YORK - After losing three straight games the Panthers needed a lift. Monday night they got just what they were looking for as they won 93-79 in a entertaining game against Tabor College. With students back on campus for the start of the spring semester the Panthers played to their home crowd and gave them some exciting things to watch throughout the night. With several impressive dunks, none were better than Kent Garrett (SR/Dallas, Texas)'s dunk with just over six minutes remaining in the game. Head Coach Tree Burks was trying to slow his players down as the Bluejays were trying to mount a comeback. Just as Eric Lenear (SO/Bellevue, Neb) crosses half court he sees Garrett trotting toward the basket on the baseline. His lob was perfectly tossed to the front of the basket and Garrett got the crowd on their feet with a backwards two-handed alley-oop dunk.
That didn't fit the mindset of head coach Tree Burks, but the energy it was his team made him fine with the play. "I was trying to get Eric to slow things down and not let us get sloppy. But he saw KG running and the rest is history. Can't argue with that play. My guys were fired up after that," he said.
York jumped out quickly in the game as they led 13-2 three minutes into the game and never trailed. York led by as many 20 in the first half before going into the break with a 50-32 lead. Tabor made a little run midway through the second half cutting the Panthers lead to nine, but York went on a 9-0 run, led by Roc Johnson (SR/Inglewood, Calif) sparking his own 5-0 run. The dunk by Garrett gave York it's largest lead of the night at 84-62 and the Bluejays weren't able to threaten the rest of the way.
Four players scored in double figures for the Panthers, led by Patrick Burnett (SR/Erie, Pa) with 18 points and five assists. Roc Johnson and Aaron Munday-Rashid (JR/Melbourne, Australia) each added 17 points, while Nevell Lenard (SR/Los Angeles, Calif) added 11.
With the win the Panthers improve to 9-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play. York travels to Lindsborg, Kansas on Thursday to play Bethany College, before returning home on Saturday for a game against Bethel College. The game is being televised on ESPN3 and will begin at 3:00 p.m.
