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Claflin University may not officially be members of the Souther Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but they've made their presence known this season on the hardwood.
The Panthers (16-1) have had their fair share of success this season. Head coach Ron Woodard partially attributes their good fortune to the work his players did in the offseason.
"We didn't have a bad team last year," he said. "We just lost 13 close games. So, I've watched this team just mentally grow."
Although the Panthers are not playing for a conference title this season, they have dedicated this season to the three seniors on the roster. They've also dedicated their efforts to the memory of Lawrence Booker, a former Panther basketball player who was killed this summer.
"You can never take anything for granted," junior guard Jamaal Newman said. "That's why we come in and work hard everyday because you never know what tomorrow holds."
With 16 wins and nine games remaining on the schedule, the Panthers believe that there's no pressure on them.
"I'm quite sure it's just like anything else," Woodard said. "Anytime you're at the top, everybody's shooting for you but we don't have any pressure on ourselves."
Although they will face every team in the SIAC, the matchups that Claflin win or lose this season against them will not count as a conference win or loss for either team. Regardless of the circumstances, the Panthers will be happy to play their future conference foes or anybody else who may come along.
"It doesn't matter who we play or when we play them because we don't fear anybody," Newman said. "Going into next year, it's just going to be a new year. So, we're just going to concentrate on that. But right now, it's just about finishing this year."
The Pantherettes (12-5) are in the same boat. Despite being smaller than most of the opponents they face, they've worked hard to ensure that they can compete with those teams.
"At the beginning of the season, we set some goals," Pantherettes' head coach Miriam Walker-Samuels said after practice. "By being small, we wanted to limit our losses to five. So, we're at the max."
With nine games left, the Pantherettes face a tough schedule that includes Stillman College, Albany State University, and Miles College. To make things even tougher, they've lost freshman forward Britani Martin for the remainder of the season due to academic reasons.
"It really put a dead spot in our offense because she was the person that came off the bench and averaged 14 to 16 points a game," Walker-Samuels said. "So, right now, we're looking for that person to just come up and fill that void so the team can get back on track."
With Martin gone, the Pantherettes will rely on veterans Jayshaun Bailey, Ashley Sorrell-Gibson and Latoya Savage to pick up the slack.
"You try to talk to those three and let them know that everything is on their back," Walker-Samuels said. "The weight is on their shoulders now."
Like the men's team, the Pantherettes will not be able to compete for the SIAC conference title this season. However, the success that they are having now is something that they look forward to having next season.
"We're not a threat to them yet. Hopefully, next year, they'll know that they've got to face us again."
Both teams look to continue their success on the road Saturday against Lane College.
-- T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com. --