Game Notes
It's a quick turnaround for the Kentucky Wesleyan basketball team.
Fresh off a loss to Lake Superior State on Wednesday, the Panthers are back at it for two games this weekend as they host their annual Thanksgiving tournament.
KWC (1-5) will face Wilberforce (0-10) in its first game of the two-day event at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Sportscenter while Young Harris and Missouri S&T will square off in the first game of the four-team event at 5 p.m.
The consolation game is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday and the championship game will tipoff at 7:30 p.m.
"We've just got to do it," coach Happy Osborne said of the quick turnaround. "That's what it is and we've got to make it happen. Let's go do it. There can't be any excuses for that. We've just got to find a way and maybe something good can happen."
The Panthers have taken their lumps early this season, both on and off the court. A series of suspensions and a player departure has been met by a five-game losing streak.
With limited numbers, Osborne faces the challenge of keeping his players fresh throughout back-to-back games this weekend after a game Wednesday.
"The guys off the bench are getting better," he said. "You have to. You've just got to reach down, gut it out and keep going."
Following Wednesday's loss, freshman Ken-Jah Bosley was one of the last players change out of his uniform. He sat in his chair at his locker pondering his team's current losing streak.
For him, it's a good thing to come back and play two days later following a loss.
"It's nice. It gets the nasty taste out of your mouth faster," Bosley said. "Plus, I'd rather play as quick as possible after losing because you're trying to win as fast as possible to get all this losing off your mind."
The alternative to that is less time to practice. KWC has played a clustered stretch of games this month, including three games in six days a little more than a week ago, so practice hasn't been as frequent as Osborne would like.
He said that can't be an excuse, though.
"You could always use more practice, but it is what it is," Osborne said. "We've just got to stay organized and go play, take a chance at it."
This week's games mark a stretch of seven in a row at home for KWC, which Osborne said could be a very good thing for a team looking to get back on track.
"I'm glad to be playing at home. I hope people come watch us. We just need to get over the top one time here. When you get over the top once, you've got a chance at doing it two, three times in a row.
"We're in the process of knocking down a wall. We've got to knock it down."
