The tip-off of last year’s Lumen Christi vs Western basketball game. Photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports.
UPDATE: Weather postponement. Game moved to Saturday, January 13 at 4 PM (Lumen Christi Fieldhouse)
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson — It’s the biggest game on the schedule, because it’s the next one.
That’s what Parma Western boys basketball coach Ryan Mulnix said late Thursday night in regards to his team’s trip to Lumen Christi Friday.
Nothing wrong in keeping with the focused approach.
But still, this one has a little more to it than that.
“Yeah, it’s a big one, and our guys know that,” Mulnix said.
Western has owned this series of late, winning four in a row over the past two years, and some of those games haven’t been close.
The shot at five straight comes Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Lumen, where Mulnix expects a hungry and motivated Titans group to be waiting.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,”Mulnix said. “This is a chance to focus on our next game, and we should expect to win. At the same time, we have to be ready. They understand they haven’t beat us in a few years, and they are going to want this one as well.”
Western enters the game 5-2 overall, 3-1 in conference play and fresh off a win Tuesday night against a Marshall team that had lost once all year.
Lumen is 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
“Taking care of the ball, rebounding and boxing out,” Mulnix said of the keys to victory. “I don’t think we come into this one as the underdog, so to speak, so it’s on our guys to handle that.”
Steele Fortress remains the top threat Western will have, averaging roughly 11 points and nine rebounds per game.
But Desmond Price is looking to round into form as he is set to play in his third game of the season after recovering from injury.
“The goal is to play fast and lock down on defense,” Mulnix added. “If we can play at multiple tempos, we really like our chances. Ideally, we’d like to speed it up, take care of the ball and take advantage of our chances.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports.
He’s also a Realtor with Real Estate One, specializing with buyers and sellers throughout Michigan, from the Jackson area to metro Detroit. You can reach him at mmoore@realestateone.com or by calling (313) 770-6365 with any inquiries.
