Greenville Wins Outright SLIAC Championship

Written and Media by Kyler Stork.


The Panthers try to get a steal. Photo by Kyler Stork

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Many smiles, tears, and hugs from fans and parents seemed fitting on senior night for the Panther’s. Coach Barber recognized and honored nine seniors: Brian Ehresman, Stevonte Young, Shane Smith, Elmo Smith, Michael Hohm, Kenny Greene, DeAndre Brown, Richard Clemons, and Josh Herrick. Excitement was in the air as Greenville took on Blackburn College and the SLIAC title as it called their name for the second time in history.

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The Panthers huddle up in pregame for one last time. Photo by Kyler Stork

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From the tip, the Panthers led the entire game. Senior Kenny Greene’s three point basket gave the Panthers a solid 45-26 lead. Greene finished his last regular season with 26 points and shot 6 for 13 from the three point line. Greenville went into the locker room leading the Beavers 63-54.

Sophomore, Johari Dix, kept the Panther press upbeat. Dix swiped four steals and added 18 points to the score board. However, Blackburn eased their way back into the game. With 13:20 remaining, a Beaver layup cut the lead to 81-80. Blackburn fought for the fourth spot in the SLIAC post-season tournament. GC’s junior forward, Ethan Leib, shattered hopes as he made the biggest shot of the game. On a steal, by senior, Michael Hohm, the Panthers raced down the court and found Leib wide open for a three pointer. Lieb swished the basket and the Panthers never looked back.

Greenville went on an 11-0 run and the fans could smell victory. The game was capped on senior Shane Smith’s dunk with 45 seconds to go. The crowd and bench went crazy as victory was near. When the buzzer sounded, Greenville defeated Blackburn 126-104.

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The Panthers say a prayer before the game. Photo by Kyler Stork

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Senior point guard, Brian Ehresman, commented on the victory after the game,

the feeling didn’t sink into until this morning. It felt good to go out with eight other great seniors. It was an honor to play with such good men.”

Greenville won the outright title for the first time in 20 years.

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Greenville gets pumped up before tip off. Photo by Kyler Stork

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With the win, Greenville moved to 20-5, 14-4 SLIAC. GC will host the SLIAC post-season tournament as the number one seed and will play number four seeded, Principia, on Feb. 24 at 8 P.M. The winner will play the following night for the championship. You won’t want to miss it!

Make sure you check out the podcast below to listen to Ehresman’s take on senior night. 

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Junior Ethan Leib goes for the layup. Photo by Kyler Stork

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