BLINN MEN’S BASKETBALL GET A ROAD WIN OVER NAVARRO
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The Blinn College men’s basketball team fended off a late Navarro College rally and held on for a 73-70 Region 14 road win Wednesday in Corsicana, Texas.
The Buccaneers improved to 8-6 overall and 2-4 in region play.
“Our guys played a really good basketball game,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “Any time you can win on the road in this region, it’s a huge win. Navarro made it close at the end, but we pulled it out and won, and that’s all that counts.”
Entering the night on a four-game skid, Schumacher said that prior to the game he spoke to his players about the importance of togetherness on the court and ball movement on offense.
Blinn responded with 15 assists that helped five players score 10 or more points.
Sophomore guard Dashawn Ceaser had a team-high 15 points; freshman guards Desmeon Jones and Connor Sprattley finished with 14 and 13, respectively; freshman guard/forward Ian Sedah had 12; and freshman forward Rollings Kamanda added 10.
Jones had eight assists and Sedah and Kamanda collected nine rebounds apiece.
After the two teams went into halftime with the Bucs ahead 37-27, Blinn was still enjoying a double-digit lead late in the game when Navarro went on a run.
Blinn was up 70-68 in the final 20 seconds of play with a chance to go ahead by four, but made just 1 of 2 shots at the free throw line to give Navarro an opportunity to tie.
Following a timeout with 8.6 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs never got a chance at a game-tying 3-pointer as Blinn fouled and sent Navarro to the free throw line. The Bulldogs missed both shots, and Bucs freshman guard Brandon Hatcher pulled down the rebound before drawing a foul.
Hatcher made both shots from the line to virtually put the game on ice.
“I am so happy for my guys because they deserved to win that game,” Schumacher added. “They practice hard and play hard every day, and they are a great group of young men.”
Blinn’s region slate continues with a road trip to No. 4 Trinity Valley Community College at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Athens, Texas.