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Wednesday, 22 February 2012 21:07 |
 Junior forward Kelsey Sharkey attempts a layup against a Furman defender in Monday nights game. The Mountaineers won 85-70. Paul Heckert | The Appalachian
The Mountaineers (22-4, 16-2) took control early with a 35-12 advantage at the under 8:00 media timeout. That lead proved insurmountable for the resilient Paladins (12-14, 8-9).
“This game was a lot like our old style of basketball,” head coach Darcie Vincent said. “We shared the ball on offense and the kids really enjoyed playing with each other tonight.”
Appalachian jumped on the Paladins in the opening minutes, running a new dual point guard system featuring junior Raven Gray and senior T.C. Weldon.
“Those two had 32 points and eight assists with only one turnover between them,” Vincent said. “The two of them are used to passing and with both of them on the floor, you see that we’re not just settling for good shots but we’re getting the better shots.”
Thanks to some pesky defense in the later stages of the first half, Furman was able to battle back. By halftime, they were only trailing the Apps 42-26.
The Paladins opened the second half with a 12-2 run that trimmed Appalachian’s 23-point lead down to 46-38. But the Mountaineers went on to a 17-6 run of their own over the course of the next four minutes, putting the game out of reach at 63-44.
“When teams make runs on you, you’re showing weakness,” Coach Vincent said. “If we have to play them again in the SoCon tournament, I want them thinking about how we just put a whooping on them.”
Weldon’s senior night was also arguably her best game in a Mountaineer uniform - to the tune of 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
“In practice we have worked on being more aggressive,” Weldon said. “Playing with Raven gives me the opportunities to leak out on the break and do other things off the ball.”
Gray finished with 12 points, while junior Anna Freeman and freshman Maryah Sydnor pitched in 10 and 18 points respectively.
The Apps’ victory pushed their home record to 11-1 in the Holmes Center.
For seniors Weldon, Canesha Edwards, Catherine Williams and Ashleigh Kelly, the final win at home was likely their last chance to play in front of Mountaineer fans.
For some, the time in Boone has flown by too fast.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Edwards said. “It’s just unreal how fast these four years have been, but they have been really enjoyable.”
Coach Vincent had nothing but positive things to say about a group that, for the most part, signed on to play with the previous regime.
“When they were recruited, they expected one thing and then got another with me,” Vincent said.“Those kids were not expecting to be in the record books and winning championship, doing things like that. Hopefully a few years down the road, they can look back and be really proud of what they were able to accomplish.”
The Mountaineers’ will take on Samford Saturday at 3 p.m. in Birmingham, Ala.
Story: TYLER WOOD, Sports Reporter
Photo: COURTNEY ROSKOS, Intern Photographer |
