The Blinn College men’s basketball team is heading into postseason play with a wealth of momentum following a 97-70 Region XIV victory over Lamar State College-Port Arthur on Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
The Buccaneers (23-7, 14-5 Region XIV) concluded the regular season with their 10th victory in their past 11 contests and will enter the Region XIV Tournament with a first-round bye as the fourth seed in the bracket.
“Our guys were playing really well in the first semester, and then we had a bit of a down stretch to start the second semester, but our guys have rebounded and have continued to play hard all season,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “We’ve fought and we’ve put ourselves in a good spot, so I’m looking forward to the region tournament and I know our guys are, too.”
Against the Seahawks, Blinn showed off the type of offensive firepower it could need to win the region tournament.
Twelve Bucs scored at least three points, with reliable scorers Nick Folk, a sophomore guard, and Anthony Isaac, a freshman wing, tallying 21 and 20 points, respectively, to lead the team.
Some strong 3-point shooting by Lamar State helped keep the visitors in the ballgame early, and Blinn led just 43-37 at the half.
An early second-half surge and the Bucs’ relentless wave of rested players helped the hosts pull away.
Isaac opened the second half with a layup, sophomore guard Jadin Johnson followed with a 3, and Blinn responded to a Seahawks trey with layups from Isaac and sophomore forward Kelvin Tamakloe to go with a 3 and a free throw from Folk. Sophomore forward Jamine Charles later added a tip-in as he was fouled and converted the free throw to make it 59-42 with 13:17 remaining.
“Things started rolling in the second half because we started executing the way we’re supposed to,” Folk said. “We also have an extremely deep team with probably 12 guys who can start, so that gives us a big boost when guys are coming in off the bench.”
Schumacher emptied his bench late in the game as the Bucs began to cruise to victory.
“Our depth wears a lot of teams out, and we’re fortunate to have a team with so many talented players,” Schumacher added. “I think our depth can wear teams out and that’s something we think will be an advantage in the region tournament.”
Charles finished with nine points, freshman guard Reese Miller added eight, and sophomore guard Joey Ramirez chipped in seven.
Jamine Charles 2023-24
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Jamine Charles (center, background) battles for a rebound against Lamar State-Port Arthur on March 6, 2024)
Prior to the opening tip-off, Schumacher and his coaching staff recognized Blinn’s nine sophomore and second-year players, as well as its two sophomore team managers, all of whom enjoyed their final home game as a Buc.
“There’s a lot of emotions right now,” Charles said after the game. “Just so many good memories here … too many to count. We have several guys here who have spent two years at Blinn and with coach Schumacher, who has molded and shaped us into the players we are right now. I know it’s going to be tough for all of us to say goodbye to this place, but we’re just going to have to make sure these final days of the season are special.”
The Region XIV Tournament begins with four first-round games starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. Blinn will play its first ballgame in the quarterfinal round at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. An official bracket with tournament pairings has yet to be announced.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
