BLINN MEN’S BASKETBALL DEFEAT BOSSIER PARISH FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The Blinn College men’s basketball kept its late-season momentum rolling with a 91-63 Region 14 home win over Bossier Parish on Monday at the Kruse Center in Brenham.
The Buccaneers (14-7, 8-5 Region 14) won their third consecutive game and their seventh in eight tries – all region triumphs. Blinn also pushed its winning streak against the Cavaliers to six.
Bossier Parish, which is in last place in the region standings, kept things close for the entirety of the first half and midway through the second before Blinn began pulling away.
“I thought we played a really good game against a Cavaliers team that has been playing a lot of opponents closely,” Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. “Any coach will tell you when you play teams that are near the bottom of the standings, those are the games that make you the most nervous because you wonder if the guys are reading a little too much into the press clippings.
“Lucky for us, we have a group of guys who don’t think about any of that stuff and who just love to go out and play basketball.”
Blinn controlled the first half as it raced out to an 8-0 cushion and led by as many as 10 points. Bossier Parish stayed on the Bucs’ heels with the help of seven 3-pointers, but the hosts carried a 36-31 lead into the intermission.
“Coach told us to go compete, and that’s what we did for 40 minutes,” Bucs sophomore guard Dashawn Ceaser said. “He wanted us to play hard on defense and create some easy buckets, and we got that done – especially in the second half.”
With the Cavaliers still threatening after the break – Blinn led just 53-48 with 12:34 remaining – the Bucs resorted to high-percentage shots to build breathing room.
After Bossier Parish cut its deficit to five, Blinn reeled off a 15-0 run with the help of three layups, a pair of close-range jumpers, and two free throws. Caesar scored six points during the move – all on layups – while freshman guard Connor Sprattley contributed seven points on a 3, a layup, and a jumper.
At the 7-minute mark, freshman guard/forward Ian Sedah closed the run with two makes at the charity line as the Bucs were suddenly ahead 68-48.
Blinn’s biggest lead of the night came with 37 seconds to go after freshman guard Anthony Williams scored on a layup as he was fouled. He sank the subsequent free throw as the Bucs’ advantage swelled to 91-61.
Caesar scored a game-high 27 points, Sprattley added 20, and Williams and Sedah finished with 10 apiece. Sedah also had 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.
Monday’s game was also Blinn’s fourth consecutive game in which four Bucs recorded 10 or more points.
“Everybody on this team is very talented, and ball movement is key to what we want to do offensively,” Williams said. “We’re not a selfish team, and with the way we pass the ball around, everybody is going to get some open shots.”
Sprattley added eight assists, and Ceaser and freshman guard Desmeon Jones added six apiece. Caesar and Sprattley added nine and seven rebounds, respectively.
Up next, the Bucs will look to keep their momentum going when they host region adversary Navarro College at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kruse Center.