B ea rcat S p o rts
Making a 180 on the Court Bearcats Thrill Fans With Turnaround Season By Bob Stoner, Photo by Milledge Austin
W
ith one of its most-balanced scoring attacks in recent years, the Lander men’s basketball team provided fans with an exciting turnaround season. Led by seniors Mike Panaggio and Jareal Smith, the Bearcats posted a 17-12 overall record, an eight-win improvement over the previous year. After not qualifying for the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in 2012-13, there was no question the Bearcats would make it this time around. Lander entered the PBC Tournament as the East Division’s third seed and was paired with Georgia Southwestern, the West’s second-seeded team. The Bearcats overcame an early 13-4 deficit against the Hurricanes and took a 36-33 advantage to the locker room at halftime. They stretched it to 43-35 with 16:34 left in the
Jareal Smith
26
Dermaine Smith
Lander Magazine • Spring 2014
game and led GSW until the 1:56 mark, when the ’Canes tied it at 68-all. GSW took the lead for good with 1:03 left and defeated Lander, 74-70. Lander began the season 4-3 in nonconference play, but dropped its first two PBC games to GRU Augusta and UNC Pembroke. Then the Bearcats hit their stride. Winning nine of their next 10 games, Lander built its record to 13-6 overall and 7-3 in the PBC after defeating Georgia Southwestern, 62-58, on Jan. 30 in Horne Arena. Their winning ways started with victories over Coastal Georgia and Lenoir-Rhyne in the Finis Horne Holiday Classic, then the Bearcats scored a one-point win over PBCrival Columbus State in the first game after Christmas break. After an 82-77 loss at Montevallo, which went on to play for the Southeast Region championship, on Jan. 4, the Bearcats defeated Armstrong Atlantic, Flagler, UNC Pembroke, Young Harris, Flagler again and Georgia Southwestern. The Bearcats went 4-4 in February and dropped their regular-season finale at Francis Marion, 88-74, on March 1. Panaggio, a point guard from Daytona Beach, Fla., was named to the All-Peach Belt Conference Team after averaging 14.2 points and 4.7 assists per game. He scored in double
figures in 21 games and had a season-high 30 points against Armstrong Atlantic. Jareal Smith, a senior from Savannah, Ga., led the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game. He scored in double figures in 24 games, with a season-high 28 points on two occasions. He scored 20 or more points in 10 games. The high-flying Dermaine Smith, who brought Bearcat fans out of their seats with his many monster dunks, added 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best 55.4 percent from the floor. He scored in double figures 11 times, with a personal-best 24 points against Columbus State. He had double digits in rebounds in five games with a high of 13, also against Columbus. Freshman JR Washington, of Manassas, Va., only averaged 9.6 points per game for the season but was effective late in the year when he scored double figures in five of the last eight games. He had a season-best 26 points at UNC Pembroke. In five seasons at Lander, Head Coach Jeff Burkhamer has compiled a 65-71 overall record for a .477 winning percentage. Top: Point guard Mike Panaggio, right, was named to the All-Peach Belt Conference Team after averaging 14.2 points and 4.7 assists per game.