The Blue Jays closed the 2011 season on a sour note, surrendering an eight-point second half lead in losing to Webster University 64-47 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletics Conference tournament final on Saturday. With the win, Webster (20-6) receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Westminster finishes the season at 17-10.
Westminster led 27-24 at the break and built the lead to the aforementioned eight early in the second half before the team shooting went into a rut. From there, the Blue Jays were outscored 17-0 by the Gorloks and never again got the lead. Westminster shot 27 percent from the field on the day and only notched 20 second half points.
The Blue Jays got a game-high 21 points from senior forward Jake Vislay while sophomore guard Skylar Tolson added 12. Vislay and Tolson were two of four Westminster players awarded with all-SLIAC honors. Vislay made the first team for the second straight year while Tolson made the second team.
Freshman guard Joe James was named to the all-defensive team and junior Kelsey Weymuth earned a spot on the all-sportsmanship team. Westminster finished with a share of the conference crown for the third straight season and finished with a winning record for the fifth straight year.
Westminster men's tennis team loses two of three road matches over weekend
Westminster lost by scores of 7-2 and 8-1 to Wabash College and Grinnell College over the weekend. The Blue Jays (2-3) got singles victories from sophomores Tony Stephenson and Kyle Tolbert in Saturday's loss to Wabash College. Later in the day, Westminster shut out Illinois College 9-0 on the strength of one-on-one victories from Stephenson, Tolbert, sophomore Anthony Becker, freshman Alec Belden and junior David Berry.
Stephenson and Belden got one win for the Blue Jays in Sunday's loss to Grinnell in the #2 doubles match. They'll take on Nebraska Wesleyan at noon on Sunday in Kansas City.
William Woods basketball (W)....................82
Missouri Baptist University..........................68
The Lady Owls closed out their home schedule with a win over Missouri Baptist at home on Thursday evening. William Woods had a 45-28 halftime lead and rode it to victory despite getting outscored 43-34 in the second half.
Three players reached double figures, led by the team-high 20 points from senior forward Rachel Baker. Junior center Miranda Loesch dropped in 14 and senior guard Jestine Gerber had 10 points for the Owls, which shot 42 percent from the field on the game.
The Owls dropped the season finale to Columbia College on Saturday in Columbia. Columbia College finished the season 16-0, beating William Woods both times they faced off this season. Baker dropped in 18 points and Gerber had 11 on the night.
William Woods (27-3, 14-2 AMC) opens the AMC postseason tournament on Wednesday against Hannibal-LaGrange. The Owls nabbed the No. 2 seed in the bracket and will take on No. 7 seed Hannibal La-Grange (6-24, 4-12 AMC).
In two regular season meetings this season, William Woods came out on top both times. The first was a 73-61 home win on Jan. 13 and a 70-56 road win in Hannibal on Feb. 10.
William Woods ranked fifth in AMC tourney
ST. LOUIS - The Owls will start postseason play in the American Midwest Conference tournament on Thursday as the fifth seed when they take on Harris-Stowe University, the No. 4 seed in St. Louis. The Owls lost big in the regular season finale on Saturday to Columbia College 78-59.
William Woods went 11-18 on the season and 5-9 in AMC play, which equals the most conference wins for an Owls team in school history.
Harris-Stowe (11-19, 6-8 AMC) swept the season series from the Owls, beating them 82-52 at home on Jan. 6 and beat William Woods in Fulton 61-56 in overtime on Feb. 5.
Harrisburg....................................................72
North Callaway basketball (V/G)..................44
KINGDOM CITY - The Ladybird closed the regular season with a loss to Harrisburg on Saturday afternoon. With the win, Harrisburg - No. 4 in the Class 2 - earned a share of the Mid-Missouri Conference championship with Hallsville.
Freshman Jaida Gray was the only North Callaway player in double figures with 15 points while senior forward Morgan Brown Emmons had nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Harrisburg had three double digit scorers, led by Chelsea Kroese's 18 points. Shanna Proctor had 15 on the day and Paige Heibel added 13 for Harrisburg (18-4, 7-1 MMC)
The junior varsity Ladybirds also fell to Harrisburg on Saturday. North Callway came up empty handed on the day by a score of 53-16 to finish th eseason 5-11. Kelsey Coil led North Callaway with six points. The Ladybirds began Class 3 District 10 play on Monday night against Wright City but scores were not made available.