VALDOSTA — SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — On Saturday, the Valdosta State Blazers found out that Arkansas Tech is the real deal.
The Wonder Boys, ranked No. 2 in Division II, completely shut down the Blazers in the Gulf South Conference men’s basketball tournament semifinals, winning 57-48 on Saturday at the DeSoto Civic Center.
Arkansas Tech held Valdosta State to a season-low 48 points, 30.9 percent from the field and forced 26 turnovers. VSU All-American Tyrone Curnell was 0 for 10 from the field, and only scored two points, both from the free throw line.
After the game, Blazers head coach Mike Helfer heaped praise on the Wonder Boys, who many figured were the underdog, despite being 27-1 and No. 2 in the nation.
“They’re really good,” Helfer said. “That’s the best team I’ve seen in my five years here, and probably since I’ve been a coach. I was very impressed. They played very poorly offensively, and still dominated the game. That’s a quality of a good team. I think we’re a team that played extremely bad in one game.”
It became apparent early that the two teams were going to be locked in a low-scoring game, even though both teams can produce offense. VSU only had one field goal in the first five minutes of the game. Tech wasn’t much better, but Renard Allen, who buried the Blazers in last year’s GSC title game, scored five straight points to give Tech an early 16-5 lead.
VSU (25-4) never responded the rest of the half. At the end of the half, Tristan Crawford attempted a 3-pointer that would have cut the Blazers’ halftime deficit to six, but it bounced out.
Tech went on a 12-3 run early in the second half, while VSU continued to struggle on offense. Unlike previous games, VSU didn’t get many open looks and couldn’t start a run. At one point, Tech missed a 3-pointer, Curnell grabbed the rebound, but Tech stole it from him right under the basket. Later in the half, Curnell and Christian Hunter converged on a rebound, only to knock it out of bounds and give Tech another shot.
Nothing went VSU’s way, and it was all because of Tech’s defensive effort. Helfer said VSU hasn’t seen a defense like Tech’s all season.
“Their pressure just turned us over relentlessly,” Helfer said. “We just didn’t handle it at all.”
Relentless was the exact word Tech head coach Mark Downey used to describe his team. Despite being undersized and shooting just 4 of 26 from 3-point range, Downey was impressed with his team’s heart and determination. He added that his team played with a chip on its shoulder after people around the tournament started saying VSU was maybe the best team in the GSC in years.
“These guys just keep proving me wrong, and keep proving skeptics wrong,” Downey said. “It’s fun. It’s so much fun to coach these guys. It’s unbelievable. Just when you think they’re down, they’re back in it.”
Tech will try for its second consecutive GSC title against either Alabama-Huntsville or North Alabama today. UAH and UNA played later Saturday night.
The Blazers, ranked No. 3 in the South Region, will wait to receive an at-large bid to the national tournament. The 64-team national field will be announced on Sunday night.
Local Sports
Tech beats VSU in GSC semis
- Local Sports
-
-
Big win for Lady Blazers
Receiving little respect around the conference, region and nation, the Valdosta State women’s basketball team made a statement Thursday night.
The Lady Blazers put together an impressive defensive performance, mixed in with effective offense, to defeat the Alabama-Huntsville Lady Chargers, who entered the night tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference, 65-55. -
No. 6 Chargers rout Valdosta State, 87-65
The season-long struggles for the Valdosta State men’s basketball team hit an all-time high Thursday night, as the Blazers were blown out by sixth-ranked Alabama-Huntsville, 87-65 at the P.E. Complex.
“It was just a knockout punch from the beginning,” Valdosta State head coach Mike Helfer said. “Give (Alabama-Huntsville) a lot of credit for where they are. They are in the hunt for the league lead and they are a great program. They did what they had to do from the start, which was take control of the game.” -
Lowndes’ Chapman, Talmage named to all-star team
Lowndes softball players Ashley Chapman and Maiah Talmage have been chosen to play in the GACA All-Star Softball Showcase in June.
The GACA All-Star Softball Showcase is an annual softball game between top senior players from South Georgia and North Georgia. The game will be played on June 13 at Alto Park in Rome, Ga. -
Berrien, Cook, Lanier announce 2012 schedules
The Valdosta Daily Times has recently received the upcoming 2012 football schedules for the Cook Hornets, Berrien Rebels and Lanier County Bulldogs.
Lanier County kicks off regular season play Aug. 24 with a visit from Atkinson County. Cook and Berrien begin play on Aug. 31, when the Hornets host Worth County and the Rebels visit Calhoun. -
VLPRA group participates in Special Olympics
On the weekend of Jan. 20-22, 21 Special Olympic athletes from the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority traveled to Marietta to compete in the 2012 Special Olympics Georgia Winter Games.
-
Lowndes, Valdosta close out regular season tonight
The Lowndes and Valdosta varsity basketball teams close out regular season play tonight.
Lowndes will host Coffee, while Valdosta hosts Tift County. The girls will tipoff at 6 and the boys at 7:30 p.m.
-
VSU's Harris suspended indefinitely
A shortened, diminished roster for the Valdosta State men's basketball team took another blow Thursday following the suspension of senior guard Sidney Harris.
-
Big weekend ahead for Lady Blazers
It might be an understatement to call this weekend’s two home games for the Valdosta State women’s basketball team a big deal, because that is exactly what they are.
-
Blazers fall to Albany State, 7-3
The Valdosta State baseball team was handed a third-straight loss Wednesday night, as the Blazers fell to in-state foe Albany State, 7-3.
The Blazers were held in check for much of the night, despite being aided by nine Golden Ram walks. With runners on base, the Blazers were unable to produce enough offense to score runs, leaving 12 runners stranded in the game. -
Wildcats rally for 50-40 win over Brooks
Valdosta’s boys basketball team came alive in the fourth quarter, and rallied for a 50-40 victory over Brooks County on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats outscored Brooks 24-9 in the fourth quarter, and turned a five-point deficit into a 10-point win. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
