WEST LIBERTY, WV – Alex Falk poured in a career-high 32 points Saturday afternoon but it was the West Liberty junior’s work at both ends of the court that keyed the No. 3-ranked Hilltoppers’ 89-76 victory against upset-minded West Virginia Wesleyan at the ASRC.
The lone returning starter from last year’s Atlantic Region championship squad, Falk hit 10-of-14 shots from the floor and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe while leading the up-tempo West Liberty (16-1, 11-0) defense with a career-high 7 steals.
“Alex Falk was a man on a mission today,” Hilltopper head coach Jim Crutchfield said. “Just when you think he can’t play any harder, he shows you another level. It was an unbelievable performance.”
Falk’s tenacity came in handy for West Liberty as a talented Wesleyan (8-6, 4-6) squad mounted an impressive comeback during the middle part of the game to threaten a Hilltopper win streak that now stands at 14 games.
West Liberty took command from the opening tip, forcing several Bobcat turnovers and turning many of them into quick points in racing out to a 40-18 lead with 6:42 still to play in the first half.
Wesleyan caught fire at the same time the Hilltoppers were cooling off and outscored West Liberty, 16-5, the rest of the way to cut the halftime deficit to a more manageable 45-34.
The Bobcats picked up where they had left off when play resumed and took their first lead, 51-50, on a T.J. Thompson runner as the clock ticked past the 15-minute mark.
“When you play as fast as we do, there are a lot of possessions in a game,” Crutchfield said. “We hit a dry spell where we missed a few shots and made a couple of turnovers. The next thing you know, a 22-point game becomes an 11-point game and then a few minutes into the second half, you’re looking at a one-point deficit.”
The teams traded the lead for a couple of possessions before Falk put the hosts ahead to stay, 54-53, on a pair of free throws after being fouled on a drive to the hoop.
Falk then came up with a steal at the other end and was fouled, dropping in two more free throws for a 56-53 lead.
Wesleyan got a driving layup from Raymont McElroy at 13:57 but the Hilltoppers had weathered the storm and were ready to roll.
Chris Morrow fed C.J. Hester for a wide-open layup and Cedric Harris followed with a 16-foot jumper in transition. Falk came up with another steal and found a wide-open Harris for a runout layup before Morrow connected on both ends of a 1-and-1.
Keene Cockburn wrapped up the 10-0 run with a breakaway layup when the Bobcats were late returning to the court after Colby Wohlleb had picked up his fifth personal foul with 11:50 remaining and West Liberty was back in command, 66-55.
The Bobcats never threatened again and the Hilltoppers led by as many as 16 points down the stretch.
“I thought we showed good mental toughness when Wesleyan came back and took the lead,” Crutchfield said. “We didn’t panic. We just got back to working hard for good shots and applying defensive pressure and put together a real nice run.”
Falk led five double-figure scorers for West Liberty. Morrow finished with 15 points while Hester, Tim Hausfeld and Shawn Dyer all checked in with 10 points. Hester added 11 rebounds for his team-high fifth double-double of the season.
Kelsey Williams paced Wesleyan with 21 points and 10 rebounds while fellow frontliner Mike Washington added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.
“It was nice to have four straight home games,” Crutchfield said, “but now we have to pay for it a little bit with trips to Davis & Elkins, Bluefield State and Concord next week. It will be a challenge for us but you have to be durable and you have to be able to win on the road if you want to win this conference.”
The Hilltoppers play at Davis & Elkins on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Elkins.
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