Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last several weeks, the hunt for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoffs has been on and Wheeling Men's Basketball (7-15, 6-10) finds themselves right in the middle of it. The playoff run continues on Wednesday when the Cardinals host Concord at 7:30 pm inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Entering play this week, Wheeling sits number eight in the conference at 6-10, but a strong week of play could have them as high as sixth by week's end.
Last time they took the court, they battled a tough West Virginia State team and went down to the wire before falling 76-71. The Cardinals had the early lead thanks to an 8-0 run part way through the first half that had them ahead 20-14. They led 31-29 after the first half, but the Yellow Jackets would put together a 47-point second half to overtake the Cardinals and come away with the 76-71 victory. Wheeling was able to put 40 on the board over the final 20 minutes but ended up falling just short.
While it was a loss on the court, it was a win for the team as they saw senior point guard Jarett Haines get back to his old self. He led the way with 24 points in the contest, his highest total since January 15th against Frostburg State. Haines shot a healthy 50% from the floor and was tied for third on the team with five rebounds. Head Coach Chris Richardson noted that Haines started to look like his old self again, which will provide Wheeling with a big boost down the stretch.
Behind Haines, Wheeling had a pair of double-digit scorers with senior Jay Gentry and graduate student Jordan Reid each posting big days. Gentry put together his second-best mark of the season with 17 points while picking up one assist and three rebounds. Reid added 12 points to his efforts and tied with junior John Korte for the team lead with six rebounds. Wheeling is getting some of their stars back and healthy at the right time as they push for a first-round bye.
As it stands now, the Cardinals would grab the number eight seed, but they sit just a game back of Alderson Broaddus and two games back of Concord. A win and a Concord loss would move them a half game behind the Mountain Lions, making Saturday's game against Glenville State even more important. There is still a lot to decide over the final three weeks of MEC play, and Wheeling will be right in the thick of those decisions depending on how they play.
The Matchup
Wednesday marks the 37th time these two teams have faced each other, and the second time they have met up this season. Wheeling has the all-time series record, going 24-12 against Concord, and has played even better at home during that stretch. When the Cardinals and Mountain Lions meet in Wheeling, the Cardinals have won 13 of the 18 games the two teams have played.
Earlier this season, Wheeling suffered a loss at the hands of the Mountain Lions 92-84 in Athens, West Virginia. Haines had a big game in that one, scoring 33 points, while finishing second with four assists and third with six rebounds. Wheeling saw four different Cardinals end the day in double digits, but the high-powered Concord offense couldn't be stopped as Wheeling ended up suffering the loss.
The Details
Tip-off for Wednesday night's game is scheduled for 7:30 pm inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
