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Herd That Advances To Final Four With Dominant Win Over Boeheim’s Army

By NICK HENTHORN 5 min read

WHEELING - In TBT's final game in Wheeling, Herd That earned a spotless 4-0 record in the Friendly City with a 88-71 victory over the Syracuse Regional Champion, Boeheim's Army.

Taking to the WesBanco Arena for the second night in a row following a 73-64 win over Sideline Cancer ALS, Herd That turned a close first half into a offensive showcase throughout the third quarter, outscoring Boeheim's Army 34-13 in the frame to leave the Syracuse alumni team in the dust.

With the victory, Herd That is headed to Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA as one of the final four teams competing for a $1 million prize. They will face Heartfire on August 2.

Going into halftime down 38-33, Herd That caught fire in the middle portion of the third, going on a 17-0 run between the 7:30 mark and the 5:00 mark, the Marshall alumni squad going a perfect 7-7 in that span, most of their field goals coming on the fast break.

"There were no magic words," Herd That head coach Ot Elmore said of his team's halftime adjustments. "I think we just realized we hadn't played very well, but we were still in the game. We went to the smaller lineup, tried to bring more energy. We lucked out and it worked. I could've looked real dumb, but I'm glad it worked and we're going to Philadelphia."

Point guard Jon Elmore nailed two deep 3's during the team's game changing 17-0 run, and finished with 17 points.

"The big thing was I think we were stagnant in the first half," Jon Elmore said. "Our Marshall offense, the style we want to play at, is getting the ball out and running, quick actions, get easy shots. In the first half, when you're playing against a long, athletic team like they are and they get to set their defense, it doesn't matter who you are, it's tough to play against that set, half-court defense.

"When we got stops, got the outlets, and got easy buckets, that got everybody into their rhythm and we started making a lot more shots."

Elmore added seven assists and seven rebounds to his statline. Rob Gray scored 20 points and eight rebounds, both game-highs, while knocking through a game-winning midrange jump shot to trigger the Elam Ending. Jacorey Williams scored 16 and Taevion Kinsey scored 15 off the bench.

Kinsey was part of the five-man unit in the third quarter which ignited the Herd That attack, the high-flying wing needing only 19 minutes to put up his 15 points on 6-8 shooting, complimented by quality defense.

Kinsey was part of a Herd That defense which, while overshadowed by a gaudy offensive night, held Boeheim's Army to 36.5% shooting from the field.

"Our assistant coach looked at me at halftime, he was like 'You know there's no loser's bracket right? If we lose we're going home,'" Elmore said. "He was kind of talking trash to me- 'Hey, you've got to pick it up.' He inspired me, Taevion [Kinsey] came out and gave us a spark, Jerrod [West] played great defense."

Kinsey and Williams both put up double-digit scoring days and finished with +13 and +14 plus/minuses, respectively, while coming off the bench for a deep Herd That team which also included Jerrod West and Derek Cooke Jr.

Herd That finished with 37 bench points against Boeheim's Army's 15, and the productive play off the pine allowed for Herd That to come at their opponents in waves.

"Having that depth and having that ability to grind teams down and get them tired, I think that's what we did again," Elmore said. "The second half of the Sideline Cancer game I thought we had an amazing third, early fourth quarter. Same thing today, so maybe we're just a second-half team."

Herd That played with focus top-to-bottom on Sunday, edging out Boeheim's Army in the rebounding battle (42-30), assists (18-11), fast break points (21-12), and points in the paint (44-22). Boeheim's Army did manage their turnovers better, with only six giveaways to Herd That's 12, but 10 of Herd That's turnovers came in the first half, with few to speak of in the second.

"Just making crisp decisions, not making complicated plays," Gray said "Basketball is a simple game. Playing to our strengths individually, making crisp passes, and making the right play. You make the right play, most of the time you're taking care of the ball."

For Boeheim's Army, Grant Riller and Deandre Kane- a Marshall alum himself- each scored 15 points.

Saying goodbye to Wheeling and hello to Philly, Herd That enters into the tournament's final four with some anticipation of a different challenge against Heartfire, a team on the polar opposite of Herd That in pace and style.

"We'll play the way we play no matter who we play," Ot Elmore said. "We're going to be getting up and down, if they're not getting up and down then we're going to be getting some layups. They're going to have to run with us, we're going to pick up, have good energy on defense, get out quick and go. You're not going to be able to slow it down."

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