A spirited Strength ‘N Motion squad gave the Blinn College men’s basketball team a stiff end-of-the-year test, and the Buccaneers answered it in emphatic fashion.
After the two teams played to a tie at halftime Saturday inside the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas, Blinn flexed its offensive muscles to pull away for an 88-69 victory to conclude 2023 with a bang.
Blinn now heads into the winter break with an 11-2 overall record.
“Strength ‘N Motion had some great players on the court today, and they gave us a big challenge,” Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. “I told our guys at halftime that we were either going home for break at 10-3 or 11-2, and that they needed to pick it up a little bit. Give our guys credit because they came through and won the game.”
With the help of a pair of talented big men and some proficient 3-point shooting, Strength ‘N Motion kept stride with Blinn through the first 20 minutes of play.
The visitors held a 32-29 edge late in the first half before the Bucs ripped off six straight points on a pair of makes from sophomore guard Jadin Johnson and a layup from freshman forward Jaylin Payne.
Strength ‘N Motion responded with a 3 to send the teams into the break tied at 35.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the early minutes of the second half, and only subsided when — with Blinn clinging to a four-point lead — sophomore guard Nick Folk kickstarted a 12-5 burst with a 3-pointer. Freshman wing Harrison Oriakhi handed the Bucs their first double-digit lead when he sank a 3-pointer while being subsequently fouled. He buried the ensuing free throw for a 64-53 Blinn cushion with 10:42 remaining.
“The first half, we started off slowly and we knew we’d need to pick it up after halftime,” Johnson said. “Our grit and will to defend really helped us in the second half and allowed us to be successful offensively. Defense isn’t taught, and I feel like we just have a bunch of guys who are natural defenders.”
After Blinn went ahead by 11, the visitors pulled within eight points on a layup and a free throw, but never came any closer.
Freshman wing Anthony Isaac gave Blinn its first 20-point lead of the game, 78-58, on a putback with 5:10 left to play.
(Pictured: Blinn freshman wing Anthony Isaac, 0, goes up for a layup during a game against Strength ‘N Motion on Dec. 9, 2023)
The Bucs outscored Strength ‘N Motion 53-34 after the intermission.
Folk and Johnson led the way offensively for Blinn with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Folk four 3s on a night the Bucs sank nine shots from long distance. Isaac chipped in 10 points and sophomore guard Patrick Neal Jr. added nine.
Blinn’s season resumes with a road trip to No. 7 Trinity Valley Community College at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6, in Athens, Texas.
“I hate this time of year because I love going to practice and enjoy being around my guys every day, and now I’m not going to get to do that for about two weeks,” Schumacher said. “And obviously, our guys are playing well and buying in and good things are going to continue to happen for them when the season continues.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
