In the final minute of an important Region XIV matchup, the Blinn College men’s basketball put all of its fundamentals to the test and passed with flying colors.
Sophomore forward sank a pair of game-tying free throws with 1:03 remaining, freshman guard Dashawn Ceaser drew a pivotal offensive foul, and with the game on the line, Isaac sealed a 65-63 victory over Bossier Parish Community College with a crucial offensive rebound and putback in the game’s final seconds.
The home win at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas, pushed the Bucs to 17-12 overall and 13-8 in the region standings, and handed Blinn the fourth seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming Region XIV Tournament.
“Our guys did what was asked of them at the end of the game to pull this one out,” Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. “At this time of year, every coach in this region will tell you that their players have been through the ringer, and right now guys are coming out and playing on pure guts and love for the game of basketball. That’s exactly what you saw from my team today. Their effort and grit gave us an opportunity to win this game and we took advantage of it.”
(Pictured: Blinn’s Anthony Isaac drives to the basket for a layup during a game against Bossier Parish on March 1, 2025)
The way Blinn finished Saturday’s contest was a direct contrast to how the Bucs started it.
Bossier Parish raced out to a 28-14 advantage in the first half, and even as Blinn began to chip away at its deficit, the Cavaliers maintained a 30-22 lead at halftime.
The Bucs came out of the break with an offensive flurry, as a 9-0 run gave them their first lead of the game. Bossier Parish would battle back to take a 44-39 edge, but Blinn refused to go away and eventually forced a back-and-forth affair.
“The entire game, we were just focused on fighting through the adversity and focused on playing hard until the last buzzer,” Isaac said. “We had a rough first half, but during halftime coach Schumacher told us to wake up. We woke up, started playing together, and we got things back on track.”
It all added up to an exciting finish in the game’s final 63 seconds.
After the Cavaliers grabbed a 63-61 lead, Isaac was fouled as he went up for a layup. He knocked down both free buckets for the game’s final tie.
During Bossier Parish’s subsequent possession, Caesar blanketed the Cavaliers’ X’Zaevion Barnett as he drove through the paint toward the basket. Caesar took advantage of Barnett’s aggressiveness, drawing a push to the floor which was ruled an offensive foul.
(Pictured: Blinn’s London Maiden attempts a layup during a game against Bossier Parish on March 1, 2025)
The turnover put the ball back in the Bucs’ hands, and with about 5 seconds remaining, Isaac reeled in a miss for an offensive rebound and quickly turned around for a bucket off the glass to give his team the lead for good.
Bossier Parish moved down the court quickly and attempted a deep 3-pointer, but the shot missed its mark as the buzzer sounded.
Sophomore forward London Maiden had a team-high 15 points for Blinn. Caesar added 14 points, sophomore guards Reese Miller and Jaden Andrew had 10 apiece, and Isaac registered his 15th double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew added five assists, while Isaac, Miller, and Ceaser had four apiece.
Before the game, Blinn celebrated its six sophomore players and sophomore team manager as part of the Bucs’ Sophomore Day festivities.
Up next, Blinn concludes the regular season with a region road trip to second-ranked Trinity Valley Community College at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, in Athens, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 50 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
