BLINN MEN PULL OUT 76-74 WIN OVER PARIS

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

Nolan Aigberadion didn't need 40 minutes to make an impact.

The Blinn College freshman had the play of the game in less than 2 seconds.

As Paris Junior College attempted to set up a last-second miracle play, Aigberadion squashed its hopes when he smothered the Dragons' Caleb Barrett at the baseline before tipping his inbounds pass. The deflected ball wound up in the hands of Blinn freshman Dashawn Ceaser, who quickly dribbled toward the sideline as the final 1.5 seconds of play salted away in a 76-74 Region XIV victory Saturday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

The thrilling finish was made possible by a ready Aigberadion, who was summoned from the Blinn bench after playing just 2 minutes of action leading up to the pivotal sequence.

"I've been told all season to stay ready for the moment that my number is called," Aigberadion said. "You always have to be ready to step in and produce and do whatever you're asked. Coach called my number, and I went in there and did what I needed to do to win the game."

Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher turned to Aigberadion specifically because of his size. Aigberadion measures in at 6-feet, 11-inches, and boasts considerable arm length.

"We wanted Paris to earn their pass in that moment, and Nolan was the perfect guy in that situation to make that difficult for them," Schumacher said.

The ballgame leading up to the conclusion was just as exciting, as neither team gave up much in the way of momentum for 40 minutes.

Blinn (16-11 overall, 12-7 Region XIV) led by as much as 15 points in the first half, but Paris cut its deficit to 42-34 by halftime. When the Bucs regained a double-digit cushion  at 71-60 with 3:30 remaining, Paris battled back again with a 14-5 run to have a chance at victory in the final seconds.

"I've been coaching against (Paris head coach) Bill Foy since 1990; he is one of the best coaches in junior college," Schumacher said. "I told our guys that today's contest was going to be a 40-minutes game; I told them we wouldn't blow them out and they wouldn't blow us out; I told them regardless of the score at any point, the game would come down to the last possession; and I told them to grind out every second of the game."

Though the Bucs' 11-point, late-game lead was nearly erased, building it at all proved to be the difference for the hosts.

The Dragons were within 56-52 with 10:40 remaining when Blinn sophomore forward Anthony Isaac kickstarted a 15-8 run with a nifty layup. Sophomore guard Jaden Andrew added a layup during the surge, sophomore guard Reese Miller scored a layup on a fastbreak, Isaac added a putback, sophomore forward London Maiden added a pair of layups, and Isaac sank a free throw before Registe capped things with his jumper.

"We knew this was going to be a tough game where every play and every point mattered," Maiden said before turning his attention to Aigberadion. "That was a great moment for Nolan and I'm happy for him. It just shows that this team has guys who can step up in any situation and provide value when we need it."

Blinn avenged a road loss to Paris on Dec. 7 and grabbed sole possession of fourth place in the region standings after Lee College dropped to fifth following a loss to Navarro College, also Saturday.

Isaac paced the Bucs with 26 points and added 11 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season. Maiden added 23 points and eight rebounds, and Miller had 14 points and a team-high seven assists. Andrew and Ceaser finished with six and five assists, respectively.  

Next up, Blinn will have a chance to further distance itself from Lee when the two teams battle it out at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Baytown, Texas.