With the regular season now complete, the varsity basketball team looked for new life in the postseason. Despite their late-season struggles, they hoped to learn from the experiences and gain momentum in the regional tournament. With a good showing, the Owls looked to advance to state for the first time since 1998.
In the opening round of the regional, the Owls drew the Catholic Chargers, the 12th seed out of thirteen teams, and looked to dispose of them at home, but the task would not be easy as Catholic had been playing well headed into the tournament. MUS faced a critical situation in the second half as at one point the Chargers led, 30-23, but the Owls came back for the win. Jay Martin led the team with 20 points, and Jimbo Welch picked up 9 points and 8 rebounds. Vadero Gant led Catholic with 18 points, and Art Egbe had 10. Both teams shot just over 30% from the field, but a 23-9 run to end the game allowed MUS to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the quarters, the Owls played Lausanne at St. Benedict. Despite getting beaten thoroughly in their first matchup, MUS looked to rebound against the athletic Lynx, and by using a Triangle-and-2 defense, the Owls rattled their opponent and won, 57-52. Peter Zanca led MUS with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Philip May and Jimbo Welch each added 12 points. The Owls also controlled the boards as they outrebounded Lausanne, 40-26. Shun Trevillian picked up 15 points for the Lynx, and Jonathan Wright and George Powell each added 12. With the win, MUS moved into the semifinals and prepared to face top-seeded Briarcrest.
Against the Saints, the Owls fell behind early, 9-0, before rallying to take a 15-13 lead early in the second quarter. However, an 11-0 Briarcrest run to end the half had MUS down nine points at the break and hurting to find some offensive momentum.
In the second half, the Owls tried to get back into the game but poor shooting (29%) from the field prevented a comeback as they succumbed, 47-32. Peter Zanca and Jay Martin were the Owls’ high scorers, each with 7 points, while Jimbo Welch added 5. Greg Hardy led Briarcrest with 18 points as the Saints shot nearly 56% from the field for the game.
After having lost to Briarcrest, the Owls moved into the consolation game against St. Benedict as the winner would advance to the state tournament and the loser’s season would end. Despite having lost twice to the Eagles during the regular season, MUS came out determined and ready to move on as they wore down the gutty home team, 55-45.
Philip May’s penetration was very important to the success as he led the Owls with 15 points, and Jay Martin and Jimbo Welch each added 13. Peter Zanca also helped the team out with 9 points and 10 rebounds. MUS opened up this very close game in the final three minutes as they sunk 20 free-throws in the fourth quarter to claim their berth in the state tournament. Jimmy Corrigan led St. Benedict with 13 points, and Reggie Peyton added 12.
With the third-place showing at the regional, MUS advances to the State Tournament to face top-seeded Brentwood Academy in Nashville at David Lipscomb University. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2.