Back To The Future: A Division II Dynasty

[jksander]

January 2, 1939
#1 Winona State (13-1, 0-0) @ Minnesota State (8-5, 0-0)

Steve Booth should return to action in time for our Saginaw Valley State matchup two weeks from tonight, which could be a real battle. We, meanwhile, opened the conference season on the road tonight against Minnesota State, and we dominated early en route to a 24-16 lead with 8:43 to play. They fought back down the stretch to within four points, but with 3:55 to go we’d rebuilt our lead to 38-27, and we coasted to halftime up 50-34 over the Mavericks. They scored the first three points of the second half but we scored the next 14, leading 64-40 with 14:58 to play. From there it was just taking care of business as we left the Mavericks in our dust 89-64.

Player of the Game: Anthony Soward (35 pts 3 reb 2 ast)
Honorable Mention: Rickey James (20 pts 15 reb 2 ast 4 blk)
 
January 5, 1939
Concordia-St. Paul (7-5, 1-0) @ #1 Winona State (14-1, 1-0)

The Golden Bears kept up with us early, but we broke away midway through the first half, leading 18-13 with 12:15 to play. We took control firmly from there, leading 50-32 at the half, and we held them off nicely from there. This one went into the books as an easy win, 93-71.

Eddie Dunleavy, however, continues to have the worst luck from an injury standpoint. He’s out potentially until the Conference Tournament thanks to a broken hand, which happened barely eight minutes into the first half. His Senior season is looking to be a wash, with just 10 starts in 11 appearances, though his GPA is solid and he’s considering his career options in the criminal justice field.

Player of the Game: Rickey James (27 pts 10 reb 1 ast 1 stl)
Honorable Mentions: Jerrance Smith (12 pts 2 reb 10 ast 1 blk) Kevin Young (19 pts 2 reb 1 ast)

Kevin Young, our 6’5” junior backup point guard, is going to move into the starting lineup as a shooting guard for the next couple games. We’ll be playing a lineup of Smith / Young / Soward / James / Greenleaf until we’re able to shuffle 6’1” guard Steve Booth back into the mix, at which point Young will go back to being our sixth man. These will be his first two starts ever.

Saginaw Valley State is now ranked #7 in the nation and on a 12-game winning streak. We face them on the 16th. Wayne State’s RPI remains 9th in the nation after they beat Sioux Falls and knocked them out of the rankings. Both Wayne State and Sioux Falls remain on the cusp of the top 25, and judging by the strength of our conference, should remain so.

[jksander]

January 9, 1939
#1 Winona State (15-1, 2-0) @ Michigan Tech (8-5, 1-1)

The Huskies took four minutes to score, by which point we’d built a 9-2 lead on their own turf. They fought back, of course, and though we were playing well defensively, we weren’t shooting well allowing them to come back. With 9:23 to go we led 19-17, but our defense held and allowed us to slowly pull away again. By halftime we led 44-33 and were looking to put this one away quickly and efficiently in the second half. A 12-2 run in the first three minutes of the half did that nicely, expanding our lead past 20 and putting the Huskies back on their hind legs. They kept fighting, I’ll give them that … several times they inched back within 10 or 12 points, but we had them at bay and kept them there. With 5:24 to go we led 71-56, and strong shooting from “Sure Shot” Soward helped us finish off an 85-64 victory.

Player of the Game: Anthony Soward (36 pts 4 reb 1 stl 1 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Rickey James (13 pts 15 reb 4 ast 2 stl 2 blk) Kevin Young (10 pts 3 reb 3 ast 4 stl)

January 12, 1939
Minot State (5-9, 1-2) @ #1 Winona State (16-1, 3-0)

We built a strong dam against the Beavers’ attack, up 25-15 with 7:42 to play in the half, and despite early foul trouble from Soward and Young, we still went into the half leading 55-29. It was a blowout from there pure and simple as we destroyed Minot State 95-54.

Player of the Game: Rickey James (20 pts 13 reb 4 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Jerrance Smith (20 pts 7 ast 1 stl 2 blk) Anthony Soward (19 pts 3 reb 3 stl)
 
January 16, 1939
#1 Winona State (17-1, 4-0) @ #4 Saginaw Valley State (15-2, 4-0)

We faced down Saginaw Valley State and their 14 game winning streak tonight, and found ourselves in a serious shoot-out again as junior shooting guard (and Norton Candidate) Steve Booth tried to find his place within the rotation. With 9:43 to play we trailed the Cardinals 20-32 on their court, and were it not for “Sure Shot” Soward’s consistent shooting, we’d have been completely out of this one. As it was, he made room for some key outside shots by Rickey James and we stayed close enough to remain a factor, trailing 38-47 at the half against a team we’d need our A-game to claw back against.

A Soward triple with 19:27 to go made it a 43-49 game, but Booth was ineffective and we subbed Young back in to bring some balance back to our game. With 11:54 to play we trailed the Cardinals 52-62, but Saginaw Valley State went on a real tear and shredded us down the stretch, turning this quickly into a blowout. Only Soward and James emerged unscathed as we lost this one 72-89.

Booth played 15 minutes as a starter, putting up two points three boards and two assists with a steal. He’ll move down to sixth man, giving Kevin Young back the starting spot, while he gains some composure and confidence on the court.

Player of the Game: Anthony Soward (35 pts 1 reb 2 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Rickey James (14 pts 17 reb 2 stl 3 blk) Jerrance Smith (13 pts 4 reb 6 ast 1 stl)

January 19, 1939
Northern State (8-8, 2-3) @ #1 Winona State (17-2, 4-1)

Seeing we could be taken down, Northern State came out kicking early on, leading us 15-17 with 13:38 to play in the first half. And it stayed locked in from there, knotted 29-29 with 6:24 to go. But we played with composure and showed why we’ve been an impossible team to beat on our home court. We went into the half up 47-41 and were ready to fight our way out of this one as the second half got going.

Still, Northern State wouldn’t quit. With 17:19 to go in the game we were again knotted 49-49, and I kept reminding our players to hold tough, we’d been here before and turned games like this into blowouts. Back and forth it went, tied again 57-57 with 13:51 to play, but James helped us break away with a three that gave us a 63-57 lead with 11:38 on the clock. Three minutes later we held our first double-digit lead of the night, up 73-62, and we stumped them from there. This one went into the books as a win, 101-79, a blowout after 17 lead changes in the first 30 minutes.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (23 pts 8 reb 2 ast 5 stl 1 blk) – played 23 minutes
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Soward (27 pts 5 reb 2 blk) Jerrance Smith (12 pts 2 reb 10 ast 1 stl 3 blk)

Somehow, despite two decisive losses on the road, we maintained our hold on the top spot in the AP Poll. Coker (17-0) holds at #2, while Saginaw Valley State rises a notch to #3. Wayne State jumped to #17, while Sioux Falls climbed two spots to #20. Minnesota St.-Morehead, our next opponent, is 13-5 and on a four-game winning streak. We face them on their court, where they are 8-1 and just itching for a shot at sneaking into next week’s poll by offing us. In fact, three of our next four games are against teams in this conference with legitimate tourney potential … and all of them are on the road.

This stretch could get crazy.

[jksander]

January 23, 1939
#1 Winona State (18-2, 5-1) @ Minnesota St.-Moorehead (13-5, 5-1)

Moorehead got out to an 8-3 lead in the first two minutes, but Greenleaf gave us a 20-19 lead with 10:39 to go, and after a quick steal we went up 22-19 thanks to a jumper by Booth just nine seconds later. Moorehead kept it close – with 4:37 to go we were up by one, 34-33 and they outlasted us late, going into the half with a 41-43 lead. With 17:23 to go in the game the Dragons led 46-50, and the pendulum swung wildly from there via rapid lead changes. We went up 56-55 with 14:16 to go via a pair of Rickey James free throws, but the Dragons took over from there to rush ahead to a 61-65 lead with just 8:50 to play. With just over four minutes left we’d battled back to lead 72-70, and we won the shootout down the stretch to pull this one out 91-79.

Player of the Game: Kevin Young (26 pts 2 reb 1 ast 1 stl)
Honorable Mentions: Rickey James (18 pts 14 reb 2 stl 1 blk) Jerrance Smith (18 pts 1 reb 8 ast 1 stl)

January 26, 1939
#1 Winona State (19-2, 6-1) @ #20 Sioux Falls (15-3, 6-1)

Sioux Falls’ only loss in the conference so far is to Wayne State, so they have a really good resume building. We got out to a 16-10 lead on them in the first five minutes, but they played tough full-court basketball and we were definitely staying busy keeping a step ahead of them. With 7:18 remaining we held a tighter 28-25 lead on the Cougars, and they shot well enough to keep us off kilter and take a 33-34 lead with just 4:42 to go in the half. We traded leads back and forth from there, but were able to build enough momentum to lead 48-42 at the half. And though the Cougars scored the first five points of the half, pulling briefly back to within a point, we caught fire from there and with 13:56 to go we had a more comfortable lead 61-51. Though we weren’t able to truly put them to bed until the final moments, we held tough to win this one 87-77.

Kevin Young strained his knee and will miss the next two weeks. He’ll return for the February 9th game against Black Hills State, while Wright should hopefully be at full strength for our February 13th matchup against South Dakota M&T. We hope to have Eddie Dunleavy back for the conference tournament.

Player of the Game: Rickey James (18 pts 13 reb 1 stl 1 blk
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Soward (20 pts 1 reb 1 ast 2 stl) Kevin Young (12 pts 2 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk)

Obviously Steve Booth did not qualify for the first round of Norton cuts. He will return to the starting lineup for the next few games, however, and we’ll see if he can rebuild his on-the-court power in Young’s absence.

Incidentally, we face #14 Wayne State on the road this week. They are undefeated in the conference, as is #3 Saginaw Valley State. Since the two teams don’t play each other during the regular conference slate, it is our job to either dethrone Wayne State or there is at least a chance that TWO teams could go into the conference tournament without a loss.

[jksander]

January 30, 1939
Concordia (8-11, 4-4) @ #1 Winona State (20-2, 7-1)

I think Concordia’s Cobbers may have my favorite mascot … a giant, sneering ear of corn. He didn’t have much to do early on, as his Cobbers got clobbered 19-9 in the first eight minutes of play, and by halftime we had them on the ropes 40-28. The Anthony Soward Show was in full effect throughout the second half as we took the corn off the Cobbers 88-69.

Player of the Game: Anthony Soward (32 pts 2 reb 1 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Rickey James (20 pts 13 reb 3 blk) Steve Booth (15 pts 4 reb 2 ast 3 stl 3 blk)
 
February 2, 1939
#1 Winona State (21-2, 8-1) @ #14 Wayne State (16-4, 9-0)

We led briefly 7-3 early on, but Wayne State roared back and with 16:40 to go we trailed 7-11 and with 11:14 to go in the half they’d throroughly taken control of this one 19-29. We couldn’t seem to slow them down in any capacity, and by halftime we were in a deep hole in this battle of Warriors vs. Warriors, trailing 39-51.

We opened strong, scoring the first five points of the second half in just 90 seconds to narrow the gap to seven, down 44-51. But they had the momentum of a packed home gym on their side and wree quickly able to get back into their flow. With 14:45 to go we trailed 47-61. We kept chipping away, but every bit of headway we’d get they’d go on a run. Rickey James hit a nice jumper to make it a 58-66 game with just under ten minutes to play, and a Soward deuce made it a six-point game seconds later, the closest we’d had this since the early minutes. With 6:06 to go we’d kept it within two possessions, down 67-72, but they scored the only six points in the ensuing three minute stretch, our Warriors trailing their Warriors 67-78 with just 3:22 to play. We never quit, but even a Jerrance Smith three from deep in the final seconds couldn’t narrow the gap. We lost this one 80-84, Wayne State’s 12th consecutive victory.

Saginaw Valley State won their 20th in a row tonight, leaving them and Wayne State firmly in control of the conference at this point. We’ll have to hope for rematches in the conference tournament.

Player of the Game: Jerrance Smith (25 pts 3 reb 3 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Rickey James (21 pts 8 reb 2 ast 1 stl) Steve Booth (20 pts 8 reb 1 ast 4 stl 2 blk)

Despite our loss, nothing changed atop the AP Top 25, as our strength of schedule continues to keep us on top. #2 Coker (21-0) and #3 Saginaw Valley State (21-2) held their spots, while Wayne State (17-4) jumped three spots to #11. Sioux Falls also rose to #14. Coker has the 2nd toughest schedule in the nation, but the fact that our conference has four ranked teams and their Heart of America conference gives them little competition has kept us on top (and could conceivably see Saginaw Valley State eventually rise over them to #2!)

[jksander]

February 6, 1939
Mary (9-12, 4-6) @ #1 Winona State (21-3, 8-2)

With 9:58 to play in the first half we’d stormed the Mary Marauders’ pirate ship and found them defenseless, our lead at 28-17 without much strain. By halftime we’d blown them away 53-32 courtesy of 23 points by Steve Booth! We reamed them in the end by an 88-57 margin, keeping us 13-0 on our home court this season.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (31 pts 4 reb 2 ast 1 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Rickey James (16 pts 10 reb 1 stl 4 blk) Jerrance Smith (14 pts 2 reb 9 ast 3 blk)

February 9, 1939
Black Hills State (12-10, 5-6) @ #1 Winona State (22-3, 9-2)

Kevin Young and Roy Wright were cleared to participate in tonight’s game against Black Hills State, and the resulting beatdown early in the game was fierce. We led 28-13 with 9:44 to go in the half, coasting from there to lead 54-26 at the break. It was no sweat from there as we removed the Yellow Jackets’ stingers 95-54.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (30 pts 6 reb 2 ast 5 stl 2 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Roy Wright (15 pts 11 reb 1 ast 2 blk) Jerrance Smith (10 pts 3 reb 10 ast 1 blk)

February 13, 1939
#1 Winona State (23-3, 10-2) @ South Dakota M&T (9-14, 4-8)

The Hardockers fought us early, but we quickly got out to a 15-6 lead with 13:14 to play, and we led South Dakota M&T at the half by a 52-29 margin. They had no surprises for us from there, and though they shot well they were unable to undo the damage of the first half. We won this one easily enough 98-80.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (37 pts 4 reb 2 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Soward (28 pts 3 reb 2 ast 1 stl) Roy Wright (13 pts 13 reb 1 ast 2 stl 4 blk)

#13 Sioux Falls upset #3 Saginaw Valley State 73-70, ending their chance of finishing the conference season undefeated! Wayne State will face Sioux Falls next week with THEIR undefeated season and long winning streak on the line. Meanwhile Anthony Soward strained his knee and will need 10 to 14 days to recover. I am considering keeping him out of the lineup for these last three games and just bringing him back for the conference tournament. We’ve had a lot of bad luck with injuries and I don’t really want to risk losing him long term. He and Dunleavy can come back at around the same time and we’ll go into the postseason with a fully healed lineup.

February 16, 1939
Minnesota State (13-13, 5-9) @ #1 Winona State (24-3, 11-2)

Our final three opponents are ones we faced early in the season. And though we’ll play them all without “Sure Shot” Soward, we’re a healthy team right now with a five-man lineup capable of dominating pretty much anyone. Tonight we opened the game on a 10-0 run in the first three minutes, and with 7:51 to play we were well ahead of State, stomping them 36-20 at that point. By halftime we led 53-33 and they didn’t put up much fight from there. We secured our 25th win of the season with ease, 91-56.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (23 pts 7 reb 3 ast 1 stl 5 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Roy Wright (16 pts 9 reb 1 stl 1 blk) Kevin Young (16 pts 3 reb 4 ast 3 stl)

Saginaw Valley State lost another brutal game, this time to Northern State’s Wolves, who are currently 6-8 and outside the top 100 in RPI. So that hurt them a bit as they fell to #4 in the new AP Poll. Wayne State, meanwhile, went into the new edition of the AP rankings on a 16-game win streak, climbing a spot to #7. We held tight at #1, and Sioux Falls, fresh off their big win this week, rose to #10, giving our conference four top ten teams and making this week’s #7 Wayne State at #10 Sioux Falls game a marquee national attraction!

[jksander]

February 20, 1939
#1 Winona State (25-3, 12-2) @ Concordia-St. Paul (9-16, 3-11)

Earlier this afternoon Wayne State fell to #10 Sioux Falls 64-74, shaking things up atop the league and making it a lot more interesting heading toward the conference tournament, which any of the North Star’s four ranked teams is fully capable of winning! Tonight we dealt firmly with Concordia-St. Paul, pounding our way to a 24-8 lead with 11:42 to play, leading confidently at the half 50-29. They came out fighting in the second half, outscoring us 15-10 in the first eight minutes, but that was a hole they were never going to dig out of. We led 70-48 with 8:38 to play and and we crushed them from there, winning easily 89-61.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (32 pts 4 reb 1 stl 2 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Jerrance Smith (18 pts 1 reb 4 ast) Rickey James (10 pts 11 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
 
February 23, 1939
Michigan Tech (9-17, 2-13) @ #1 Winona State (26-3, 13-2)

Michigan Tech showed up early with their defense ready to play. With 14:47 to go in the first half they’d held us back 5-9, and with 10:17 to go in the half we were still down 9-11 in easily our slowest start of the season. Steve Booth hit a three to put us up 12-11 with 9:50 to play, and strong three-point shooting kept us ahead from there, up 20-14 with 7:10 left in the half. We reached the break with a nine-point lead, up 36-27, and needed to remain sharp if we weren’t gonna let them sneak back in.

We were alive from the start of the second half, pulling ahead 48-34 with 16:29 to go and leading with a firm hand from there. We blew them away down the stretch and closed out the season with a decisive 91-61 victory, outscoring the Huskies 55-34 in the second half.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (37 pts 6 reb 2 ast 3 stl 2 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Roy Wright (17 pts 14 reb 1 stl 1 blk) Rickey James (12 pts 16 reb 3 ast 1 stl 1 blk)

Final Conference Standings
NorthStar Atlantic East
(01) #7 Wayne State (15-1, 22-5) – RPI: 4
(02) #5 Saginaw Valley State (14-2, 25-4) – RPI: 7
(03) #1 Winona State (14-2, 27-3) – RPI: 1
(04) Minnesota St.-Moorehead (7-9, 15-13) – RPI: 98
(05) Loras (6-10, 11-16) – RPI: 224
(06) Concordia (5-11, 9-18) – RPI: 279
(07) Concordia-St. Paul (3-13, 9-18) – RPI: 263
(08) Michigan Tech (2-14, 9-18) – RPI: 289

NorthStar Atlantic West
(01) #9 Sioux Falls (14-2, 23-4) – RPI: 5
(02) Black Hills State (9-7, 16-11) – RPI: 55
(03) Minot State (8-8, 12-15) – RPI: 235
(04) Augustana (7-9, 14-14) – RPI: 141
(05) Northern State (7-9, 13-14) – RPI: 137
(06) Minnesota State (7-9, 15-14) – RPI: 95
(07) Mary (5-11, 10-17) – RPI: 213
(08) South Dakota M&T (5-11, 10-17) – RPI: 242

We earned the 3rd seed for the NorthStar Tournament, which earned us a bye. We could face a rematch against Saginaw Valley State as early as the Semifinals.

March 3, 1939
In the play-in round for the tournament:

- Concordia beat Black Hills State easily in a shoot-out, 88-79
- Minot State blew out Loras, 87-67
- Minnesota State held off Minnesota St.-Moorehead, 80-68
- Augustana narrowly escaped Northern State, 80-75

[jksander]

March 4, 1939
NORTHSTAR TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
(6) Minot State (13-15) @ (3) Winona State (27-3)

For the first time all year we are back to full strength! We came into the tournament with confidence and swagger, and with 13:40 to go in the first half we led Minot State 19-7. We led 46-23 at the half and were never truly challenged by the Beavers beyond that point, coasting to the Semifinals with a 90-69 victory.

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (24 pts 8 reb 3 ast 3 stl 2 blk)
Honorable Mention: Anthony Soward (28 pts 2 reb 1 stl)

All the other top seeds advanced to the semis. Wayne State stumped Augustana 70-53, Saginaw Valley State beat out Minnesota State 73-61, and Sioux Falls had a dominating win over Concordia 78-56. The Semifinals will be where we see who really has the right stuff in this conference – go big or go home!

March 5, 1939
NORTHSTAR TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
(3) Winona State (28-3) @ (2) Saginaw Valley State (26-4)

We shot well early in the half, as Smith, Booth and Soward each had triples that had us up 9-6 on Saginaw Valley State with 16:05 to play in the half. We still led 25-22 with 9:39 remaining before the break, and though it remained a back and forth battle we held our ground. With 4:05 to play we led 37-31, and despite a frenzied comeback from the Cardinals we went into the half clinging to a 44-43 lead.

Saginaw Valley State took the lead 55-56 with 15:43 left to play, but Soward connected on what looked like an impossible jumper over three defenders to put us back ahead 59-57 with 13:42 left. We continued to shoot well, and with 9:57 to go we held our biggest lead to that point, up 70-63 on the Cardinals and building steam! We led 86-72 with 4:56 remaining and they never turned it into a competition from there. We won this one easily down the stretch, 98-77!

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (28 pts 9 reb 3 ast)
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Soward (17 pts 2 reb 1 ast 1 stl) Rickey James (11 pts 9 reb 1 ast 1 stl)

Wayne State got revenge on Sioux Falls with a 76-53 defensive beatdown, setting up our shot to avenge our early February loss to the Warriors in regular conference play.
 
March 6, 1939
NORTHSTAR TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
(3) Winona State (29-3) @ Wayne State (24-5)

On our own court or any neutral court this season we’ve been unstoppable, and tonight was no different early on as we built a 9-2 lead on Wayne State with 17:32 to go in the half. Unlike when we faced them on their court, they came out tonight timidly and we took full advantage, blitzing our way to a 24-8 lead with 11:38 to play. Their attempts to come back were futile and we went into the half with a commanding 41-25 advantage, and they never recovered. We won this one in blowout style, 73-53.

And with the win we made a statement that we have to be considered top contenders for the title this year in the D2 National Tournament. Our rematch with undefeated Coker awaits!

Player of the Game: Rickey James (14 pts 19 reb 1 ast 1 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Roy Wright (10 pts 16 reb 1 ast 2 stl 4 blk) Jerrance Smith (13 pts 4 ast 2 blk)

March 12, 1939
D2 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT SELECTION SHOW

1st Seed, Greensboro: Winona State vs. Play-In Winner
2nd Seed, Greensboro: Sioux Falls vs. (15) Rockhurst (19-10)
1st Seed, Spokane: Saginaw Valley State vs. Play-In Winner
2nd Seed, Spokane: Wayne State vs. (15) Edinboro (22-9)

Coker got the top seed in the Milwaukee bracket, to face (16) Lynn (19-12) in the first round, so if the tourney stays mostly chalk, we should be expected to face them in the National Semifinals with the title game waiting as bait. But it's possible we'd have to get past Sioux Falls to do it, and both Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State over in the west have a shot of meeting us in the title game. A lot of wild scenarios!

Black Hills State got invited to the D2 National Invitational Tournament, where they’ll face Cal St.-East Bay in the first round.

Minnesota St.-Moorehead and Minnesota State both got invited to the D2 Futures’ Classic. Minnesota State will face Walsh (15-13) in the first round, while Moorehead will take on Fort Hays State (16-14).

[jksander]

March 13, 1939
Minnesota State pounded the Walsh Cavaliers 80-60, staying alive in the Futures Classic.

March 14, 1939
Black Hills State narrowly outlasted Cal St.-East Bay in a defensive slugfest, 55-53, to advance in the D2 NIT. Meanwhile, Morehead stayed alive to advance in the Futures Classic with a 79-71 victory over Fort Hays State.

March 15, 1939
Minnesota State took on Delta State (18-13) in the Futures Classic, falling in the end 66-73.
 
March 16, 1939
D2 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT QUALIFYING
(16) Crookston (20-11) @ (1) Winona State (30-3)

Three minutes into the game Crookston was falling apart. We led 20-7 with 13:30 left in the first half and we had them in a 46-25 headlock by halftime. The Golden Eagles deserve credit for getting here, but this was never a game they were going to win. We dominated our way to victory, 85-42.

Player of the Game: Rickey James (14 pts 13 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Steve Booth (18 pts 3 reb 1 ast 1 blk) Jerrance Smith (12 pts 3 reb 7 ast 2 stl 2 blk)

Sioux Falls blew away Rockhurst 86-62 in our regional. In the D2 NIT Black Hills State lost to Regis 73-77, while in the Futures Classic Moorehead outlasted West Texas A&M 71-64 to stay alive in that tournament.

March 17, 1939
Out west in the D2 National Tournament, Saginaw Valley State handled Ohio Valley down the stretch to win 82-66, while Edinboro was no match for Wayne State, the Warriors rolling over the Fighting Scots 84-60.

March 18, 1939
D2 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
(9) Lubbock Christian (22-10) @ (1) Winona State (31-3)

Our offense was streaky early, but we held a 17-7 lead on Lubbock Christian with 14:07 to go in the half, and we absolutely flattened them from there. Up 35-14 with 8:03 to go in the half, we coasted to the break with a punishing 54-31 advantage. We went on to win handily, 89-59, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen!

Player of the Game: Steve Booth (19 pts 4 reb 3 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Seward (20 pts 2 reb 1 ast) Jerrance Smith (11 pts 1 reb 7 ast 1 stl 3 blk)

Sioux Falls destroyed (7) Florida Southern 80-59 to advance as well in our bracket. It’s looking more and more likely we could face each other in the Elite Eight.

March 19, 1939
Saginaw Valley State won a shoot-out against Central Missouri 93-83 to advance, as did Wayne State over Lenoir-Rhyne in an 88-80 slugfest. So four NorthStar Atlantic teams advanced to this year’s Sweet Sixteen. Who will be the first to fall?

March 21, 1939
Back over in the Futures Classic, Moorehead won their way to another game, beating Trevecca Nazarene by a 92-87 margin in overtime! Not bad at all … our conference looks to make some serious gains as we head into next season.

[jksander]

It’s been a very “by the numbers” National tournament thus far, with only two major upsets making it into the Sweet 16. (13) Southern Indiana upset (4) Cheyney out in Spokane 74-62 in the first round, then beating out (12) Fayetteville 72-55 to earn their shot against Saginaw Valley State. Meanwhile, also out west in Dallas, (14) Missouri Southern stunned (3) Humboldt State 89-73, then stomped (11) TAMU International 70-57 to earn a shot against (2) Bridgeport. They are the only teams worse than a 5th seed in the Sweet Sixteen.

March 23, 1939
D2 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
(4) Virginia State (24-8) @ (1) Winona State (32-3)

VSU was prepared for this one, and they came in playing smart defense against our zone. We trailed 6-12 with 15:45 to play in the first half, and it wasn’t until 11:48 remained that we took our first lead 18-17 on a pair of Steve Booth free throws. They didn’t surrender, however, making this a back and forth battle for supremacy from there. With 6:13 to play they led 33-34, and we went into the half clinging to our own one-point lead, up 41-40 on the Trojans.

Virginia State continued to play smart ball in the early moments of the second half, refusing to fall back against us and leading again 44-45 with 17:54 to play. We answered by putting up an 11-5 run to build our largest lead thus far of the night over the ensuing three minute stretch, and with 9:20 to play we led 66-56, on the verge of breaking the game wide open. Though they continued to shoot well when they could find shots, we ground them down and led 79-63. That was all she wrote – we coasted from there to win this one 94-67.

Player of the Game: Rickey James (18 pts 9 reb 1 stl 3 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Steve Booth (20 pts 6 reb 2 ast 1 stl) Jerrance Smith (14 pts 6 ast 1 stl)

Cal Poly Pomona blasted Sioux Valley State 87-74, making them the first of the top eight seeds to fall during the tourney. But out west, Saginaw Valley State handled USI well in a fast-paced affair, winning 92-80, while Wayne State manhandled Wingate 84-60, business as usual. Onward to the Elite Eight! Missouri Southern proved to be this year’s Cinderella … they’ll be in the Dallas Regional Finals against (1) Palm Beach Atlantic, fighting for their shot at fame.

March 25, 1939
D2 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT REGIONAL FINALS
[b](3) Cal Poly Pomona (27-8) @ (1) Winona State (33-3)[/b]

This was another battle early on, with half a dozen lead changes and both teams knotted 19-19 with 10:46 to play in the first half. Cal Poly went on a run from there, and with 7:08 to go we trailed them 21-27 and were looking rough offensively. Trailing by as many as ten, we fought back late, but despite our best efforts we went into the break trailing the Broncos 34-37.

A pair of Soward free thows put us ahead 40-39 with 18:42 to go, our first lead since eight minutes into the game! We would then go on a 15-8 run over the next four minutes, taking our largest lead of the game 55-47 with 14:23 remaining. From there Pomona had nothing left in the tank and we ran away with this one, our eyes firmly set on our pending Final Four rematch with the Coker Cobras. We won this one in a blowout, 98-63, outscoring them 64-26 in the second half.

Player of the Game: Rickey James (15 pts 13 reb 2 stl 3 blk)
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Soward (23 pts 3 reb) Steve Booth (19 pts 3 reb 1 ast 2 stl 2 blk)

Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State faced off in the Spokane Regional Finals, and this time Wayne State was the one to run out of gas. The Cardinals blasted by them en route to a Final Four berth, winning 88-70.

That would set up the “chalkiest” of chalk Final Fours, with ALL FOUR top seeds advancing. We’ll face Coker (34-0) in the National Semifinals, with Saginaw Valley State (30-5) going up against Palm Beach Atlantic (31-4).

Moorehead faced off against SE Oklahoma State in the Semifinals of the Futures Classic, losing badly 77-94.

[jksander]

April 1, 1939
D2 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
(1) Coker (34-0) @ (1) Winona State (34-3)

Coker snapped our 12-game winning streak on December 19th, beating us 82-106 on their court in South Carolina. Now we get our rematch, with the title game on the line. For them, an undefeated championship is possible, as well as the proof that they should have been #1 in the polls all year. For us, redemption, one more shot at righting early season mistakes.

Regardless of the grudges involved, this was expected by all to be a real Co(r)ker.

With 14:28 to go in the first half we’d built a slight 15-10 lead on the Cobras, who were still finding their “slither” out there on the court. We built the lead to 31-17 with 8:16 to go in the half and seemed to have Coker on the ropes, but they remained within striking distance after a blistering half, our lead 50-40.

And our fortunes did not improve early in the second half, as Coker chipped away at the lead, trailing us 56-51 with 13:49 left to play. The game was tightly played from there defensively, and our offense just sputtered. With 4:44 to go in the game we were knotted 69-69 and this one was a barnburner! We went up 71-69 on a deuce by Stephen Louis, but Coker followed with a triple that gave them their first lead of the game! And Coker stumped us down the stretch, stealing this one 74-78 as they advance.

Player of the Game: Dave Jones (17 pts 9 reb)
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Soward (9 pts 1 reb 2 ast 2 stl) Jim Lackey (11 pts 1 reb 1 ast)

Saginaw Valley State beat Palm Beach Atlantic with ease, 75-63, allowing the Cardinals to move on to the title game where they’d be the last thing standing between Coker and a perfect season. The first half was played at a blistering pace, with Coker leading 36-26 with 9:05 remaining in the first half. The Cobras led 58-44 at the half en route to a by-the-numbers slaughter. With a 104-80 beatdown they secured their perfect 36-0 season and brought the college basketball season to a close.

Team Leaders
Scoring: Anthony Soward (23.6 ppg) Steve Booth (20.8 ppg)* Rickey James (14.3 ppg)
Rebounds: Rickey James (12.1 rpg) Roy Wright (9.6 rpg)** Steve Booth (5.0 rpg)*
Assists: Jerrance Smith (7.2 apg) Kevin Young (2.9 apg) Eddie Dunleavy (1.9 apg)***
Steals: Steve Booth (1.8 spg)* Eddie Dunleavy (1.1 spg)*** Rickey James (1.0 spg)
Blocks: Roy Wright (2.7 bpg)** Steve Booth (1.5 spg)* Rickey James (1.3 bpg)

* Stats for only 16 appearances due to injury.
** Stats for only 20 appearances due to injury.
*** Stats for only 14 appearances due to injury.

Graduating Players
PG – Jerrance Smith (3.0 GPA) 11.7 ppg 2.5 rpg 7.2 apg 0.7 spg 0.9 bpg (33 starts)
PG – Josh Penney (2.8 GPA) 2.0 ppg 0.8 rpg 1.3 apg 0.2 spg (28 appearances)
SG – Eddie Dunleavy (3.0 GPA) 8.9 ppg 4.0 rpg 1.9 apg 1.1 spg (10 starts, 14 appearances)

Awards
NorthStar Athletic Player of the Year: Rickey James
NorthStar Athletic Freshman of the Year: Anthony Soward
1st Team All NorthStar Athletic: Rickey James
1st Team All NorthStar Athletic: Anthony Soward
2nd Team All NorthStar Athletic: Jerrance Smith