Lake Erie College guard Gabe Kynard had zero doubt about the level of effort he and his teammates would give against Ohio Dominican on Jan. 16 at Osborne Center.
It was a game the Storm needed to win to stay in the discussion for a realistic run at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular-season title.
But not even Kynard envisioned the way all the gears would mesh in a 96-78 win that upped LEC’s records to 12-7 overall and 6-3 in the GMAC.
Operating at maximum efficiency and intensity from the opening tip, the Storm dominated at both ends of the floor while building a 54-26 lead at halftime.
Kynard tallied 15 of his game-high 28 points in the first half as the Storm shot a blistering 62.2 percent from the field. LEC was every bit as purposeful on defense, limiting the Panthers to 10 field goals and 38.8 percent shooting.
Continuing his bid for GMAC Player of the Year honors, Kynard made nine of 11 field goals. He added a game-high six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
“We were sharp tonight, especially at the start,” Kynard said. “The coaches didn’t have to tell us how important this game was. We knew. We were focused. We were locked in.”
Redshirt senior forward Kaleb Vaughn aided LEC’s cause with 16 points. Freshman center Kevin Peterson had 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Senior guard Erron James had 12 points.
LEC coach Kyle Conley said Kynard, James and the other upperclassmen are setting the tone for the Storm.
“Our veterans understand what January and February basketball is all about,” Conley said.
Senior guard Sam Hickey tallied a team-high 20 points for the Panthers, who slipped to 7-11 overall and 4-5 in the MEC.
ODU came into the game off impressive wins over Cedarville, Alderson Broaddus and Hillsdale.
The Storm now have wins over Malone and ODU in a stretch of three straight home games that ends on Jan. 18 against Tiffin. Tipoff is 1 p.m.
