HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Five players with 10 or more points, and that didn’t even include the leading scorer for the season. Pretty much sums up how Western Washington got to its first title game and won it.
It took everybody, and then some.
John Allen scored 14 points and the Vikings’ balanced offense carried them to a 72-65 victory over Montevallo (Ala.) on Saturday in the Division II championship at Northern Kentucky University.
When the buzzer sounded on yet another close victory - this one the biggest of them all - Western Washington’s players hugged at midcourt while strands of blue, yellow and orange confetti fell from the ceiling and covered the court.
“It’s pretty surreal,” said Richard Woodworth, who had 10 points. “That’s about as good as it gets - five players in double figures and our leading scorer is not one of them.”
Rory Blanche, who led the Vikings (31-5) to the title game by averaging 16.1 points, hit a couple of baskets early, then blended in with an offense that went 9 of 19 from behind the three-point arc and shot 54 percent from the floor.
“It’s like a lot of games we’ve had this year,” Coach Brad Jackson said. “This team has been a true team in their balance.
“Maybe the biggest thing that sticks out to me is their toughness. They have a mental fortitude and tenacity to hang in there in games.”
After moving ahead by 12 points, they finished it off behind Allen, one of the nation’smost accurate free throw shooters at 88.7 percent. He made four in a row to end Montevallo’s late comeback.
“I had to watch from the end of the bench and I was way more nervous down there,” said Zach Henifin, who scored eight points during a decisive 17-4 run before fouling out.
“It’s a great feeling that we brought one back to the West Coast, to the Pacific Northwest,” said Blanche, who finished with nine points.
Both teams were making their first title-game appearances. Western Washington lost in the semifinals in 2001. Montevallo (29-8) reached the round of eight in 2006 and 2007.
D.J. Rivera led Montevallo with 20 points. Antoine Davis added 16 points in a guarddriven offense that got very little from its front line.
Montevallo knocked off defending champion Bellarmine in the semifinals behind Rivera, who drives the lane with his quickness.
Rivera also has experience in the NCAA’s biggest tournament. He was part of the team that took Binghamton to its first NCAA Division I tournament in 2009, and scored 20 points in a first-round loss to Duke. The program then declined, with Coach Kevin Broadus suspended for recruiting violations and six players kicked off the team, including Rivera.
Western Washington didn’t let him take over the title game.
“They did a good job helping [on defense],” Rivera said. “We couldn’t make shots.”
Sports, Pages 24 on 03/25/2012