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OGDEN, Utah — Three points is all that separated Weber State from a Big Sky Championship then two weeks later a championship in the CIT.
The goal of most any program is to make it to the NCAA tournament. For the Wildcats they were within three points of beating the top-seeded Montana Grizzlies and making the tournament, but were able to secure a spot in the colleginsiders.com Tournament. It doesn't have the prestige of the NCAA, or the NIT even, but it was a chance to keep their fantastic season going.
Weber State coach Randy Rahe summed up the Big Sky tournament after their loss to Montana as well as anyone could.
"I have to give Montana credit because they earned it," Rahe said. "I couldn't be more proud of our team. This one is hard and it hurts. Our kids have invested into our program and it's painful. I thought we competed hard, we just came up a couple of plays short."
Reaching that record is terrific for our program and I'm really happy for our players. I think it really speaks volumes for our players and how tough they have worked. It's a great accomplishment and it's something they will never forget.
–WSU coach Randy Rahe
The Wildcats had won 12 straight going into the championship game. They were rolling through opponents, but couldn't top the Grizzlies. An invite to the CIT brought them another chance and the first round game against Cal Poly showed that their loss wasn't an end to their streak just a speed bump.
The Wildcats started the game on an 8-0 run and never looked back. Senior Scott Bamforth continued a stellar season as he put up 23 points with seven 3-pointers. They finished off [Cal Poly in dominating fashion 85-43.](<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=24485598&nid=1153&title=weber-state-dominates-cal-poly-85-43-in-first-round-of-cit-tournament >)
Next up was the Air Force Falcons and another home game for the Wildcats. This game had more on the line than just another win in the CIT. With the win Weber State would set the record for wins by the program and wins by a team in the Big Sky with 28. The 'Cats came out quickly and left little doubt that it would be broken.
Weber State set a school record with 30 wins. This is also a Big Sky conference record. 17 wins at the Dee Events Center is a school record for wins at homePoints
Weber State set the Big Sky record for most points scored in a season. They ended with 2,800 points scored, 75.7 per game.Games Played
Weber State set the record for most games played in a season for their school and for the Big Sky conference with 37 games played.3-pointers Made
Scott Bamforth set the school record for 3-pointers made in a career with 258. The previous record was 246 held by Portland Trailblazer rookie Damian Lillard.
The Wildcats never trailed in the game and eventually broke the game [open for a 78-57 win over the Falcons.](<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=24522433&nid=1153&title=weber-state-beats-air-force-78-57-in-cit-for-school-record-28th-win >) Part of the record-setting win was another slightly smaller record, Bamforth hit five 3-pointers and set the school record, set by now Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard, with 247 in his career.
"Reaching that record is terrific for our program and I'm really happy for our players," Rahe said. "I think it really speaks volumes for our players and how tough they have worked. It's a great accomplishment and it's something they will never forget."
With the win the 'Cats then welcomed Oral Roberts to the Dee Events Center and treated them like they did Cal Poly or Air Force. The 83-74 victory wasn't as impressive as the other two by sheer numbers, but Oral Roberts only lead once in the game, 4-3.
The game got close in the second half with the Golden Eagles cutting it to two with 6:46 left, but Weber went on a 12-2 run to shut the door and move on to the next round. Junior Davion Berry had a huge night for the Wildcats scoring a career-high 29 points and dishing out 10 assists for his first-career double-double. Berry had six rebounds as well.
Like the previous game this one would set more records for the school. On top of the wins total it was had already been setting they set the record for games played as a school and for the conference and they set the record for home wins with 17 as a school and set the record for most points scored in the Big Sky.
"We are really excited to still be playing," Rahe said. "We've had such a fun season and are thrilled to be still playing. Northern Iowa is a really tough basketball team and will be a great test for it but we are really excited for the opportunity."
Northern Iowa would be a different test for the 'Cats as they finally had to travel outside the comforts of Ogden. Cedar Falls would host the Wildcats and the winner would move on to the CIT championship. Weber jumped out to an early 11-0 lead, but unlike the previous games this one would be close to the bitter end.
The Panthers of Northern Iowa had the lead at 55-53 with 5:53 left in the game, but then the game slowed down and the Wildcats were able to do just enough to reclaim the lead and their title hopes. They only scored six points in the final six minutes, but they held to Panthers to one point to get the [victory 59-56 and a chance to host the title game.](<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=24605490&nid=1153&title=weber-state-beats-northern-iowa-to-advance-to-cit-title-game >)
I've loved coaching this team. I've had as much fun coaching this team as any I've been around. They accomplished an awful lot and have had a terrific record breaking season. Winning 30 games is a tremendous accomplishment.
–Randy Rahe
Berry, Bamforth and Frank Otis all scored in double figures for Weber with Otis pulling down 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
"It was a really physical game and was a battle until the end," Otis said. "This is one of the best teams we've played all year and we were able to fight through it all. This is a confidence boost for us to beat a talented team like this. We are really excited to be going back home to play for the championship."
The dream season was going to end in Ogden in front of the Weber faithful who were excited to see a championship in the Dee Events Center. The Wildcats welcomed the East Carolina Pirates and both teams were ready for a battle.
This game lived up to any and all hype that a championship game should get. Weber jumped out to a 24-17 lead, fell to a 21-7 run, then answered with an 11-2 run of their own. It was body blow after body blow. The teams were tied with 1:19 left, then again with 21 seconds left.
The Pirates had the last shot and were looking to make it count. ECU's Akeem Richmond set up from beyond the arc, let the point guard draw a double team and took his shot.
The next time the ball touched the floor the Wildcats' season was over, losing [77-74 on a buzzer-beater from long-range.](<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=24641157&nid=1153&title=weber-state-loses-on-buzzer-beater-in-cit-championship-game >) They will go down as one of the most decorated teams in Weber State history, but there will always be a little bit of what if to go along with it.
"It hurts to know that we put ourselves in a position to win we just didn't finish it, so it's very disappointing," Bamforth said. "We had such great support from our fans tonight and it's disappointing we couldn't win it for all the people that have supported us. The missed free throws certainly hurt us. We had a terrific season we just came up a game short."
We had such great support from our fans tonight and it's disappointing we couldn't win it for all the people that have supported us. The missed free throws certainly hurt us. We had a terrific season we just came up a game short.
–Scott Bamforth, Weber State's career 3-point leader
Bamforth will end his career at Weber as the leader in 3-points made and 11th in scoring. Bamforth, Otis and Kyle Tresnak, who finished the game with 10 points and 7 rebounds, were named to the CIT All-Tournament team.
The Wildcats were three points away from an NCAA tournament shot, when that didn't happen they didn't quit. They set records and kept having fun, unfortunately they were three points away from a championship in the CIT as well.
"I've loved coaching this team," Rahe said. "I've had as much fun coaching this team as any I've been around. They accomplished an awful lot and have had a terrific record breaking season. Winning 30 games is a tremendous accomplishment. We wanted the final prize and we didn't get it but down the line they will look back at this season with satisfaction."
It might hurt right now, but this team should have a lot to be proud of. They finished winning 17 of their last 19 games. They will only lose two seniors, so just as the memories of this season should be bright, so also is the future.
