Fleegle rescues Waynesburg from Grove City’s game plan
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's Jacob Fleegle is fouled by Grove City's Isaiah Reeves during the second half of the game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's Jason Propst wrestles the ball away from Grove City's Isaiah Reeves in the first half of the game on Tuesday night.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's Byrum Louco goes for two points during the second half of the game against Grove City on Tuesday, February 24.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's head coach Mark Christner celebrates and motions to the crowd to cheer in the final seconds of the game as Waynesburg increased their point lead against Grove City. Waynesburg won 53-45.
WAYNESBURG – Prior to Waynesburg University’s basketball game Tuesday, senior forward Jacob Fleegle was honored for becoming the 33rd player in Yellow Jackets history to score 1,000 career points.
None of those 1,000 points, however, were as important as the nine Fleegle produced later in the night.
Fleegle scored all his points in the second half and helped Waynesburg survive a game-long slowdown by Grove City as the Yellow Jackets advanced in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference tournament with a 53-45 victory at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
The win sends second-seeded Waynesburg (17-9) into the semifinals Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets, who have won eight in a row, will host third-seeded Bethany (17-9). The Bison advanced by defeating Geneva, 70-52, in the quarterfinals.
Getting to the semifinals was a mighty struggle for Waynesburg as the Yellow Jackets had to overcome a brilliant game plan by Grove City coach Steve Lamie.
The Wolverines’ plan was to spread the floor and not attack the basket until late in the shot clock. At times, it seemed the Wolverines were in a four-corners stall, other times it appeared to be a deliberate Princeton-style offense.
But for the first 39 minutes, Grove City’s offense was simply frustrating for Waynesburg, which had a pair of double-digit wins over the Wolverines during the regular season.
“They had beaten us twice, and looking at the statistics, they score more than we do, they get to the free-throw line more than we do and they’re the best offensive rebounding team in the conference. We had to level the playing field,” Lamie explained.
The Yellow Jackets, however, must have felt like they had fallen into a sinkhole. They trailed for much of the first half and were giving up too many offensive rebounds. It wasn’t until Fleegle made a three-pointer from the right baseline with 1:08 remaining that Waynesburg could exhale. Fleegle’s shot gave the Yellow Jackets a 45-37 lead.
“I talked to our guys at practice about being ready for any style,” Waynesburg coach Mark Christner said, noting the Wolverines used a similar game plan against his team four years ago.
“The tournament is a fresh start. You use your personnel to your best advantage, and that’s what Steve did. I thought our guys did a good job of not letting the pace bother them.”
It helps that Waynesburg has seven seniors, and each played a key role. Among them were backup point guard Casey Hope, who averaged only 1.8 points per game during the regular season but had seven against Grove City, including a three-pointer that triggered a 7-0 run that gave Waynesburg a 39-32 lead.
Hope’s basket was followed by a 16-foot jumper by forward Jason Propst and guard Kenny Klase’s two free throws. Propst and Klase also are seniors.
“Casey’s three was really big. Jason had an important pull-up and Jacob’s three was the dagger,” Christner said. “It helps to have seniors.”
Grove City was able to take advantage of mismatches to generate offense. Waynesburg had trouble staying in front of point guard J.T. Schwartz, who scored 15 points and had five assists. Many of those assists produced three-pointers, including four by Mitch Marmelstein, who also scored 15 points.
Waynesburg, however, held Grove City to just four field goals over the final seven minutes.
“We knew if we could get some stops late in the game, then we they would lead to free-throw opportunities,” Fleegle said.
Grove City’s tactics limited Waynesburg to only 33 field-goal attempts, but the Yellow Jackets made 20 of 25 free throws. The Wolverines made four of eight foul shots.
“I’d say we won that one more than we survived it,” Fleegle said. “We made plays down the stretch. Grove City is tough to play against. We didn’t expect them to play that way, but we adjusted well.
“In the first half, we got frustrated and took some quick shots. In trying to get them to play faster, we ended up hurrying on offense. The coaching staff did a good job of getting us to refocus.”
Point guard B.J. Durham led Waynesburg with 13 points, which included three three-pointers during the first half. Propst finished with 10 points.
“In the locker room at halftime, there was a buzz,” Lamie said. “You could sense it. We can do this. … but the second half, part of it was fatigue. We had many turnovers (13) and they were killers.”