The Best Virginia squad gave it the old college try, but in the end it wasn’t enough as they saw their chance to earn a one million dollar payment slip through their fingers. Eberlein Drive (based in Detroit) upended BV 85 to 77 in Charleston this past Thursday.
It was a roller coaster week for Best Virginia as a win over Shell shock on Monday not only propelled the darlings of the Mountain State to their first final four appearance in TBT history, but also helped Mountaineer Nation overcome the heartache of the 2023 NCAA Tournament loss to Maryland.
Shell Shock, composed of several former Terps, took a 13-point shelling 74 to 61 in front of a sizable crowd at the Charleston Civic Center.
Best Virginia came out hot and put the heat on the crabs with some big time pressure defense. The Shells were definitely shocked as they struggled to put the ball in the hoop early. BV would jump out to the double-digit lead (19 to nine) at the end of the first quarter and never would relinquish it, going wire to wire for the win.
James Reese V was once again the scoring machine with his third consecutive 20-point plus outing. He netted a game-high 24 points on nine of 18 shooting. Toby Okani was the only other player to find double figures, scoring 10 points while adding six rebounds. Several other players would make major contributions with six hoopsters adding five points or more to the team total.
The perimeter defense was spectacular for Best Virginia, holding the Shell Shock squad to just 16 percent from three-point land. It wasn’t as if the shells didn’t take their fair share of attempts as they hoisted 25 shots from deep. Best Virginia also won the rebounding war for the third time in four games.
The lock-up with Eberlain Drive was highly contested until the Elam Ending. Best Virginia knew ED would provide stiff competition. They were coming off a final four appearance in 2024 and returned the nuclear of last year’s edition.
Best Virginia actually outscored its opponent 14 to 13 in the fourth quarter as a whole, but the final push in the Elam Ending saw Eberlein Drive hold the eight to two scoring advantage to close out the contest. Rebounding was a major issue for BV. they were outrebounded 43 to 22 with 19 of those giving second chances on the offensive end for their opponent. The whistle didn’t blow their way, either, as ED was 18 of 21 from the foul line compared to their five of nine from the charity stripe.
Four players found double-digit scoring for Best Virginia. Reese V led the squad with 15, Okani netted 14, Jarrod West and Will Vorhees each had 10 apiece. West also dished out a team best eight assists and tied J.D. Weatherspoon for team high rebounding with four caroms each.
The coaching staff did a remarkable job throughout this tournament. Jarrod West was lights out and his assistants Ron Everhart and Donald Kummer were equally impressive.
West was mic’d up and you could listen to their interactions with the players. They all three did an exceptional job! This entire squad gave us all something to cheer about during a time of year where there isn’t much going on in the world of sports. Fans are already talking about next year’s tournament, which makes this year a huge success!
That will do it for now! Until next time . . . take care and God Bless!!!
