Metro State Falls in Nat’l Championship Game to Drury Panthers 74-73

Well, what a heck of a run. Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way that Metro State would’ve wanted. After an amazing season in which Metro went 32-2, the Roadrunners fell in the NCAA Division 2 National Championship Game 74-73 to the Drury Panthers.

After defeating the No. 1 seed in the nation in Division 2 in West Liberty, Metro looked to complete the mission they had all season long to bring home the third national championship in school history, but things happened a bit differently against Drury than head coach Derrick Clark and his squad had hoped.

Just like the game against West Liberty in the tournament semifinals, the Roadrunners had built a double-digit 39-27 lead going into halftime against the Panthers on Sunday afternoon, and would once again have to handle a rigorous comeback.

At the half on Sunday against Drury, Metro State held the Panthers to 10 field goals from the floor, and kept star guard Alex Hall to only 7 points at the break, which was well above par considering his dominant play for Drury all season long, averaging 20 points per contest. As well as Brandon Jefferson and Demetrius Miller kept him relatively in check for a while, you knew he would come on later on in the ball game, and unfortunately for the Roadrunners, he did just that.

Metro State couldn’t keep Hall in check, as he led his Drury Panthers back from being down 17 at one point in the game, and would eventually seal the deal for Drury’s first national championship in school history. With about 23 seconds to go, Alex Hall would knock in a pair of free throws due to the double bonus to take the 74-73 lead, and Drury would hold on. After a few desperate tries to win the game on the last possession, Metro just couldn’t pull it out, as they finish the season with a loss in the National title game. All five Metro starters finished in double figures, and actually, the only points for the Roadrunners, as Metro finished with zero bench points.

But with the disappointing loss aside, what an absolutely fantastic season for the Metro State University, its fans, the students, the alumni and for the city of Denver.

Metro State had the honor to be the last school standing in all of college basketball in the state of Colorado, and it was a great experience to see all of the folks sitting at a Mile High to support the Burgundy and Blue. With the end to the season, the Roadrunners bid adieu to four amazing seniors. Derrick January, Tyler Cooper, Demetrius Miller, and Jonathan Morse. Derrick and “Coop” provided sparks off the bench when needed, and provided a fantastic boost of energy when head coach Derrick Clark called upon them.

Demetrius Miller, full of that Flint, Michigan blood. “Meetch” transferred from Mott Community College for the chance at a national title, and I promise you that this Roadrunners squad wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did without Demetrius. As Meetch passes the torch to Brandon Jefferson for the 2013-14 season, BJ has quite some big shoes to fill. Derrick Clark and Demetrius’ teammates will definitely miss his leadership and his love for his team. His passion for the game is definitely unparalleled.

And then Jonathan Morse, the third Morse to play for the Roadrunners after his brothers Michael (2002-05) and Joshua (1999-00) played before him. Jonathan completes a legacy of success and pride for his family, playing all four years for Metro State and dominating as his brothers did before him. “J-Mo” led all Roadrunners in scoring in 2012-13 with 14.6 PPG, and started all but one game for the squad. With Jonathan’s graduation, Metro will hope that Nick Kay can step in and do for Metro what J-Mo has done in the past. As Brandon Jefferson has quite the shoes to fill, as does Nick Kay as well.

A farewell is in order for all four of those seniors, as you all had fantastic careers as Metro State Roadrunners. Kudos to the entire Metro State squad, head coach Derrick Clark, and the entire organization. You made all of your fellow students, faculty, alumni, and the entire state of Colorado very proud. Amazing season, fellas.

Anthony Rodriguez

Anthony is the Founder, Administrator, Editor and Publisher of Lightning Rod Sports. Originally from California, Anthony has been raised in the Rocky Mountains and Denver area for most of his life. Anthony works with the Emmy-winning student-run T.V. newscast at MSU Denver, The Met Report, as the Assistant General Manager, formerly the Sports Producer, as well as Lead Anchor and Production Assistant. He is currently the Play-by-Play Announcer, Color Commentator, and Production Assistant for the Metro State Broadcast Network, and calls games for Metro State soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball as a “Voice of the Roadrunners.” In addition to that work with the Metro State Broadcast Network, Anthony also hosts the monthly 30-minute magazine show called "The Roadrunner Review" which airs on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. He hosts the bi-weekly "KMet Sports Show" on KMET Radio at MyMetMedia.com/KMETSportsShow. He is also the Founder, Administrator, Editor, and Columnist for his own Denver Sports website, LightningRodSports.com. Anthony is also part of the Social Media team at Examiner.com, and has worked with the Altitude Radio Network for the Avalanche and Nuggets. Anthony is a former Producer for Mile High Sports Radio, as well as a former Sports-Talk show host on the LightningRod Radio Network.

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