Bobcats unblemished after first four
The Bobcats began their winning streak at the season opener, the “Blue Thunder” game, in the Centennial Center Friday, Nov 21. They defeated Fort Valley State University with a final score of 107 – 102.
Students and faculty packed the Centennial Center to see the Bobcat’s back in action for the first time this season. The crowd was on their feet cheering the Bobcats to victory with only two minutes left on the clock.
“The game was really exciting,” senior guard Shaun Keaton said. “It was a great crowd and just a really fun atmosphere to play in.”
Keaton led the team in points, hitting five three-pointers in the game. Another senior guard, Ken Kemp, scored 12 points for the Bobcats, and had a career high of 13 rebounds. Keaton and Kemp were two of the six Bobcats that made it to double figures in scoring.
Junior guard Graham Martin scored 18 points, all in the second half, while junior guard Jake Rios and freshman forward Ryan Aquino scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Josh Hurst scored 10 points, making this game his career best.
The Bobcats shot 49 percent from the field, 47 percent from three-point range, and 72 percent from the line. However, the players agree the defense was what needed a little work.
“We definitely could have played a lot better defense, but we made good plays when we had to,” Keaton said. “We really need to tighten up the D, and we are going to work really hard at practice and do what coach tells us to be ready for the next game.”
The Bobcats did just what Keaton said, and prepared well for their next two games. They continued their winning ways at the Jameson Inn Classic, hosted by Tusculum College this past weekend.
The Bobcats first opponent was Carson-Newman College, who they defeated by six points on Friday. Rios led the team this time, scoring 14 points off the bench. Again, the team was really on their game, making just over half the shots they attempted. GCSU took the lead 2-1 just a minute and a half into the game, and never let Carson-Newman regain it.
At halftime the Bobcats had stretched their lead to 49-34, when sophomore guard Andre Mikell hit a shot right at the buzzer. The Eagles attempted to make a comeback, but were unsuccessful. The Bobcats held them off for an 89-83 victory.
The streak continued Saturday with GCSU’s defeat of Tusculum College, 87-71. The Bobcats shot exceptionally well from the line, hitting 23 out of 24 free throws, including all 13 in the second half.
Once again, Keaton led the team by scoring a career high of 27 points. The team shot well as a whole, making 51 percent of their shots throughout the game. GCSU had three double digit scorers, including senior guard Justin Brown (18 points) Rios (10 points) and Martin (12 points).
Kemp says the team is really excited to have won two games away from the Centennial Center.
“We knew we needed to bring our A game on the road, and we had a week of practice and preparation to get ready. It was crazy to see how much our defense improved just over the week between our first game and these last two,” Kemp said. “It can’t stop there though. We have to improve every single week and every single day at practice. Coach believes it’s all about hustle. If you can hustle you can come out on top, and right now we’re just trying to get the whole team on the same page.”
The Bobcats are back in action for another home game next Monday night at 7:30. They hope to continue their winning streak, and improve their record to 4-0. Coach Sellers says he has good feelings about the season.
“We have gotten off to a good start, and I always have high expectations for the team,” Sellers said. “I am thankful the guys have been doing a good job, but we need continue to work hard. If we do that and stay healthy, we can definitely be a contending team in the conference.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Dec 5 2008. Filed under Sports.
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