(Photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports)
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Parma — It’s been a while.
Actually, it’s been “way too long,” as Western boys basketball coach Ryan Mulnix put it.
Speaking earlier this week about the last time the Panthers’ hoops program captured a league crown, Mulnix admitted he didn’t know if his guys knew the duration of time that’s passed.
“It was 1995,” he said simply. “I don’t even know if the guys know what exact year it was, but they know it’s been a while. We’re due for one.”
And so far, the Panthers are playing like a team possessed to go get it.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Panthers were the only unbeaten team in I-8 play, with a 2-0 mark. Overall, Western sits with a 6-1 record, with the lone loss a 58-57 setback to St. John’s on Dec. 20.
“This is a team that likes to push the ball,” Mulnix said when asked what the keys have been so far. “We play solid defense, and these guys never quit on the boards.”
After going 12-9 a year ago, the Panthers brought back five varsity veterans, and had Mulnix intrigued as to what this winter could offer.
“I thought we’d be pretty good after watching the guys over the summer,” Mulnix said. “At the same time, I’ll say I’m surprised with the start we’ve had. When the season got going, we had some realistic expectations. We don’t really talk about league titles or districts, but instead focus on the process of possibly getting there.”
Now, after six wins in seven games, that’s changed.
“We want to win that league title,” Mulnix said simply. “We believe that’s possible.”
With the way the team has played, there’s little reason to doubt that.
On offense, the Panthers aren’t scoring a ton (60.3 points per game), but have a couple key guys really leading the way.
Steele Fortress leads the team with 14 points per game, and is also pulling down 10 rebounds per game.
Desmond Price (13 points, 10 rebounds) isn’t far behind, and is coming off a 15-point performance in the Panthers 44-43 victory against Dexter in the team’s holiday tournament championship game.
On the other side of the ball is where Western is thriving, though, giving up just 51.4 points per game.
“We’re very active defensively,” Mulnix said. “We mix man to man with zone, and this is a group that’s able to buckle down when needed.”
It’s also one seeing confidence soar.
“Very confident group, but also a realistic one,” Mulnix said. “I mean, we won our tournament, but the guys realized we didn’t play all that well. There’s room to improve. We have to shoot the ball better from outside. We have to be better from the free-throw line.”
Western, 2-0 in the conference, continues its march toward a conference title Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Hastings.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.
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