NCAA Bound NCW Fighting Bishops

Last year John Thompson Bishops won the regular season but found themselves playing for the right to go to NCAA Div. III playoffs but in order to do so they had to beat Christopher Newport a lower seed at Newport News. The Bishops lost and with it the basketball season.

Regardless of the reason the USA South Conference has changed their conference rule that the tournament championship game would be played at the home of the highest seed. The Battling Bishops won the regular season again this year and won Friday night in the semi finals to earned the right to host Ferrum this afternoon in Everette Gym.

The Battling Bishops lead throughout the game only to see Ferrum tie the game at 65 after NCW failed to seal the deal at the free throw line. Ric Yarbrough the Bishops big man fouled out at the end of regulation so the Bishops were faced with playing a man short plus nerves as overtime commenced.

In overtime The Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan win 74-70 which was sealed by Matt Dougherty steal with twenty seconds to go in overtime after Domaris Thomas had two free throws to get a 72-70 lead. Josh Morris added one of two free throws and Dougherty one in getting the victory for the Bishops. Those four free throws allowed NCW to make over half their free shots on the game 22-39. Ferrum misery is they missed their last 19 three point tries.

Domaris Thomas was named MVP of the tournament and for the first time since 2002 North Carolina Wesleyan is NCAA Bound and will a wait the seedings. The Bishops head into the NCAA Tournament 22-6.

I have never been to a major wrestling tournament so I can't imagine how it is watching a tournament. Just trying to figure out how each person did in their weight class is hard enough. Wrestling has 14 weight classes and 16 wrestlers from four regions converged on Greensboro Thursday night to determine a state champion in each weight class and all four divisions of North Carolina. If my figuring is right they were nearly 1,800 matches before the State Champions were declared.

Nash County sent 10 wrestlers with Northern having six including an undefeated wrestler in T J Marshall. Nash Central and Rocky Mount each had two wrestlers that qualified. Regardless of the outcome over the weekend the worse any one wrestler could do is lose two matches and finish tied for 13th.

No one from Nash County came home a State champion but Tarmaris Lane of Nash Central finished the highest finishing third in the 285 division. Northern Nash's Tavis Richardson in the 140 pound class finished 6th while Rocky Mount's Janicento Williamson finished 6th at 171.

T J Marshall won his first match but was beaten in his second match to lose for the first time this year. He would win another match before losing again. Rocky Mount's Mason Holt lost his first match at 103 but won once in his second. Likewise Northern's Keith Battle lost his first match at 119 and won his second along with Demetrice Taylor of Nash Central at 130 pound lost his first match and won his second.

Nash Central scored 20 points in the team race which was well back of the 90 that it took to win. Northern scored 14.5 and Rocky Mount ten. We will try to get Tarmaris Lane, Janicento Williamson and Tavis Richardson on live next Sunday night on the Stretchlon Sports Show along with their coaches.