Written and Media by: Andres Flores
The Greenville College men’s basketball team took on the Westminster College Blue Jays last week at home. The Blue Jays, who are currently three and three, came into the game with a recent win against Fontbonne University. The Blue Jays were looking to win their second conference game as the Panthers were looking to win their first conference match up. Greenville aims to show off their unusual offense in order to prove that they are a force to be reckoned with.
After a tough loss at Webster last week, the Panthers were able to bounce back and get a win against Westminster. The Panthers dominated the first half, outscoring the Blue Jays 38-63. Senior forward, Shane Smith, went 4-7 in total and scored thirteen points in the first half. Smith leads the team in scoring this year with one hundred and seventy-nine points, which accounts for 22.4 points per game. Junior guard, Kieshaun Young-Jones, lead the team in steals in the first half with five. Jones has racked up sixteen steals this year. Another stand out performance in the first half was senior forward, Elmo Smith, a.k.a Moe. Moe put up nine points in the first half, along with recording five rebounds.
The Panthers were outscored in the second half 60-54. Luckily, the Panther’s large first half lead brought them to a victory. Once again Jones lead the team in steals, with two. He also tied for first in scoring for the half with nine. Senior guard, Michael Hohm, also scored nine points for the half. Hohm contributed a blocked shot and two assists to the team. Senior, Kenny Greene, put eight points on the board and recorded a steal, rebound, and assist for the half. Shane continued to contribute as he put up eight points, a steal, and two rebounds in the second half. Greenville’s constant rotation has allowed them to play sixteen different players on the court. Of those sixteen, ten of them played double-digit minutes.
Greenville was 47.5% for shot percentage against Westminster’s 46.5%. However, the Panthers only secured thirty-five rebounds to Westminster’s sixty-one. GC killed the Blue Jays with turnovers, forcing them to commit twenty-five. Greenville’s bench was able to score fifty-four compared to the Blue Jay’s forty-nine.
The Panthers absolutely dominated this game from the start. At one point in the game, the Panthers were leading by twenty-seven points. There was never a change in the lead, Westminster just couldn’t keep up. The Panthers were looking to make a statement, they want people to know that Greenville is going to be a contender for the SLIAC conference championship. This team of eight seniors has the potential to do anything that they set their minds to. It is up to them to work hard and keep moving forward.
