Game notes
The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team has won seven games in a row dating back to early December, but coach Happy Osborne is more concerned with what his squad has done in the last couple of weeks.
The Panthers (11-3) are coming off of a 98-53 home thumping of Brevard on New Year's Eve, but it's the only game KWC has played since winning the Quincy Subway Holiday Tournament on Dec. 21. Though the Panthers are in the midst of a winning streak, Osborne has set his focus on making sure his team doesn't get complacent while going through long stretches without playing.
"We've practiced pretty well, but we've got to rebound better, and we've got to be a lot more physical."
The Panthers will have a chance at their eighth consecutive victory when they host Oakland City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sportscenter.
The Mighty Oaks (8-1) feature four players scoring at least double-figures, led by 6-foot-4 senior forward Trevor Smith's 17.8 points per game on 69 percent shooting. Others contributors include 6-6 senior forward Ryan Helfert (14.8 ppg, 6.7 apg, 6.2 rpg), 6-2 sophomore guard Matt Lucas (14.4 ppg) and 6-7 senior center Brandon Morton (12.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg).
"Oakland City is very good offensively," Osborne said. "They are a dangerous team and a team that can score the basketball. They shoot it, and they pass it well. They can put the ball in the basket."
As a team, Oakland City scores 95.3 points per game on 51 percent shooting with nearly 25 assists per game.
"We'll do everything we can to keep the ball on one side of the floor," Osborne said. "That's how we like to do it, and we'll try to make it hard to reverse the basketball and get it down low.
"Lucas, he's really little, but he's a good scorer. He's a good player. Helfert, their four-man, hurt us last year inside. They're much better this year inside than they were last year, so we'd better bring it."
KWC is expected to stick with the starting rotation of 6-1 sophomore guard Ken-Jah Bosley (18.6 ppg), 6-5 junior forward C.J. Blackwell (12.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg), 6-1 junior guard Marcus Fillyaw (8.1 ppg, 3.9 apg), 6-2 senior guard Hikeem Stewart (5.1 ppg) and 6-11 senior center Ifeanyichukwu Ude (2.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg).
With KWC students still away from campus for the next couple of weeks, Osborne said a large crowd turnout would be hugely beneficial for the Panthers' chances.
"We need a good crowd," he said. "We'll be ready to play, but we need reasons to be enthused. It's going to be cold, but there's not much else going on, and it will really help our guys.
"They appreciate what our crowd does. A loud crowd, a boisterous crowd with the students gone means everything. Kentucky Wesleyan can't sustain Kentucky Wesleyan basketball, the city of Owensboro has to do that. Day by day, I think we're getting there."
