— Story by Taylor Kennedy
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — West Liberty lit up the scoreboard in a 126-96 rout over Fairmont State Wednesday evening. The Hilltoppers extended their winning streak to eight games, and they picked up their fifth straight victory against the Falcons.
“I thought it went really well,” said West Liberty head basketball coach Ben Howlett. “The pace of the game was exactly the way we wanted to play. We looked at Fairmont, and they played Saturday at Alderson Broaddus, Monday in Cleveland, and they came here today. They played a lot of games in a short amount of time so we wanted to increase our pressure. Offensively, I think that was our best effort we have had all year.”
The Hilltoppers shot the lights out shooting 65% from the field. West Liberty entered Wednesday’s game after one of its worst shooting performances against Davis & Elkins. WLU shot 37% in that game.
“It is kind of funny because after Monday it is not like we did a whole lot,” said Howlett. “We stretched and shot a lot. Our guys were rested coming into this game. We talked about how important this game was just from a conference and regional standpoint. There is a whole bunch of stuff that meant a lot in this game.”
Four Hilltoppers reached double figures, including a career-high 21 points from freshman Zach Rasile. Rasile made all six of his shots, including five from behind the arc.
“I have always known he [Zach] could shoot it,” said Howlett of the McDonald, Ohio native. “It was a confidence thing for him. What is funny is that I probably yelled at him harder than any other play two or three games ago. Since I yelled at him, he has been shooting great. I might just keep yelling at him all the time.”
West Liberty saw another career performance from junior Malik McKinney. He tallied 21 points off the bench. McKinney went perfect from behind the arc and at the free-throw line.
“Over the last three games, he has looked really good,” said Howlett of the Maryland native. “Malik’s speed gives us so much on the offense and defensive end. Malik is going to continue playing minutes for us. With Will [Yoakum] out indefinitely, Malik is going to have to step up and be a big part.”
West Liberty senior Dalton Bolon recorded his seventh 20-plus point performance. He scored 27 Wednesday evening. Bolon scored 20 of his points in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“As far as a first-half performance, I have seen a lot of good ones here. From a scoring standpoint, that was the best I have seen from an individual in a half,” said Howlett of Bolon’s performance. “Dalton was in the zone. I was watching him in shootaround and it was the same thing. He was dialed in.”
Junior Pat Robinson piled in a new season-high 30 points against Fairmont State. Robinson connected on 13 of 17 shots, including one of two from long distance.
“I just got done telling our team that I think Pat’s effort, not just offensively in the second half, but his defensive effort he was everywhere,” said Howlett. “I felt like every single play that was made Pat was involved in some way.”
West Liberty’s bench outscored the Falcons 54-16. McKinney and Rasile contributed to 38 of the 54 bench points.
“Our bench is really good,” said Howlett. “We’ve got guys that could get starter minutes off the bench. We need to be peaking at the right time. We are not quite peaking, but we are on the right track to peak.”
West Liberty’s continuous pressure and relentless energy against Fairmont State got Howlett off the ground. The Hilltoppers got a ten-second violation against FSU in the first half, which led to Howlett jumping with enthusiasm.
“I usually do not show a whole lot of emotion out there, but I was so fired up that we got a ten-second call,” said Howlett of his vertical. “I can run for days, but I am going to be sore from that jump probably for the next couple of days.”
Two players reached 20-plus points for Fairmont State. Junior Isaiah Sanders led the Falcons with 27 points shooting 55% from the field. Sophomore Dale Bonner recorded his sixth 20-point performance scoring 24 Wednesday evening.
With the win, West Liberty (12-3) takes sole possession of first place in the MEC North Division from Fairmont State (10-4).
West Liberty will head down to Wheeling University on Saturday. Fairmont State is scheduled to play at Glenville State on Friday, and the Falcons will end their regular season on Saturday against Frostburg State.
Other Men’s MEC basketball scores:
West Virginia State 88, Davis & Elkins 80
Notre Dame College 84, Frostburg State 76
Wheeling 99, Alderson Broaddus 98 (OT)
Concord 77, WV Wesleyan 76
Women’s MEC basketball scores:
Glenville State 83, Charleston 81
West Liberty 94, Fairmont State 69
WV Wesleyan 67, Concord 56
West Virginia State 95, Davis & Elkins 70
Alderson Broaddus 71, Wheeling 69
Notre Dame 71, Frostburg State 55