McFarland, Young return as KWC seeks momentum - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

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The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team is back at full strength.

After serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, juniors Cardell McFarland and Anthony Young have been reinstated and will be active for the Panthers' matchup with Rockhurst at 7:30 p.m. today at the Sportscenter.

"It's similar to any family when you have adversity, it can bring you closer," said KWC coach Todd Lee, who hopes the players have used the situation as a learning experience. "Things aren't always going to go smooth, they're kids, and they're learning that."

KWC (10-2, 3-2 Great Lakes Valley Conference) handled the absence of its two leading scorers -- Young averages 21.2 points per game and McFarland 17.3 ppg -- exceptionally well, with several players elevating their performance to help the Panthers claim a 77-69 win over Drury last Saturday.

Lee anticipates that paying dividends for the rest of the season.

"Anytime there's some adversity guys have to step up, and I'm sure they gained a lot of confidence, as well as helped us come together as a group," said Lee, who also pointed out that it wasn't an unexpected contribution. "We have four seniors, and they played a lot on a team that won 29 games last year, and none of them had lost to Drury."

Senior center Jay Ivey and junior forward Marseilles Stewart stepped into the starting lineup against Drury and delivered big efforts. Ivey had a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Stewart scored a game-high 22 points.

Senior forward Chris Williams added 10 points and 15 rebounds.

While the Panthers have improved in several facets during the last month, Lee remains unhappy with their defense and rebounding -- though he has seen recent improvement on the boards.

"We've always been pretty good at doing those things, so it's a little bit of a change," Lee said. "Every year is different. We're going to continue with the same drills. We can improve."

While the Hawks (4-10, 2-4) have struggled this season, Lee said they're dangerous because of their shooting ability on the perimeter. Forward Aaron Morrissey (12.4 ppg) and guards Brandon McCann (11.9) and Najia Nicholson (12.3) are the primary scorers.

"They've got good shooters, and they're very skilled and very smart," Lee said. "Playing good perimeter defense is a must for us."

Lee always puts an emphasis on winning at home. But with road games at Illinois-Springfield and No. 6 Southern Indiana following Rockhurt's visit, gaining momentum heading into the road swing adds importance.

"We just can't afford to lose any home games," Lee said. "It's a big game."

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