Mountaineers go back to work
By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Appalachian State coach Houston Fancher was not upset with his Mountaineers following their 84-78 loss Monday to Charlotte at Halton Arena.

Instead, he saw plenty of things that he liked, and plenty of things that need to be worked on. The Mountaineers will get a chance to correct mistakes made Monday with a three-day tournament this weekend at Middle Tennessee State.

The Mountaineers begin Thursday with a showdown against Lipscomb, beginning at 6 p.m. They’ll follow with a game against San Jose State Friday, also at 6 p.m., and finish with a game against host Middle Tennessee State at 8 p.m. Saturday.

It’s a chance for the Mountaineers to gain some valuable experience for a team that lost four seniors from last year. Their backcourt was particularly hit hard with the loss of three-year starters D.J. Thompson, Demetrius Scott and Nate Cranford.

“This is a great thing for us,” Fancher said of the upcoming road trip. “It gives us a chance to play a lot of people, a chance to learn a lot and a chance to grow together on the road. We’re going to have four nights together just to learn about each other and I don’t think there’s a better opportunity for us right now to get to a neutral site against a couple of these teams and then play one of the teams at home on Saturday night.”

Thompson was the team’s point guard, leading scorer the past two years and leader. Scott was the team’s top perimeter defensive player and Cranford was one of the Mountaineers’ top offensive threats from the perimeter.

If Monday’s game is any judge of what can be expected in the future, scoring should not be a problem from the backcourt. Kellen Brand, one of three guards to start, scored 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the outside. Brand also hit all five of his 3-point attempts, including four in the first half.

Starting point guard Ryann Abraham also was accurate from the outside, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts and finishing with 11 points. Eduardo Bermudez added nine points, giving Appalachian State’s three starting guards 57 points.

But the point guard tandem of Abraham, a redshirt sophomore, and true freshman Donald Sims, struggled with Charlotte’s quickness. The two combined for 10 turnovers and dished out just two assists.