#1 Story of the 2012-2013 Year
Emotions run high as William Penn defeated Mount Mercy for the MCC Title. (file photo)
Oskaloosa–Its regular season made it to #4, but the men’s basketball team’s run to the national title game was unquestionably the top story of the 2012-2013 athletics year.
Getting back to Point Lookout, Mo., was the program’s first goal, but walking into Keeter Gymnasium, on the campus of the College of the Ozarks, as the #1 team in the land was a dream come true for WPU.
Behind easily the largest group of fans for any team rocking the gym, the Statesmen opened their trip just hoping to not fall on their face.
#32 seed McPherson did not make it easy in the first round, actually leading 30-25 at the break. The navy and gold regrouped after intermission and First-Team All-American Brandon Beasley, battling an ankle injury suffered earlier in the week, led them to the second round with a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds.
William Penn seemed to have things well in order against #17 Bethel (Ind.) in the round of 16, only to watch the Pilots narrow the deficit to one midway through the second half. The Statesmen persevered, though, and went on a 17-0 run to put the game out of reach.
By the time it reached the quarterfinals, the bracket had cracked wide open for William Penn as it met Cinderella in the form of #25 Midland.
The Statesmen were anemic on the offensive end, but still had a chance to win at the end. Down 66-65 with seven seconds left, Beasley pushed the ball up the court. The best player on the hardwood, there was little question the ball would be in his hands at the buzzer…and it almost was.
The senior fired up quick a mid-range jumper that sailed long, but as the air was deflating from WPU’s championship balloon, teammate James Devlin rebounded the loose ball, backed into the left corner directly in front of his bench, and drained the game-winner as the horn sounded. Pandemonium ensued!
The Statesmen were walking on air after the victory and rolled that momentum into another tremendous second half to drop #20 Grace (Ind.) in the semifinals. The squads were knotted at 36-36 at halftime, but the second stanza belonged to the navy and gold.
Winning the final game of the year is the ultimate goal and William Penn had the chance to do just that the following night against #2 Cardinal Stritch. It was fitting, that in a tournament best remembered for its innumerable upsets, that the top two teams would meet for the national trophy.
The squad’s 20-game win streak unfortunately would not stretch to 21 as the Wolves just had a little more in their tank for the 73-59 win. The national runner-up trophy was begrudgingly hoisted by the Statesmen as a gym more than half full of WPU followers applauded their cagers on the best season (34-2) in school history.
