By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — It just felt like a fury was coming from somebody.

Western Illinois and Little Rock traded shots for the first 12 1/2 minutes of Friday’s Ohio Valley Conference Tournament semifinal at the Ford Center.

Then Little Rock’s defense gripped the Leathernecks.

The Trojans’ 82-57 win ended what has been a revival season for Western Illinois in its first year in the OVC.

The Leathernecks finished 21-11, the most wins since the 2012-13 season.

All seasons usually end with pain, and this one stung, yet the Leathernecks knew what they had accomplished.

“I told the guys this season was nothing but memorable for me,” said forward Jesiah West. “We did something that hasn’t happened in a long time at this school. We did things people didn’t expect us to do this year. And just how I felt, I don’t live with regrets.”

“Just as Siah said, we don’t live with regrets,” said guard Quinlan Bennett. “We were disappointed in the loss, but this was a great year, especially for the group we put together. It was a brotherhood.”

West and Bennett came back for a final season, and were key parts in Chad Boudreau’s first season as head coach after three as the associate head coach under Rob Jeter.

It’s why Boudreau nodded to both of them as he talked about what the season meant to him.

“I appreciate these guys to my left and right,” Boudreau said. “These guys are family, and I’m thankful. And they know it — they know how I feel. And I’m thankful they came back.”

The fourth-seeded Leathernecks, whose 61-59 win over Tennessee State in Thursday’s quarterfinal was the program’s first conference tournament victory since 2019, weren’t tired against the top-seeded Trojans, Boudreau said. The 19-7 run Little Rock had to close the first half was about the Trojans’ speed.

“We just couldn’t keep up,” Boudreau said. “The first time we played them (a 63-60 Little Rock win on February 8), we were at least able to get stops and defend — our defense kept us in the game. And this time around, we couldn’t get the stops and then shots stopped falling. Everybody knows that’s a bad recipe, and it cost us.”

The two teams were tied at 21 at the under-8 media timeout before the Trojans (21-11) went on their run. They held the Leathernecks to 3-of-15 shooting for the rest of the first half.

“I thought we got out in the open court, forced some turnovers,” said Little Rock coach Darrell Walker. “When we get people in the open court, we’re pretty dangerous.”

“We had some good looks, and they didn’t fall,” Boudreau said. “And that’s the game.”

Walker wanted to control the Leathernecks’ ability to rebound — Western Illinois came into the game ranked fourth nationally in rebounds per game. The Leathernecks got 19 offensive rebounds, but the two teams each had 40 boards for the game.

The Trojans, who extended their winning streak to 10 games, had a 25-7 edge in fast-break points because of the way they were able to run after getting rebounds.

“That’s one way to counteract our offensive rebounding — if you can secure it, get it out (on a fast break),” Boudreau said. “They hit us with that, and hit us hard.”

KK Robinson and DeAntoni Gordon each had 16 points for Little Rock. Jordan Jefferson had 13, and Jamir Chaplin had 11.

JJ Kalakon led Western Illinois with 15 points, while Myers had 12.

Photo: Western Illinois’ Quinlan Bennett (left) is guarded by Little Rock’s KK Robinson in the second half. (Photo from WIU Athletic Communications)