Mild Upsets in Central District Quarterfinals
In two of the four games last night, the lower seeds advanced with road victories. #7 seed Shawnee CC ventured to #2 Olney Central College, while #5 seed Wabash Valley College returned to Belleville (IL) to take on #4 Southwestern Illinois College. A place where the Blue Storm “monsooned” the Warriors 81-53 just a few weeks back. In both match-ups, the teams had split regular season games, each winning on their home court.
Olney Central and Shawnee had played two tightly contested games. The Blue Knights won 79-73 in the first meeting back in early February, but the Saints returned the favor a month ago with a 77-74 overtime thriller.
Besides the drubbing Valley took at Belleville, in the other WVC/SWIC contest in Mt. Carmel, the Warriors led early, but had to overcome a late deficit to force overtime, and eventually pulling away for an 89-86 win.
So now, here we are, the second season (post) has arrived. And the rubber games, the ones that extendor end seasons, were center stage. Remember, earlier I stated all previous games went to the home teams….wait, hold my Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar!!!
Shawnee, in fairly dominating fashion, led most of the second half by double digits, and drove away from Olney with a 70-57 conquest. The Blue Knights, at home, where they were 11-1 and had won ten in a row, really had no answers all night long. Olney, possibly the best 14-7 team in the country, find themselves watching the rest of the postseason. Probably not what they expected, playing at home, against the #7 seed, but very indicative of the balance in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (plus Vincennes) in this covid altered year.
With the loss, a once promising season for the Blue Knights came to a screeching halt. With victories over Vincennes and John A. Logan twice during the regular season, and entering the postseason with a #2 seed, all they can do now is wonder “what if?”
Shawnee CC, now 7-11, lives to play another game, another road game, as they travel across state lines to Indiana to face #3 seed Vincennes in a 7:00 (EDT) tip-off. VU is the reigning NJCAA National Champion, having won the title in 2019. There was no Champion crowed last season as the tournament fell victim to the covid forced isolation.
Back to Belleville, where the Blue Storm and Warriors were getting ready for round three of their head-to-heads this season. In the beginning, Wabash Valley had to be thinking Deja Vu! Southwestern, playing on Jay Harrington Court (named after their legendary, HOF, head coach), ambushed the Warriors again, racing to a 38-23 halftime lead.
Call it a reversal of fate, short memories, or the best dang halftime motivational speech ever by Warriors head man Mike Carpenter (or possible a tad bit of overconfidence by the host team), whatever…WVC stormed back hard in the second half and knotted the score at 44 midway through, after reeling off ten straight. SWIC regained control and the lead, however Valley, refusing to lose, used a 14-0 run to complete the comeback, emerging with the 67-64 victory.
Actually the Warriors mounted their fierce comeback using only 18 minutes of the second half clock, as neither team scored in the final 120 seconds. SWIC had one last chance to tie after a missed Valley FT with 10 seconds left, but committed a turnover and never got a shot off.
SWIC finishes at 11-9. Wabash Valley moves to 12-9, and secures a date at #1 seed John A. Logan College (16-4) on Wednesday night. The ball goes up at 6:00 CDT.
