BLINN MEN’S BASKETBALL UPSETS #8 PANOLA 88-72

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

Having endured a disappointing Region XIV road loss just three days prior, the Blinn College men's basketball team was eager to return to the court Saturday.

That proved to be bad news for one of NJCAA Division I's top teams.

The Buccaneers rebounded from defeat with a resounding 88-72 region home win over eighth-ranked Panola College at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

Blinn improved to 11-10 overall and 7-6 in the region standings.

"I thought we played a really good game," Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. "I thought we guarded really well and made it hard on Panola; I thought we moved the ball well on offense; and I think everybody played really well and I'm very happy for them."

Blinn was in the midst of a three-game region winning streak when it stumbled on the road at Coastal Bend on Jan. 29. Schumacher said his team responded in predictable fashion.

"I told our guys that today's performance doesn't surprise me because whenever we've played a game where we didn't give our best effort, the next time we come out and play really well," he explained. "They know what's at stake here and they're working really hard; so again, my hat's off to them because they deserved that win."

An offensive flurry from freshman guard Dashawn Ceaser – who scored the first five points of the contest on a mid-range jump shot and a 3-pointer – put the Bucs up 5-0 right out of the gate. The early lead turned out to be the only lead as Blinn never surrendered its advantage.

The Ponies cut their deficit to three points three times in the first half, but the Bucs never relinquished momentum.

A 3-pointer from sophomore guard Reese Miller gave Blinn its biggest lead of the half at 25-15, and even after Panola pulled to within 25-22, the Bucs finished the half by out-scoring the visitors 18-13 to take a 43-35 cushion into the break.

"The first time we faced these guys they punched us in the mouth in the first half and rattled us a bit," Miller said of Blinn's 91-77 loss to the Ponies on Jan. 4. "This time around, we had a better idea of what we needed to do; we knew we had to get to the middle of the floor, attack the paint, and prevent their pressure from affecting us. Plus, coming off that tough loss to Coastal Bend, we knew getting this win was important for the rest of our season."

The Ponies did their best to battle back after halftime, but Blinn gave a masterclass in resistance. 

After sophomore forward Anthony Isaac scored on a putback off the glass and a layup to give the Bucs a 47-38 edge early in the second half, Panola went on a 20-12 move to shave Blinn's lead to just 59-58 with 10:35 to go.

The Bucs calmly responded with a quick burst, starting with an Isaac layup through traffic, a wild no-look layup from freshman guard Jerry Peoples, and a fallaway layup from Miller to push the advantage back to seven.

After the Ponies made it 71-65 late, Blinn quickly reeled off a game-sealing run.

Isaac was fouled on a field goal attempt and proceeded to drill two shots from the free throw line. Freshman guard Jakeel Registe then followed with a jumper before Isaac added a layup, and Registe and Ceaser buried back-to-back layups to cap a 10-0 run.

"The way we moved the ball around and scored, you can't scheme against that," Caesar said. "When four or five different guys can go score 15 points, it keeps the defense honest. I believe that's why we won today."

Isaac led Blinn with 23 points to go with nine rebounds, Registe had 16 points and nine boards, and Miller and Ceaser tallied 15 points apiece to go with five and four assists, respectively. Sophomore guard Jaden Andrew dished out a team-best eight assists.

Next up, the Bucs travel to region rival Navarro College on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Corsicana, Texas.