BLINN MEN’S BASKETBALL TOPS COASTAL BEND 81-65
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The Blinn College men’s basketball team used steady shooting and an excellent performance at the free throw line to turn away Region 14 adversary Coastal Bend 81-65 on Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
The Buccaneers improved to 13-7 overall and 6-5 in region play, and won for the fifth time in six games.
“Brandon Martinez does an excellent job as Coastal Bend’s head coach; his teams are always tough. That was the case again tonight,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “They guarded us extremely well for 40 minutes, and we just had to tell our guys to keep fighting through it until we wore them down. We got near the end of the game and I think that finally happened and we were able to grab a lead and keep it.”
Helping Blinn along the way was 28-of-52 shooting from the field (54%) and a 22-of-25 performance from the free throw line (88%).
Near the end of a tight first half, Blinn secured a defensive rebound with 30 seconds to go and freshman guard Desmeon Jones drove the length of the court to give the Bucs a 29-27 halftime edge.
In the second half, neither team found much breathing room until a late 12-5 Blinn run finally allowed the Bucs to exhale.
Clinging to a 58-55 advantage, Blinn sophomore guard Dashawn Ceaser buried a layup through contact and drew a foul. He knocked down the ensuing free throw, and the Bucs were on their way.
Freshman guard Anthony Williams sank two free throws and Jones added a layup before freshman guard Connor Sprattley buried a 3-pointer for a 70-60 Bucs cushion, the first double-digit lead of the game for either team.
“The game was close in the beginning, but we kept our cool and got our offense going,” Ceaser said. “Once we started moving the ball around and relying on our speed and motion, we hit a groove and Coastal Bend had trouble stopping us.”
Ceaser paced the Bucs with 21 points and went a perfect 7 for 7 at the free throw line.
Blinn out-rebounded the Cougars 31-23, bolstered by freshman guard Ian Sedah’s 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.
“Rebounds, layups, drawing fouls, and knocking down free throws,” Sedah said, “that’s what led us to victory tonight. Coastal Bend played physical defense and we took our lumps, but basketball is as much a physical game as it is mental, and we toughed it out, got up, and made our shots and free throws to pull out the win.”
Sprattley and Jones each tallied 15 points, and Williams finished with 12.
Up next, the Bucs visit Panola College for a region tilt at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Carthage, Texas.