Valdosta State's Ricky Coleman glides to the basket on a fast break during the first half of the Blazers' Gulf South Conference tournament semifinal Saturday against Harding in Southhaven, Miss.

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — After starting the season a disappointing 9-8 and having its roster depleted by the loss of six players, the Valdosta State men’s basketball team made a tantalizing run, winning eight of its last 10 games of the season, and pulling out a thrilling overtime win in the Gulf South Conference tournament quarterfinals Friday night.

Saturday, the Blazers’ dramatic season came to an end, but it wasn’t any less scintillating.

For the second year in a row, Harding eliminated VSU in the semifinal round of the GSC tournament, this time by the score of 89-84.

At one point, the Blazers led by 11, and fell behind by as many as six, but the feeling after the game was of disappointment, not of remorse.

“We started with 15 and ended up with nine players,” senior Devario Hudson said. “I’m disappointed in the loss, but I’m not disappointed with the effort we had on the court.”

Fellow senior captain Ricky Coleman reiterated Hudson’s thoughts.

“It’s not really a heartbreaker. This team came together as a family. I’m disappointed that we lost, but I’m always going to remember this team,” he said.

The Blazers ran out to a 22-11 lead, with the team pushing the ball up tempo and hitting big shot after big shot.

However, Hudson, senior Jamahl Stokes and tournament star Stephan Walton ran into foul trouble toward the end of the half, and had to spend some time on the bench.

During that time, Harding went on a 12-7 run, including four unanswered points to pull within four. After a bucket by Anthony Passmore, the Bisons scored four more points to end the half trailing by just two.

During that run, Harding senior Matt Hall, the GSC Player of the Year, scored seven of his game-high 35 points.

“Matt Hall was the key of the offense. We knew if you let him loose, it’s going to be a long night,” Hudson said. “Matt Hall was the game.”

Hall scored 15 of his points in the first half, hit a looping shot to put the Bisons ahead by three with 42 seconds left, and nailed the final two free throws of the game.

“All I did was make the shots,” Hall said. “Everybody else did things to get me in position to make shots, and make it easy for me to catch and shoot.”

Hall was in position to help his team win when the Bisons scored 11 straight points on what must have been a tired VSU team.

The night before, VSU played an overtime game with just nine players, and as per its style, pushed the ball up the court all night Saturday.

“Maybe them having to go into overtime the night before made a difference in the end, with shots not falling in the last five minutes that fell the rest of the game,” Harding head coach Jeff Morgan said.

The Blazers’ final shot fell short, as Hudson attempted a three-pointer from the right side of the basket. Hudson scored 20 points, and Walton scored a team-high 21 points for the Blazers.

After the game, Valdosta State head coach Mike Helfer gathered his team in the locker room and didn’t go over why they lost the game, instead focusing on why they won the season.

“I’ve won a lot of championships in my coaching career,” Helfer said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as proud of a basketball team as I was with this team and these seniors.”