Panthers End Their Skid with a Win Over Lindenwold

On a day people are expected to celebrate their love for each other—Valentine's Day—the Lindenwold Lions almost gave the Panthers boys' basketball team something unappreciated— their third straight loss.

Though the game wasn’t nearly as close on the scoreboard as it appeared on the court, the Panthers struggled—handling the Lions' intensity and eventually putting them away with a final score of 84-67.

And while it was no surprise that senior guard Karon Waller led the Panthers in scoring, the real performance Monday night came from someone who played merely one minute in the game's second quarter.

Senior center Julian Welsh-White, who faced early foul trouble and eventually fouled out of the game, recorded a double-double for the Panthers—dropping 13 points and collecting 11 rebounds.

“Julian is just a warrior,” said Panthers' head coach Joe McLoughlin. “We need to get our big guys to start working as a tandem, though. When opposing teams penetrate and B.J. (Jones) and Kris (Williams) step out, it tends to put Julian in some tough spots down low.”

Williams, who assumed Welsh-White’s role while he was on the bench, stepped up in a big way for Collingswood.

He held Lions senior forward Jason Hutzler—who scored seven points in the game’s first quarter—to a single bucket while he was checked into the game. Williams also blocked three Lindenwold shots in the first half and finished the game with five total rejections.

“(Williams) is a shot blocker,” said Welsh-White. “So is Jones. I’ve kind of gotten used to it as the season’s gone on. I wish they’d start taking some charges down there so I don’t get some of those fouls called, but I really need to stay composed, too.”

In spite of Williams’ tenacious second-quarter defense, Hutzler still finished the game with 20 points for Lindenwold. Forward Cruize Rainey chipped in with 17 for the Lions, and guard Xavier Nobles added eight.

With the win, Collingswood remains in first place of the Colonial Conference’s Liberty Division, just ahead of Haddonfield. The next game is Tuesday night, when they'll take on Overbrook High School for their final regular season home contest—while celebrating their annual senior night.

“I hope they enjoy it,” said McLoughlin. “I hope they enjoy it, but I hope they stay in first place, too.”