The Blinn College men’s basketball team cruised to an 88-56 Region XIV road victory over Kilgore College on Saturday in Kilgore, Texas.
The Buccaneers (9-2 overall, 2-0 Region XIV) controlled the game from the outset, building a 40-30 halftime lead before utilizing their defense and depth to pull away in the second half.
“We zeroed in on our game plan and what we needed to do,” Blinn head coach Scott Schumacher said. “We played excellent defense and shut down Kilgore’s talented guards, and we were just able to play a lot of guys down the stretch, which played a big factor in the outcome.”
The Bucs are beginning to make a case as one of the deepest teams in NJCAA Division I basketball and built upon it with 34 points from their bench Saturday. Blinn’s reserves are now averaging 31.1 points per contest.
“Our assistant coaches have done a fantastic job of recruiting talented and unselfish basketball players,” Schumacher said. “We have guys who are playing for each other and aren’t worried about minutes or who is scoring the basketball. We have a bench full of guys who could start and play 30 minutes, but they’re willing to sacrifice for each other and for the team.”
Jamine Charles, a sophomore forward, came off the bench to lead Blinn offensively with 20 points. He also had two blocks and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Masiah Gilyard fell just shy of a triple-double with 15 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Sophomore guards Jadin Johnson and Patrick Neal chipped in 12 points apiece and sophomore guard Nick Folk added 11 with five assists.
Defensively, the Bucs blanketed the Rangers, limiting the hosts to just a 28.8 shooting percentage (19 of 66). Blinn shot 56.9 percent (33-58).
Up next for Blinn is a region home tilt against Navarro College scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
