and allowed the Senators to shoot .517 in an 83-59 defeat at the McConnell Center that was Concord’s fourth straight loss and seventh in eight games.
Monday night was very different. Perhaps taking umbrage at the remarks the Glenville State men directed toward the Concord women from the bleachers during the night’s first game, CU sprinted out to a 13-0 lead, weathered the Pioneers’ inevitable comeback, broke open the game with a big second-half rally and sent GSC to its eighth consecutive loss.
Concord was ahead 20-4 when Glenville State went on its first big rally, a 29-15 spurt to get within 35-33 with 6:07 left before the break. Things stayed close until Derek Lewis gave Concord an unexpected lift. In the final four minutes of the half, the reserve center scored seven points, including a put-back of a missed shot at the buzzer that stretched the Mountain Lions’ lead to 59-48 and fired up an already-boisterous home crowd.
Aaron Dobson gave Glenville State a lift early in the second half, scoring eight points in 3:26 to help bring his team within 64-61. The Pioneers would be within 72-67 with 13:06 left before Concord embarked on a decisive rally.
When it crested ten minutes later, the Mountain Lions would lead by 24 points – 100-76 – and had secured their third home win of the season.
Senior Matt Parker turned in career night for Concord, with 28 points on 8-10 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point range. Freshman Kortea Johnson just missed a double-double, finishing with 19 points (shooting 6-8 from the field) and eight rebounds. Freshmen Gentry Shrewsbury and Rick Alderman respectively added 11 and 10 points.
Dobson topped Glenville State with a double-double 28 points and 11 rebounds. Gabe Gibbs chipped in 22 points and six rebounds.
In a tightly-officiated game, the two teams combined for 58 fouls (including two technical fouls, one on each team) and 74 free throws. Concord was 29-38 (.763) from the line, Glenville State 29-36 (.806). Four players fouled out, three of them Pioneers.
Concord’s 102 points were a season high, eclipsing the 96 in an eight-point win over Ohio Valley on January 16th.
The Mountain Lions also set a season mark by shooting .615 from the field (32-62). Monday was CU’s first 100-point game of the season and its fourth shooting .500 or better.
The Mountain Lions improved to 5-16, 4-12 WVIAC. Glenville State dropped to 5-17, 4-13.
WOMEN: GLENVILLE STATE 111, CONCORD 106
The first time the Concord Women faced “The System” employed by Glenville State’s first-year head coach Bunky Harkleroad, the Lady Lions wilted under the Pioneers’ physically-harassing pressure tactics, committed 30 turnovers, fell behind early and wound up on the wrong side of an 88-69 final.
In round two, the Lady Lions went step-for-step with the WVIAC’s most up-tempo team, but small stumbles, a player-of-the-year performance by GSC’s Donita Adams and a bad break at the end gave the decision to the visitors.
A three-pointer from CU point guard Sarah Blevins snapped a tie and put the Lady Lions up 105-102 with 3:15 left in regulation, and the Lady Lions got defensive stops on the Lady Pioneers’ next two possessions.
But a Concord turnover led to a pair of free throws from Adams – the conference’s leading scorer -- to make it a one-point game, and after a missed CU shot Adams struck for a three-point play to put the Pioneers ahead 107-105 with 1:40.
But another Concord turnover resulted in two more free throws – this time from Ginny Petties – pushed the GSC lead to 109-105. A Jolysa Brown free throw brought CU within 109-106, and the Lady Lions nearly got a miracle shot to tie the game. Chasing after a missed three-point attempt, Concord’s Camisha Alexander leapt into the air at the sideline in front of the Concord bench, snagged the bouncing ball and flung it toward the basket.
The ball went through the net, but one of the officials ruled Alexander had stepped on the sideline, and the miracle faded away. Adams sank two more free throws to close out the scoring.
A short-handed Concord team – playing without injured starters Sierra Brown and Sidney Lindsey and top reserve Meghan Cole – started strongly and led by as many as 18 points (37-19) in the first half. But the Lady Pioneers withstood the outburst and countered with a 34-12 rally that put them ahead 53-49 at halftime.
Glenville State would lead 82-71 following a three-pointer from Adams with 12:54 left in the second half. Concord then staged a 20-4 run – fueled by ten points from Alexander -- to go up 91-86 with 8:48 remaining. A 12-4 counter-rally put GSC up 98-95, but a three-point play from Alexander and a layup from freshman Haley Smith had CU ahead 100-98 with 4:30, setting the stage for the dramatic ending.
Alexander put in one of the finest performances in program history. Getting up after being knocked to the floor time and again, the sophomore finished with a career-high 41 points – the highest single-game total in the conference this season. She was 13-22 from the field, 6-10 from three-point range and 9-11 from the free throw line.
Brown contributed yet another double-double – her league-leading ninth of the season – with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She nearly got a quadruple-double, finishing with seven assists and six blocked shots.
Smith, making her first college start, went for 21 points on 9-15 shooting, adding six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Adams burnished her credentials as a Player of the Year candidate with 33 points – her fourth game of 30-plus points this season and her 15th of 20 or more. The senior was 8-19 from the field, 4-8 from three-point range and 13-14 at the line. She also notched six rebounds and four assists.
Beth Deren, playing the entire second half with four fouls, finished with 18 points and six rebounds. Autumn Davis chipped in 17 points and Ginny Petties 16.
Harkleroad’s “System” is predicated on overwhelming its opponents with sheer numbers, and it worked on Monday. Glenville State shot just .398 from the field while Concord found enough avenues against the Pioneer ball-chasing defense to finish at .544. The Lady Pioneers were .364 from three point range, compared to Concord’s .440.
But Glenville State attempted 88 field goals – 21 more than Concord – and while CU made 37 to GSC’s 35, the major difference came outside the arc.
The Lady Pioneers heaved a remarkable 44 three-point attempts – 19 more than Concord – with the saturation tactic producing a crucial 16-11 advantage in made three-pointers. It was a 15 point difference in what wound up being a five-point final margin.
Monday’s loss snapped Concord’s two-game winning streak and left their record at 12-9, 9-7 in the WVIAC. Glenville State ended a two-game losing streak to head back home at 13-8, 11-6.
Both Concord teams return to play with a doubleheader Wednesday against Wheeling Jesuit. The women’s game will tip off at 4:30 pm EST, with the men to begin at 6:30.
Both games will be broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River (102.3 FM WMTD) and webcast at www.theriver102.com, starting at 4:00.