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J.C. Smith sweeps in Charlotte
Lut Williams
BCSP Editor
The men and women of Johnson C. Smith followed similar routes to claiming 2009 CIAA Basketball Tournament titles in Charlotte, N. C. Saturday.
The homestanding Golden Bulls and Lady Golden Bulls both were third seeds and knocked off top seeds in claiming their crowns.
The defending champion men's team got on top early and kept Virginia Union at bay en route to taking down the Panthers 70-63 to claim the program's first-ever back-to-back tournament titles.
It was the third tournament title in nine seasons for victorious 23-year JCSU head
coach Steve Joyner, after the Bulls never winning
a championship in the tournament's history.
The JCSU ladies rode Wendy Stywalt's 30 points and a stifling second-half defense that held Bowie State to just 10 points after the break in subduing the Lady Bulldogs 49-36.
It was the first-ever title for the women's program which is in its second year under head coach Vanessa Taylor.
"This is huge," said Joyner, also athletic director at JCSU, of the sweep. "We encourage each other all the time and support each other.
"As far as back-to-back, personally for our team, it's very exciting, especially for people like (sophomore guard) Ronald Thornhill, who's won two now and is back there saying 'he doesn't know how to lose.' It's a big step for our program."
Junior forward Jerry Hollis and senior guard Ryan Scott led the way for the Golden Bulls (23-7).
Hollis, chosen as the tourney's MVP after three sterling performances, tallied 19 points in the title game, canning 6 of 11 shots form the field and sinking 7 of 10 charity tosses. Hollis also led JCSU's rebounding effort with five. Scott chipped in 13 points including two baskets from long range, one with 1:21 left after VUU had pulled to within 62-58.
The team's other senior, Tavaris Little, added 12 points. Starting center James Dillard and reserve center Michael Cooper added nine points each. Senior Gregg Thondique led VUU (21-6) with game-highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Stywalt almost singlehandedly took apart Bowie State (19-9) in the women's final. She scored 21 of her points in the second half, doubling the Lady Bulldogs total, including a personal 17-6 run over a ten-minute stretch that allowed the Lady Bulls (20-8) to pull away from a 30-30 tie.
"In the second half with about 15 minutes to go, we switched from a 2-3 zone to a 1-2-2 zone," said Taylor. "That (defense) enabled us to handle the penetration and get to some of their shooters who were given us problems in the first half.
"Wendy was just terrific."
Both JCSU teams will receive automatic bids to the eight-team NCAA Div. II Atlantic Regionals by virtue of their tournament titles. Taylor's squad had been ranked tenth in the region and Joyner's eighth. The regional field will be announced on March 8.
Ironically, both Joyner and Taylor also knocked off first-year coaches who had led their teams to regular season titles and top tournament seedings.
On the men's side, Virginia Union was playing in the finals for the sixth time in seven years but the first under new coach Willard Coker who took over from legendary mentor Dave Robbins, who retired after 30 marvelous seasons making the Panthers the top program in the CIAA.
Coker's Panthers came in ranked second in the Atlantic Region and are all but assured of receiving a bid to the Regionals.
In her first season, Donna Polk led Bowie State to a 17-8 regular season mark. The Lady Bulldogs were ranked eighth in last week's women's NCAA Div. II Atlantic Region and should get a bid based on reaching the tournament title game. Tournament 2nd-seed Fayetteville State, who was ranked fourth in the Region, was felled in the tourney quarterfinals by St. Augustine's.
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