BJ Appel
Reporter
King College continued to be the nagging thorn in the side of the men’s basketball team last Thursday as they defeated the Buffs for the third consecutive time this season with a final score of 50-57. The loss knocked the men out of the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals at Virginia High School in Bristol, Tenn.
“We had several chances, we came down and didn’t get a good look and failed to execute what was called, so I take full responsibility for that. I should have called a timeout near the end,” said Milligan’s head coach Tony Wallingford.
The Buffs and the Tornadoes (19-15, 15-7) stood toe to toe from the very beginning of the game. Down eight points at the closing of the first half, sophomore guard JaKeith Hairston drilled a three-pointer and junior guard Jordon Simmons executed on a one-and-one free throw shot to close the gap to 25-28. However, Tornado sophomore guard Eric Ely put in a three-pointer to end the half with King having a six-point lead.
On a mission to win, Milligan bolted out in the second half with a few three-pointers from Simmons and junior guard Eric Coggins. Junior guard Scott Ferguson accompanied the run with key steals that were turned into fast break points. The Buffs found their largest lead of the night when senior point guard Roy Richmond found Hairston in the corner for yet another three-pointer, putting Milligan up 44-38 at half way through the second period.
The Buffs then began to lose steam as referee calls were made in King’s favor. Milligan also missed vital free throws that allowed King to return and tie the game up at 50-50. King’s C.J. Manahan nailed another three-pointer in the final minute. On the other end, Milligan could not convert and King was able to hold on for the win.
Senior forward Jonathan Harris closed out his career as a Milligan Buffalo shooting 70 percent from the field and a game high 15 points. Junior forward Craig Emmert contributed with nine points and 15 rebounds. Harris was named to the AAC All Conference First Team while Emmert and Simmons were named to AAC All-Academic Team.
“I was proud of our kids and the overall effort they gave during the entire game,” Wallingford said. “They have nothing to be ashamed of.”
The Buffaloes closed the 2003-2004 season with a final record of 14-17 in the regular season and 13-11 in the conference.