(Greenville Game Notes)

The time is now for the Webster men’s basketball team. For the Gorloks, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament essentially starts Saturday when they host Greenville.

With Wednesday’s loss to Maryville, the margin for error diminished and a loss in either of the last two games would more than likely prevent to Gorloks from qualifying for the SLIAC postseason tournament.

Webster is currently in a three-way tie for third place with Maryville and Eureka, and if the tie holds form, the Gorloks would be the team left out. In the head-to-head battle between three schools, Maryville is 3-1, Eureka is 2-2 and Webster is 1-3.

Posting a win over Greenville will not be an easy task. Webster barely escaped H.J. Long Gymnasium earlier this season with a three-point victory, 65-62. Greenville missed three attempts in the waning seconds that would have either tied the game or given the Panthers the lead.

WU senior Ryan Turk is second in the conference in scoring (18.2) and assists (88). He is coming off a 17-point performance in which he came off the bench due to illness. However, the Panthers’ length on defense caused problems for the 5-9 guard in the first meeting. He finished with a season-low seven points. It was one of two times this season he failed to reach double figures.

It’s been a revolving door in the search for a second scorer to complement’s Turk offense. Over the last couple games, it’s been sophomore Nick Jones that has been more aggressive on the offensive end. In the last three games, the forward has averaged 11.4 points on 65 percent shooting. On the season, seniors Luke Niebrugge and Steve Hrdlicka are right behind Turk at 8.6 and 7.4 points per game, respectively.

While the second and sometimes third scorer has been a fluid situation for the Gorloks, the defensive effort has been a constant. Webster is second in the SLIAC in scoring defense, holding teams to 69.0 points per game.

But, the Gorloks could be facing its second consecutive game without its defensive leader, Hrdlicka. The senior forward missed the Maryville game with an injury. He will be a game-time decision. Sophomore Scott Restoff got the call in the Maryville game to replace Hrdlicka and responded with 10 points in 17 minutes.

WU will have its hands full with a Greenville team, led by LaPhonso Ellis, Saturday. The Panthers are second in the SLIAC with 78.0 points per game.

The junior forward Ellis is leading the team with 16.0 points per game and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting a respectable 56 percent from the field. He is also leading the team with 36 three-pointers and is converting a robust 46 percent from behind the arc. Ellis is getting help on the interior from lanky forward A.J. Brooks. The midseason transfer is getting 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories.

Greenville’s backcourt is boosted by point guard Ben Cochran. The sophomore is leading the team with 72 assists and is third in scoring with 11.5 points per game.