West, Kinsey lift Herd That late to claim TBT West Virginia region championship.

Their attendance brought the energy needed to give Herd That a 73-64 win as the team claimed the West Virginia regional championship, advancing to the TBT super regional final against Boeheim’s Army.

“It was special,” Ot Elmore said. “For me, I don’t play professionally, so for two weeks out of the year, I get to focus on basketball. To see your brother do well, see the guys you care about do well, it’s special.”

Ot does not miss Joe Johnson, whom he guarded in the team’s matchup with The Money Team in 2020.

“No. He can stay gone,” Ot said when asked if he misses Johnson.

For Saturday’s matchup, each team came in with height and scoring to its advantage, forcing a near even contest early on. Both teams pushed the paint, each shooting over 50% from inside the arc.

Marshall went on a 17-7 run in the first quarter after falling behind 6-4. It was powered by James Kelly, who scored the team’s first seven points in the first quarter. Herd That led 21-13 after a quarter.

Kelly finished with 12 points in 17 minutes. 

“When you see a guy like that playing that hard,” Jon said of Kelly. “Playing with nothing to lose. He’s been phenomenal.”

Herd That was outrebounded by Sideline Cancer in the first half: 18-16. However, the team won the turnover battle, something uncharacteristic of the team’s style.

Once the second quarter was finished, though, tides flipped as Herd That won the rebound battle 39-32, pulling down 11 offensive boards. Herd That finished with just 10 turnovers.

“We watched Blue Collar U win it last year just by being tougher than everybody,” Ot said. “We went out and we got the shooters. We got the big guys that win the paint. We don’t want anyone to beat us anywhere. I think we’ve done a good job of that.”

As the first half ended, Herd That led 35-31, holding a four-point advantage as it shot 30% from three, an advantage over Sideline Cancer’s 16.7%

The notable scoring absence from Sideline Cancer was Marcus Keene, who was only able to record 13 points despite being nicknamed “Elam”. Keene was predominantly double teamed on sets that looked to hedge him from screens.

“We watched film and we came up with a game plan,” Ot said. “We decided that every time that those guys (guards) come off of the pick and roll, we are going to double them. The game plan was to make everyone beat us. Fortunately for us, they didn’t get going.”

Jarrod West was able to get multiple deflections on Keene to shift the tides of the game defensively.

“He’s been a great pro. They name the Elam after him,” West said. “I’m up for the challenge. I love defense. I try to play hard and compete. I knew that at some point, I was going to be guarding him. I love to compete.”

Part of Herd That’s power is that the team has a multitude of historic scorers in its backcourt. Rob Gray, Jon Elmore and Taevion Kinsey combine for nearly 7,000 collegiate points. Elmore (C-USA) and Gray (AAC) were the all-time leading scorers in their conference following their senior seasons.

“That was our thing coming in,” Jon said. “We don’t have to rely on one person to dominate a game. We go 1-12. Everyone came in and had an impact. Some teams go to bench for a drop off, we go to it for scoring spurts.”

Jarrod West played a significant role in the contest as a disrupting force. As he snared _ steals, he also became the player with the ball in his hands at the end of quarters.

In the first, West found a layup at the buzzer as he shifted past Sideline Cancer’s Marcus Keene to give Herd That an eight-point advantage.

In the third, West did the same, knocking down a three to extend Herd That’s lead out to six.

“I think we had a long clock on both of those,” West said. “I had the ball, and at the end of the day you have to make plays. I was feeling good. I felt like I was in a good rhythm today. I wanted to play with confidence. Just wanted to make the play and help win the game.”

The Notre Dame High School alum finished with five points on the night, playing just 11 minutes. West also added in three assists.

“When you got guys who take it personally on the defensive end, to win matchups, it goes a long way,” Jon said. “Probably half of the teams here in West Virginia are underrated and underrecruited. We play with a chip on our shoulder to show teams that we belong at the highest level.”

Taevion Kinsey found his way into the mix in the fourth quarter. The all-time leading scorer in Marshall history found his old connections with West, scoring six consecutive points to give Marshall the lead that it would never lose at 62-50.

Kinsey finished with 10 points, two steals, and two rebounds on 4-5 shooting.

Kinsey was the leading scorer in a 13-3 run that sealed the game for Herd That.

“I’m glad he’s on our team,” Jon said. “Big plays. His length and athleticism, plays like that win games. They were timely buckets.”

Herd That finished with nine steals and two blocks as a team. Defense continues to be a dominating factor for the team in the TBT.

“I think that defensively, we might be better there than we are on offense,” Jon said. “I thought we did what the coaching staff asked, and it worked.”

Herd That advances to take on Boeheim’s Army, a Syracuse based alumni team. While Herd That has officially claimed the West Virginia TBT championship, Ot Elmore says it doesn’t mean much.

“Being the champions of the West Virginia regional don’t mean anything if you don’t win, you can still go home with zero dollars,” Ot said.

The game, though, will be played in Wheeling. The winner will advance to the TBT semifinal in Philadelphia.

“We don’t have to do a six-hour bus ride,” Ot said. “These guys are pros. They’re not 15-21 anymore, so it takes a little bit to bounce back. I’m glad that we can just stay in the hotel and get back into it tomorrow.”