First off, congrats again to topdogg on an impressive tournament performance, sweeping and getting the auto-invite for season 107. I think this was a strong field of teams and I look forward to seeing teams that seem like they are having slowish starts due to the tough schedule having deep NT runs. I hope everyone enjoyed this year’s Classic, and thanks to everyone for their participation. I look forward to seeing everyone back in the tournament again before long. As always, if anyone thinks they will have a good team in 2 seasons (next year is already scheduled) send me a note. I might not be able to get you in that year’s tournament necessarily, but I’ll work to get you in one soon. In fact, topdogg gave me a note after the first tournament, so I gave his team a closer look and got him in this season (clearly, he was right about his team), so let me know – I cannot see potentials and am just guessing who will be good in 2 seasons.
STANDINGS
Coker 5-0
Lewis 3-2
Adams St. 3-2
Tiffin 2-3
Augustana 1-4
Abilene Christian 1-4
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Augustana 59 @ Coker 95
Key Stat: Coker’s defense gave them the edge in this contest, causing 34 turnovers, more than Augustana has had all season by a fair margin, against just 7 assists, by far Augustana’s lowest total of the season.
Key Moment: It was in the middle of the first half, where Coker was actually trailing early by 11-9 that they went on a 24-6 run to give them a 16-point lead that they were able to build onto as the game progressed.
Key Performance: Even though PG David Villareal was the focus on the offense and didn’t shoot very effectively (7-17 from the floor and 4 of 11 from the line), his 17 points did help him win POG honors, but most importantly, he set the defensive tone from the point with 6 steals.
Tiffin 84 @ Abilene Christian 53
Key Stat: Like Coker, Tiffin’s defense was the key in their victory against ACU, holding ACU to just .311 shooting percentage and adding 11 steals.
Key Moment: After turning a 6-point lead into a 13-point halftime lead in the last 2:30 of the first half, Tiffin opened up the 2nd half on a roll and went on a 13-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Key Performance: Coming off the bench, PG Michael Williams had a really solid game that garnered him POG honors. While he chipped in 10 points, he also collected 4 steals and an impressive 7 assists.
Lewis 81 @ Adams St.93
Key Stat: Adams St.’s ability to draw fouls was the major story in this one. Lewis committed 36 fouls compared to Adams St.’s 19, resulting in 35 more free throw shots for Adams St.
Key Moment: After trailing by as much as 10 points in the second half, Adams St. was trailing by 7 with 9:15 to play. In the next 3 minutes, that would flip into a 6-point lead.
Key Performance: While Adams St. SG William Beaird’s 24 points was good to get him POG honors, the most impactful performance in deciding the game was Lewis PG Joseph Gilyard’s early exit. The Lewis star with the highest team PPG (16.2) was limited to 9 points in just 13 minutes of play before fouling out.