BLINN MEN’S BASKETBALL FALLS TO PANOLA AT REGION XIV TOURNAMENT

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The Blinn College men’s basketball team saw its season come to an end with a 69-53 loss to Panola College in the quarterfinal round of the Region 14 Tournament on Thursday in Baytown, Texas.

The Buccaneers concluded their campaign with a 19-12 overall record.

“We played hard from start to finish,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “This entire year, our team has been a joy to work with. They competed, played together, and played the game the right way.”

Panola used a late barrage of 3-pointers from guard Jayden Maxwell to build a 35-27 halftime advantage and maintained control throughout the second half.

Blinn shot a comparable percentage from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, converting just one of its 13 attempts, and was limited to five offensive rebounds.

Schumacher noted the disparity on the boards – a 47-28 edge for Panola including 20 offensive rebounds – was a key factor in the outcome.

Sophomore guard Dashawn Ceaser led the Buccaneers with 21 points and drew frequent contact while going 10 of 13 at the free throw line. Freshman guard Desmeon Jones added 10 points and sophomore forward Rollings Kamanda chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.

After finishing its region slate with a 13-9 mark, the Buccaneers secured a top-four finish in Region 14 for a fourth consecutive season and earned the fourth seed in the 12-team region tournament.

“There are a lot of great coaches and teams in this league, so being able to sustain that type of success for a four-year stretch speaks to the level of players we’ve had during that time,” Schumacher said. “We’ll get back to work and get ready to do it all over again next season.”