Wonder Boys turn back ECU men in GAC tournament
Mar. 7—SHAWNEE — The fourth-seeded East Central University men's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit in the second half but couldn't hold on in a 68-62 loss to Arkansas Tech Friday at the Great American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Friday night.
The Wonder Boys advanced to the GAC semifinals with a 15-14 record, while East Central finished its season at 18-11.
The Wonder Boys had to overcome a furious early second-half scoring run by the Tigers. The run, which started at the 18:17 mark and lasted nearly a full four minutes of game time, was 15-0 and turned a 10-point deficit by ECU into a five-point lead.
The Tigers still led 50-46 after a layup by Luke Harper at the 8:45 mark of the second half.
Over the next five minutes of action, the Wonder Boys' defense held the Tigers scoreless on six field goal attempts while also forcing a steal. During that span, ATU would methodically go on a 12-0 scoring run to flip their four-point deficit into an eight-point lead, 58-50, with 3:50 left to play.
The Tigers would attempt to comeback and got within four points on three occasions down the stretch, but a clutch off-balance shot by D'Rell Roberts and a perfect 4-of-4 showing from the free-throw line in the waning seconds sealed the win for the Wonder Boys.
ECU trailed 6-0 to start the game but went on a 16-6 surge to take a 16-12 lead after a basket by Leonard Dixon off a nice assist from Quinton Johnson II at the 10:09 mark.
Arkansas Tech responded with a 10-0 run and would build a 36-28 halftime lead.
The Tigers got within 62-58 in the final minutes but could get no closer.
One of the key statistics in favor of the Wonder Boys was their offensive production off the bench. The Wonder Boys would outscore the Tigers 34-7 in points off the bench. All but two of those bench points came from Roberts and Kade Shaffer as the two combined for 35 points.
A trio of Tigers scored in double figures — Luke Harper, Keyon Thomas, and Barron Tanner, Jr. Harper and Thomas led the way with 15 points apiece, while Tanner was next with 10 points.
The game was the last for Tiger seniors Barron Tanner, Jr., Leonard Dixon, Luke Harper, Romello Wilbert, and Jakeem Acres.
Dixon: Saw action in 18 games, recording 178 points, 61 rebounds, 24 steals, and 23 assists.
Tanner: Saw action in all but one game, tallying 249 points, 89 rebounds, 20 steals, and 20 assists.
Harper: Saw action and started in all 29 games, totaling 298 points, 112 assists (just one away from the No. 10 spot on the ECU Individual Season Top-10 assists list), 93 rebounds, and 22 steals.
Wilbert: Finished his three seasons with the Tigers seeing action in 69 games, amassing 299 points, 200 assists, 73 steals, and 413 total rebounds which he led the team this season with 136.
Acres: Finished his five-year career with the Tigers ranked No. 2 on the ECU Individual Career Top-10 list in games played with 124 and No. 8 on the ECU Individual Career Top-10 list in minutes played with 2,129 minutes. He has totaled 823 points, 270 rebounds, 73 assists, and 39 steals.
