Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball coach Happy Osborne expects nothing less than a fast-paced, high-octane shootout when the Panthers host King College on Saturday
Squaring off against a Tornado squad that averages 84 points per game and makes almost 13 3-pointers per contest behind a persistent fastbreak attack, Osborne has urged to his players the importance of remaining disciplined on defense.
"They're going to run, they're going to shoot 3s," Osborne said. "They may not have the ball for even 13 seconds into the shot clock before they shoot. The first open 3 they get is going up. We've got to be great in transition, and we've got to contest shots.
"King is shooting 33 3-pointers a game. That's close to one a minute."
The Panthers (10-2) enter Saturday's contest coming off of a 68-60 victory over Brevard in which they shot 40 percent from the floor and 39 percent from long range. KWC also allowed the visitors to convert on 47 percent from the field but just 22 percent from beyond the arc.
According to Osborne, his squad will need a better showing against King (8-3), which was ranked No. 14 in the Dec. 15 NABC Division II Coaches Poll.
Patience will also be a key, he added.
"Defensively, they play every zone you can imagine," Osborne said of the Tornado, who surrender 75 points per contest on 41-percent shooting. "They trap out of the zone, they press — it's not going to be a game with a lot of sets. It's going to be an up-and-down game of basketball. They're one of those teams that if you're 20 points ahead, they can catch you, but 20 points down, you can catch them.
"We can't shoot the first available shot. We've got to attack and make four or five passes to get what we want. We can't do the things they want us to do."
The Panthers are led by junior guard Ken-Jah Bosley, who scored a team-best 15 points Thursday against Brevard. Other starters will be senior forward Devin Langford (14 points against Brevard), junior guard Jordan Jacks (14 points), senior guard Marcus Fillyaw (10 points, six assists, six rebounds) and senior forward C.J. Blackwell (five points).
Meanwhile, starters for King include junior forward Hunter Leveau (15.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg), junior guard C.J. Good (15.5 ppg), junior forward Derick Pope (9.0 ppg), senior guard Calvin Walker (5.5 ppg) and sophomore forward Shon'Dre Dukes (2.0 ppg).
Former Apollo High School standout Hunter Shelton is also a reserve for the Tornado and has appeared in six games this season.
Though he expects plenty of hometown support for Shelton, Osborne acknowledged the boost that his squad would get from a big crowd as the Panthers host the second matchup of a three-game homestand before conference play begins in January.
"If you're looking for a game to come watch, we're an underdog in our own building Saturday," he said. "We've got our hands full, but if I was a fan and wanted to watch up-and-down basketball, this is the game I'd come to. It's going to be a fun, fun game to watch."
