The Concord Mountain Lions picked up their first Mountain East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Sunday.
It was a tournament of upsets and drama as this year’s MEC Championship game was played between fourth seeded Concord and sixth seeded Notre Dame College. Concord defeated Notre Dame 70 to 64 at the Charleston Civic Center on Sunday.
It was the Mountain Lions 3rd contest in three days including an upset of in the semifinals of Division II number one ranked West Liberty. Concord trailed by double digits on multiple occasions in the first half, but settled down in the second half, took care of the basketball and controlled the glass, out rebounding Notre Dame 43-38.
Senior Center Terry Hopewell was an all-tournament selection, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds Sunday. He also set the MEC tournament record with 41 rebounds in 3 games.
The Championship gives the 22-9 Mountain Lions an automatic birth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament. The tournament begins play Saturday March 12th.