OWENSBORO, Ky. - Ranked ninth nationally in the NABC Poll and eighth in the regional rankings, Kentucky Wesleyan is officially ready to make some noise in the Midwest Region.
The top seed and league regular-season champion Panthers added Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship tournament winner to their resume after an entertaining title game against Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday, winning 78-69.
The Panthers (27-3) are now headed to the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional, earning the G-MAC’s first-ever automatic-qualifying bid to the field of 64.
The NCAA Selection Show will be held on Sunday evening at 10:30 p.m. EST.
Chants of “KWC…KWC…KWC” flooded the Sportscenter packed with a passionate fan base as the final seconds ticked away before junior guard Ken-Jah Bosley ceremoniously tossed the ball in the air.
Before the Panthers celebrated with pictures and the traditional net cutting, Bosley used the microphone to graciously thank the Kentucky Wesleyan supporters.
And for Bosley, whose would-be tying three at the buzzer just missed in the final of the 2015 G-MAC Championship in West Virginia, this year came in the form of sweet redemption.
“This title means so much to me,” Bosley said. “My first two years we weren’t able to do what we were supposed to do. We’ve (Devin Langford, assistant coach Brett Miller, Coach "Hap") been through a lot with some ups and downs and it just feels so good. It was a very emotional win for me.”
For G-MAC Coach of the Year Happy Osborne, who remains humble even as his team extended a 12-game win streak, said his team finally accomplished something.
“This is truly a T-E-A-M accomplishment,” he said afterwards. “We’ve been a really good team all year long in terms of morale and character and Devin Langford and C.J. Blackwell get a lot of credit for that.”
Kentucky Wesleyan broke a 34-34 tie and ended the first half on a 6-0 run as Bosley floated an alley-oop pass to Jordan Jacks for the two-handed flush.
That play electrified the crowd and the roars continued to grow progressively louder in the building. KWC enjoyed its largest lead of the game up by 14 with 7:17 left.
But TNU was resilient on their opponent’s home floor and cut a 13-point deficit down to just three with 2:33 left as Percy Blade went on a quick scoring binge.
The Trojans went down low early and often to big man Matt Gamberoni, who scored his team’s first six points. His immediate success prompted a quick change from Osborne as he matched a combo of C.J. Blackwell and Jermaine Morgan on the talented senior from France.
Langford would finish with 21 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He led four players in double-figures as Bosley finished with 17. All five KWC starters shot 50 percent or better from the field.
A valiant postseason run for Trevecca Nazarene officially closed the book on a class of eight seniors for head coach Sam Harris. TNU advanced to the final by eliminating Ohio Valley in the quarterfinals and Alderson Broaddus in the semifinals.
Blade and Mac Walden led the Trojans with 15 points apiece while Gamberoni carved out 17 points before fouling out.
The Trojans were playing their third game in as many days and may have played the final game of the 2015-16 season with their tank almost on empty.
The game had all of the ingredients necessary for a championship atmosphere. Both teams brought a fierce level of intensity but still acknowledged each other with pats on the head or exchanging quick hugs as signs of respect.