Much has been made of the “The System” run by Glenville State's first-year women's basketball coach Bunky Harkleroad.
“The System” is based on a frantic pace, quick shots, an aggressive, physical full-court pressure defense and very frequent five-at-a-time substitutions. With it, the Lady Pioneers lead the nation in scoring and have emerged as one of the title contenders in the WVIAC. Concord was in first place and Glenville State second when the two teams met at Lilly Gymnasium Thursday.
Glenville State operated “The System” to great effect in defeating Concord 88-69 Thursday night at the Lilly Gymnasium. The win vaulted the Lady Pioneers into a first place tie with Shepherd, while CU fell to 3rd.
The Lady Pioneers broke loose for what proved to be the game-deciding run early in the first half. Following a layup by Concord's Jolysa Brown to tie the game at 13-13 six minutes into the game, Glenville State embarked on a 21-4 rally that put them ahead 34-17 with 9:09 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers would extend their advantage to as many as 23 points before taking a 50-31 lead into halftime.
Concord would pull within 11 points early in the second half, before another GSC rally put the game out of reach. A 17-4 run stretched the Pioneer lead to 69-45 with 10:58 left, and Glenville State cruised home from there.
Turnovers greatly hampered the Concord cause. CU gave away the ball 20 times in the first half and 30 times in the game. Glenville State used its trapping defense to grab 18 steals. Concord had averaged 16.8 turnovers per game before Thursday's contest.
An already injured-depleted Concord lineup suffered another blow when junior forward Meghan Cole hurt her right knee while trying to stop and set up for a shot on the slippery Lilly Gymnasium floor. Cole had to miss the final 13:34.
Jolysa Brown flourished against “The System,” finishing with a season-high 32 points on 13-25 shooting. The sophomore center from Hinton also added 10 rebounds (for her third consecutive double-double) and four blocked shots.
Jolysa's older sister Sierra Brown added 12 points.
Glenville State put five players in double figures. Donita Adams (the WVIAC's leading scorer), scored 15 points, as did Beth Deren and Kim Stephens. Kristin Golden and Miranda Reed chipped in 10 points each.
The Lady Pioneers shot .347 from the field, trying an astounding 90 field goals and making 33. By contrast, Concord tried 63 shots and made 25 for .397. Glenville State was a remarkable 13-44 from three-point range, while Concord was 2-7. And, GSC committed only 12 turnovers.
The Lady Lions' record dropped to 10-4, 7-2 in the WVIAC. GSC is now 9-4, 7-2
Concord continues its demanding weekend road trip with a visit to WVIAC pre-season favorite West Liberty State on Saturday afternoon. The game will be broadcast by Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and webcast at www.theriver102.com, beginning with the “Mountain Lion Preview Show” at approximately 1:30 pm EST. Tip-off will be at 2:00 pm. The CU-WLSU men's game will follow at 4:00.
