Best Virginia fell just short of advancing to the TBT Championship and playing for $1 million after falling to Eberlein Drive 85-77 in Charleston Thursday night.
The West Virginia alumni team battled back and forth but was not able to close the game in the Elam Ending as Gabe York scored 8 of his 25 points in that frame.
For Best Virginia James Reese scored 15 points, Toby Okani had 14 points, Will Vorhees had 10 points, Jarrod West had 10 points, Isaiah Sanders had 9 points and Kedrian Johnson had 9 points in the semifinal match-up.
Best Virginia fell behind 21-12 in the first quarter but consecutive three-balls cut the deficit to just a single possession as the first period closed. The West Virginia alumni team used a 16-3 run to push ahead 28-24 early in the second quarter as Sanders was responsible for 9 of those points.
That lead would swell to 32-26, but Eberlein Drive would use their own run to recapture the lead at 34-33. But Okani would give Best Virginia the lead heading into the break with a three in the closing seconds of the quarter to make it 40-37 at the halfway point.
The two teams would continue to go back and forth in the third quarter as Best Virginia held a 54-52 edge with 3:42 remaining in the period. But Eberlein Drive would use a 12-7 run for the remainder of the quarter to take a 64-61 edge into the final period.
Best Virginia would fall behind 73-66 before a West three and a Vorhees layup cut the deficit to 73-71 with just around five minutes remaining in the game. The two teams entered the Elam Ending with the score 77-75 in favor of Eberlein Drive and a target score of 85 and Eberlein Drive closed things out.
The championship game will be played 4 p.m. Aug. 3 with Eberlein Drive against the winner of AfterShocks and We Are D3 and will be televised by FOX.
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