Things didn’t look great for the Lake Erie men’s basketball team with 10 minutes to play in its Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament semifinal game against Ashland on March 6.
At that point, the No. 2 seed Storm trailed, 72-60. Five minutes later, LEC finished off a furious rally and tied the game at 79-79, setting up a dramatic swing in which Coach Kyle Conley’s team finished off an 89-88 victory at host Walsh University.
Amari Williams’ free throw with five seconds to play put the Storm up one, 89-88. Ashland’s Maceo Williams had a chance on the next possession, but his shot from close missed as time expired.
Up next for the Storm is a date with No. 1 seed and host Walsh in the GMAC title game. On the line is automatic bid to the winner in the NCAA Division II tournament.
LEC’s 19-7 run in the key five-minute stretch was buoyed by Williams, who had eight points. But it was Caelum Ethridge’s fast-break layup that tied the game at 79-79.
Williams’ layup at the 3-minute mark gave the Storm an 83-81 lead that it wouldn’t relinquish.
At 23-7, Conley was confident about his team’s NCAA chances after a GMAC quarterfinal victory over Kentucky Wesleyan. Now, after taking three games against Ashland this season, LEC is looking good as, at worst, an NCAA at-large selection.
Kai Bloom led the Storm in scoring with 22 points, plus six rebounds and six assists. Williams had 20 points and eight rebounds, and Caelum Ethridge added 19 points and six boards. Gio Moore was also in double figures scoring with 11 points.
Williams, the GMAC Player of the Year, had 29 points and seven rebounds for Ashland.