Game Notes
A season's work of worth on the hardwood comes down to one game for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season men's basketball championship.
Kentucky Wesleyan invades Philippi, W.Va., on Saturday to battle Alderson Broaddus, which handed the Panthers their only league loss of the season, 81-62, back on Jan. 11 at the Sportscenter.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Rex Pyles Arena.
"It's going to take our best effort of the season to win," KWC coach Happy Osborne said of his club's showdown with the Battlers. "We've got to keep our composure in this one, and we've got to be solid the whole way.
"Deal the cards, it's for the conference championship. We're down to one game for the title. We've got to roll 'em up and go to work to get this one."
Kentucky Wesleyan (19-7, 12-1) is one of the hottest teams in NCAA Division II, having won nine consecutive games and 18 of its last 20 since Nov. 29. The Panthers are coming off a testy 73-67 win at Davis & Elkins on Thursday night.
KWC expects to start senior guard Lonnie Hayes (18 ppg), freshman guard Ken-Jah Bosley (17.1 ppg), sophomore forward Devin Langford (11.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), senior center Dominique Dawson (10.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and sophomore point guard Lucas Barker (6.1 ppg, 4.2 apg).
The Panthers' solid bench is led by Donovan Johnson (9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg), senior guard Rico Ferguson (7.8 ppg) and junior forward Patrick Neel (5.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg).
The Battlers, meanwhile, are paced by 6-2 guard Malcolm Tatum (15.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.7 apg) and senior forward Adam Kline (14.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg). Also scoring
in double digits are senior guard Thylas Perkins (12 ppg) and sophomore forward Richard Lemon (11.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg).
In KWC's January loss to the Battlers, Perkins scored a game-best 20 points and Kline produced 18 points and 11 rebounds as Alderson Broaddus shot 60 percent from the floor.
"We've got to get contributions from everybody in this one," Osborne said. "Here we are. One game. It's time."
