With March approaching, the West Liberty Men’s Basketball team looked for a strong finish to their season this past week in their matchups against Notre Dame College and Wheeling University, and that’s exactly what they got. The Hilltoppers’ No. 2 ranking in the country looks to be solidified after a pair of victories this weekend against Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponents.

West Liberty’s week of success began on Wednesday, Feb. 23, as they faced off against the Notre Dame Falcons at the West Liberty University Academic Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC). The game started with back-to-back three pointers from Notre Dame’s Michael Sampson and John Godinez to give the Falcons a 6-0 lead. However, West Liberty responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead, which they never relinquished. By halftime, the Hilltoppers held a 12-point lead, helped greatly by Pat Robinson, who went 6-11 on field goals in the first half for 12 points. In the second half, sophomore Bryce Butler took over the game, going a perfect eight for eight on field goals and adding 17 points for a total of 28 for the game. The deciding factor for the Hilltoppers turned out to be their 42 points scored from turnovers, compared to 14 for the Falcons. With a 15-point lead midway through the second half, West Liberty went on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach, and cruised to a 105-88 victory.

In the season finale matchup against Wheeling University, the Hilltoppers came out swinging, jumping to a 20-5 lead in the first six minutes of the game. It was smooth sailing for Head Coach Ben Howlett’s squad from there on out, as their lead would never shrink below eight points. The fifteen point lead for West Liberty was equal to the one at the end of the game, as the Toppers finished their season with a strong performance, defeating the Wheeling University Cardinals 109-94. Once again, Butler put up an impressive box score for West Liberty, completing a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Perhaps the most impressive part of Butler’s performance was his 80% shooting from the field on 15 attempts.

The pair of Hilltopper victories extends their win-streak to 12 games, the longest active streak in the MEC, and gives them a 26-2 final record on the season as they move forward to the MEC Tournament on March 4. The Toppers earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and a first round bye, which means they’ll face off in the quarterfinals against the winner of the first round matchup between Alderson Broaddus and Wheeling. The MEC Tournament will take place at Wheeling’s WesBanco Arena. For more information and updates, visit Hilltopper Sports.