Concord Outlasts NDC Thursday.

For the second straight game the Notre Dame College Falcons (5-20 3-16 MEC) were tied with eight minutes to go but could not get over the hump. Thursday it was a 95-86 loss at Concord.
NDC Coach Tim Koenig spoke of being right there:
" We were right there, on the road and it was anyone's game late. We just need to finish halves and finish games better than we have been." Koenig said."
 Levi Frankland tied a career high with 22 points to lead five NDC players in double figures in the loss.  Drew Scarberry scored 17- KT Taylor added 14 points- seven assists- five rebounds- and- five steals.  Oliver Megins and Angelo Cugini recorded 12 points and seven rebounds each.  The Falcons shot 48 percent as a team- 39 percent (11-28) from the 3-point line- and- 65 percent (15-23) from the free throw line.  The Falcons had 13 assists and 11 turnovers as a team.
  Concord (13-12 9-10 MEC) was paced by National Player Of The Week Tommy Bolte who recorded 36 points- the leading scorer in DII added six rebounds- and- four assists.  BJ Hamlet had 17 points- while Trey Brisco added 11 points and seven rebounds.  The Mountain Lions shot 46 percent from the field- 31 percent (11-36) from the 3-point line- and- 95 percent (18-19) at the free throw line.  The Mountain Lions won the rebounding battle 43-32, as they had 17 offensive rebounds in the contest.  The Mountain Lions had 17 assists and 12 turnovers in the victory.
  NDC got on the board first with a Cole Hayes 3-pointer before the Mountain Lions countered with a 10-2 run capped by a Hamlet 3-pointer.  Each team then made a run and it was 23-12 Concord after a Bolte 3-pointer at the 12:33 mark of the half. NDC would then come roaring back and after a Frankland four-point play the game would be knotted at 29 with 8:01 to go until intermission. The lead would change hands a few times and after a Darian Peterson 3-pointer right before the break it would be 43-42 Concord at the half.
  Bolte scored 19 to lead Concord in the first 20 minutes- while Peterson added nine.  The Mountain Lions shot 52 percent as a team in the half- they shot 38 percent (6-16) from the 3-point line- and- 75 percent (3-4) at the free throw line.  The Mountain Lions had eight assists and eight turnovers in the opening stanza.
  NDC was led by Frankland with 13 points- while Cole Hayes added eight in the first half.  The Falcons shot 49 percent from the field- 44 percent (7-16) from the 3-point line- and- 75 percent (3-4) at the free throw line.  The Falcons had a 19-15 edge on the boards in the opening half.  They had eight assists and nine turnovers as a team.
  The second half would see the Mountain Lions maintain a slim lead much of the way.  The Falcons would tie the game at 58 after a Frankland jumper with 12:05 to go.  After the Mountain Lions went back up by five NDC would tie the game again, this time at 65 after a pair of Taylor free throws with 8:11 to go.  The Mountain Lions would then go on a 12-4 burst to go up eight (77-69) with 4:03 to go.  NDC would get to within five but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way as they lost a seventh straight.
Koenig was pleased with the effort:
" I was disappointed in the loss, but the guys battled. I was proud of our togetherness but we need to execute better, especially at the end of the half and the end of the game." Koenig mentioned."
  Koenig talked about a few miscues:
" We had some defensive breakdowns on assignments while they got offensive rebounds down the stretch and that was the difference in the game. You can't win like that. " Koenig said."
  One other key was foul shooting:
" We kept talking about the fact that missed free throws would come back to haunt us in the huddles. " Koenig added."
  NDC will look to get back on track Saturday when they complete the road trip with a trip to Virginia Wise. Tip time is set for 4 PM and you can catch the game on NotreDameFalcons.com
Other MEC Scores Saturday:
West Liberty 77 West Virginia Wesleyan 66
Wheeling Jesuit 68 Glenville State 65
Shepherd 100 West Virginia State 93
Charleston 78 Fairmont State 65
Virginia Wise 85 Urbana 77
MEC Standings:
West Liberty 18-1 (23-1)
Wheeling Jesuit 15-4 (20-5)
Fairmont State 14-5 (18-7)
Shepherd 11-8 (15-10)
Charleston 10-9 (14-11)
West Virginia State 10-9 (12-12)
Virginia Wise 10-9 (12-13)
Concord 9-10 (13-12)
West Virginia Wesleyan 7-12 (7-18)
Glenville State 4-15 (6-19)
NDC 3-16 (5-20)
Urbana 3-16 (4-21)