The top-seeded Hilltoppers (31-2) blistered the nets at a 73 percent clip in the first half and raced away to their fourth victory of the season against the outgunned Bobcats (22-9), clinching a third consecutive trip to the Atlantic Region championship game.
West Liberty opened up a 33-22 lead on C.J. Hester’s twisting drive to the hoop midway through the first half and the lead never dropped below double-figures the rest of the way.
The sizzling Hilltoppers took their first 20-point lead, 47-27, on a layup by All-Region guard Alex Falk at the 5:02 mark and went on to lead by as many as 27 points before settling for a 61-40 advantage at the half.
West Liberty cooled off somewhat in the second half but continued to pull away, pushing the margin as high as 32 points coming down the stretch.
Falk scored 26 of his game-high 29 points in the first half to lead the Hilltoppers while freshman C.J. Hester notched a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Tim Hausfeld and Shawn Dyer added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
All-Region guard Raymont McElroy paced the Bobcats with 22 points.
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