Like back in the day
The men’s basketball programs at Waynesburg University and Saint Vincent each enjoyed their share of postseason success over the years, and the Yellow Jackets and Bearcats crossed paths two times in league championship games.
Those titles games were intense, well-played and memorable, but they happened three decades ago with different head coaches (Rudy Marisa at Waynesburg and Bernie Matthews at Saint Vincent) in a different league (District 18) and under a different national affiliation (NAIA).
Waynesburg and Saint Vincent meet in the championship game of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference tournament tonight (7:30 p.m.) at the Bearcats’ Carey Center. The winner receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III tournament, which assures this game will be as intense and meaningful as the two meetings between the Yellow Jackets and Bearcats for the District 18 title in the 1980s.
This will be the first time Waynesburg and Saint Vincent played for a league championship in Latrobe, where the Bearcats are 12-1 this season.
“Playing at home works to their advantage. It’s a great atmosphere there. There’s a lot of excitement in that place,” Waynesburg coach Mark Christner said.
Both teams were expected to be here, if you believe the seedings for the tournament. Saint Vincent (21-6) won the league’s regular-season title and is the top seed. Waynesburg (18-9) is the No. 2 seed.
If postseason experience and success means anything, then Saint Vincent has a huge advantage. The Bearcats are the two-time defending PAC champions.
Christner has NCAA tournament experience, having been an assistant at Calvin (Mich.), where he coached in four Division III tournaments, including one Final Four. Now in his fifth season at Waynesburg, Christner has seen the program improve each year since his arrival, though the last two had similar endings – losses at Saint Vincent. The Yellow Jackets lost at Saint Vincent in the PAC quarterfinals two years ago, and then in the semifinals last season.
With seven seniors on the roster, this is Waynesburg’s best team in years. The Yellow Jackets’ nine-game winning streak is the program’s longest since the 1997-98 season.
“Obviously, four years ago, we had a vision for what the program would be like now,” Christner said. “When you have guys who are committed to staying with the program and working together, then anything is possible. Of course, I’m an optimist by nature. After all, I’m a Chicago Cubs fan.”
In Saint Vincent, Waynesburg is facing a program that is the PAC’s version of the New York Yankees. The Bearcats have been eligible for the PAC tournament for only five years and they advanced to the semifinals every season, winning two championships. This is only the second time Waynesburg played in the PAC tournament final. The first time was in 2006, when the Yellow Jackets lost at Bethany, 95-64.
Waynesburg’s only PAC basketball championship came in 1996. That was long after the school’s glory days in the NAIA and before the PAC even had a postseason tournament. The Yellow Jackets defeated Grove City in a one-game playoff for the title in ’96.
“Saint Vincent is the favorite. Those guys were No. 1 in our preseason poll,” Christner said. “But we’ve earned our spot.”
Waynesburg and Saint Vincent split two regular-season games with each team winning on its home court. Saint Vincent won 71-60 in early January. The Yellow Jackets pulled out a 66-65 victory Feb. 4, when point guard B.J. Durham made a game-winning shot with four seconds left. Since then, Saint Vincent has won seven in a row.
Saint Vincent is the top defensive team in the league, holding opponents to only 61.8 points per game. Junior guard Pat Jones is the Bearcats’ leading scorer at 13.3 points per game. Forward Sean Kett (12.7) and guard J.C. Howard (12.0) also average in double figures. Jones and Kett combined for 47 points in an 86-73 win over Thomas More in the semifinals.
Waynesburg’s strength is its offensive balance and depth. Senior forward Jason Propst is the leading scorer at only 11.2 per game, but the Jackets have five players averaging at least 8.9.
“We don’t care if we have five guys who score 10 points each,” senior guard Byrum Louco said. “We don’t care about statistics. We just want to win.”
In the semifinals against Bethany, Louco (4.9 ppg) triggered a second-half charge by scoring 10 points over a 5 1/2-minute span as the Yellow Jackets pulled away for a 70-57 victory.
“We’ve been chasing and pursing a goal for four years,” Christner said. “Now we have a chance to get it. … We’ll be ready and give it our best shot.”