HIGH POINT, N.C. – It’s said that revenge is a dish
best served cold. In Asheville’s case, it required an extra five minutes to
cook.
Gardner-Webb swept Asheville during the regular season,
adding fuel to the already heated regional rivalry. A third victory would have
put Gardner-Webb in the conference championship tilt for the first time since
it won the hardware in 2019.
After the sides were tied at 71 at the end of regulation,
Asheville used the extra time to outscore the Runnin’ Bulldogs, 12-1. Oh – and they
also took advantage of the time to get Drew Pember a triple-double (30 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists).
“There’s probably nobody who has more respect for
(Gardner-Webb coach) Tim Craft and that program than I do,” Asheville coach
Mike Morrell said. “I think one of the things that really motivated our guys
was that they were the only program in the league this year that we had not
beaten, and there’s a reason for that.”
“The experience that we’ve had in moments like these can be
our greatest weapon, but you’ve got to allow yourself to get there. Once you
do, it can take over. You’re not guaranteed that. I thought it did again today,
especially when we got it into overtime. We needed a stop to beat those guys at
home, and we didn’t get it. We got a stop to give ourselves another chance
(today).”
The game was as advertised. Neither side led by greater than
four points until the extra stanza. It hung on seemingly every possession. It,
like the game before it, was befitting a championship semifinal.
Pember’s triple-double – especially considering the
circumstances surrounding it – loomed large on the day. Morrell, as he is wont
to do, heaped praise on his senior star.
“The cool thing about Drew – and I tell this to people all
the time – is the way that he was raised and the character that he has. He
allows himself to be coached,” Morrell said. “When he’s old and gray and
getting grays like me, he won’t remember the stats. He’ll remember the bond
that he has with Trent, which is the biggest reason that he’s here anyway. He’ll
remember the memories, and he’ll remember the winning.”
“A triple-double … when he’s playing at the Y and he’s 50
and he’s beating up on some guy, he can tell some guy he had a triple-double
one day. He gets to play for another championship. That’s hard to do. That’s
not normal. It’s special.”
Gardner-Webb finishes its season 17-16, despite playing a
top-30 non-conference schedule. The Runnin’ Bulldogs seemed to lose steam a bit
once overtime arrived and had to play without senior star Lucas Stieber, who
suffered a foot injury in Friday’s quarterfinal. Craft expressed his pride in
the team and its effort.
“It’s always hard when it’s over,” Craft said. “I thought it
was a great college basketball game. There were two teams trying to fight to
keep their season alive. It was a great, competitive basketball game.”
“The way that our team has worked, sacrificed, and just bought
into the things that we’ve wanted to do – and really bought into each other –
you hate to see it end. It’s special to see the relationships in our locker
room. Guys truly care about one another and are devastated to have it end and
not to have another opportunity to be around each other for another day as a
team. That’s difficult for coaches and players. I’m proud of our season and
wish we could have done a better job from my perspective and from a coaching
staff perspective.”
Asheville (22-11) will play for back-to-back championships
for the first time since doing so in 2011 and 2012. The Bulldogs won both of
those championships, beating Coastal Carolina and VMI, respectively. The
achievement is not lost on Morrell, especially considering the four-win season
the Bulldogs endured in his first campaign at the helm.
“I just really value failure. You’re just not getting here
without it,” Morrell said. “You’ve got two ways to look at defeat and failure –
woe is me or grit your teeth a little bit. That’s how I was raised. You don’t
do it alone. Winning is through the support of people around you. In basketball,
the most important thing with winning is players. I definitely ain’t
outcoaching anybody when it comes to that, so you’ve gotta have guys like
(Pember and forward Toyaz Solomon).”
“I think the thing that’s become a little more special for
me as I get on is – and I didn’t create this at UNC Asheville. It was there
before me with (former coaches Eddie Biedenbach and Nick McDevitt) and guys
before them. Thankfully for me, after four years (in my first year), I didn’t
get run off. It’s a special place. That, for me, as I grow older, is the thing
that I value the most – the culture that we’ve built.”
Second-seeded Asheville advances to Sunday’s Big South final
against fifth-seeded Longwood, pitting against each other the two most recent
Big South tournament champions. The sides split the season series, with each
side winning at home. Asheville knocked off Longwood, 65-61, in Asheville, with
the Lancers returning the favor, 80-75, in Farmville.
“Just like the last two have been, it’ll be an absolute war,”
Morrell said of the matchup. “Thankfully, it won’t be a road game where we’re
playing High Point. It’s a neutral-site game. They’re going to want it just as
much as we will. Griff is an unbelievable coach. He’ll have his guys ready. I’ve
got a ton of respect for those guys. At this point in the year, it’s nothing
but will. It’s not about an ‘X’ or an ‘O’. Those guys will be ready, just as I
know we’ll be.”
Tip time is set for noon Eastern Sunday, with coverage slated
for ESPN2.
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