Game notes
The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team earned a first-round tournament bye as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference's No. 2 seed, but now that the opening round is over, coach Happy Osborne said it's time for his squad to get back to work.
The Panthers hope to return to the G-MAC Championship game for the second year in a row, but first they must face third-seeded Central State in the tournament semifinals on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Philippi, West Virginia.
KWC (21-7) split a pair of regular-season contests with Central State — a 64-62 loss on the road on Jan. 17 and a 65-56 victory at the Sportscenter on Feb. 12. Osborne said he expects the Marauders (18-11) to play a zone defense most of the way, but he's more concerned about his own team's defensive presence.
"We've got to do a better job of jumping to the ball defensively and not letting people cut in front of our face," he said. "We've got to be much better at challenging shots. A lot of times we're in peoples' faces, but we're not getting a hand up. And obviously we've got to take care of the ball."
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Saturday's matchup, Osborne added, is the uncertainty of leading scorer Ken-Jah Bosley.
Bosley, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who scores 17.6 points per game, suffered a high ankle sprain midway through the second half of the Panthers' season-closing victory over Ohio Valley a week ago. Bosley initially needed help getting off the floor, but returned five minutes later to help lift KWC to a come-from-behind win.
Bosley, an All-G-MAC first-team selection, spent the week in a walking boot and has not practiced since being injured.
"All I want is for Ken-Jah Bosley to get out of his boot and be OK," Osborne said. "His performance Saturday was as gutty as can be. He hasn't practiced all week, so whatever happens, happens.
"We need him. If not, guys that have been inconsistent need to really, really step up. I'm pleased with how Hakim (Stewart) has been playing. Devin (Langford), C.J. (Blackwell), (Ifeanyichukwu) Ude — those guys matter."
Blackwell, a 6-5 junior forward who was named to the all-conference second team earlier this week, would be the team leader in points (12.2) and rebounds (5.3) if Bosley can't compete.
Osborne also expects contributions from Langford, a 6-7 junior forward who averages 10.3 points per game and was also named to the all-conference second team, as well as 6-1 junior guard Marcus Fillyaw (7.8 points, 4.3 assists), 6-5 junior forward Tre Boutilier (5.6 points, 3.8 rebounds) and 6-2 senior guard Stewart (4.1 points).
The Marauders, who were narrowly edged out by KWC for a tournament bye, advanced to the semifinals with an 87-81 win over Ohio Valley on Friday.
After a good couple of practices earlier in the week, Osborne said, he feels his team knows what's at stake and will come prepared to play.
"They know what they have to do to win this thing," he said. "If we can come out of this tournament as the winner, it will be a big boost, a good way to end it for our seniors — make them feel like we got something good out of this season.
"We've got to go do it when it matters, now. This is a chance to do something hard and do it on the road, and it's something our program needs. To win this would be hard, but first we've got to win the first one. The first one is the most important. We've got to be ready to go, and I think we will be."
