Box Score It wasn't the effort Happy Osborne wanted from his squad, but it was good enough to get the job done.
C.J. Blackwell poured in a season-high 25 points, and the Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team shot 69.2 percent from the field for a 91-74 victory over Oakland City on Saturday at the Johnson Center in Oakland City, Indiana.
The win was the fourth in a row for the No. 22 Panthers (19-3) and the 10th in their last 11 tries, but Osborne was disappointed by the 45.5 percent shooting his team surrendered for the game.
"Our defense was not good, we were not ready to play, and that's on the head coach," he said. "I promise we practiced well, and it's disappointing when you practice hard and then don't play as hard as you practice."
The Mighty Oaks (15-3) converted on 51.7 percent of their shots in the first half to build a 25-15 lead after 10 minutes of play, but the Panthers regrouped to string together a 19-8 run in response. Blackwell's 3-pointer with 3:38 left in the first half capped off the run and gave KWC a one-point lead — its first lead since the 12:43 mark.
The Panthers opened the second half on a 20-6 run to extend their lead to 65-45 and never trailed again. Oakland City got no closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
Ken-Jah Bosley finished with 21 points for KWC, and Jordan Jacks added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Bosley and Blackwell combined to make 8-of-12 shots from beyond the arc, and the Panthers shot 61.1 percent from 3-point range with 17 assists on 36 total made baskets.
"We shared the ball," Osborne said. "But the (getting better by) six percent part, we were getting there. Today, we stopped. We're preaching that it's not who we play, it's about us. We didn't buy in to that today. I'm fine, and I think we're OK, but I definitely have a lot I can coach on."
Matt Lucas led the Mighty Oaks with 21 points, and Jonathan Sulak scored 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from long range. Addison Wagler added 18 points.
With the regular season drawing to a close in a few weeks, Osborne said it's time for his team to start clicking on all cylinders.
"We're 19-3, we have six games to go, we have a legitimate chance at an at-large bid, we're tied for first in our league — but we've got to improve," he said. "We've got to put it all together, and we've just got to be better."
