The effort was there as well as the energy as the backcourt duo of Duncan King (Peoria, Illinois / Richwoods) and Karson Hayes (Little Rock, Arkansas / John L McClellan) poured in 41 points as Blackburn beat MacMurray, 87-68, and picked up a critical SLIAC home win Saturday afternoon.
 
Hayes scored first with a free throw to put Blackburn ahead 1-0 before senior guard King caught fire, finishing with 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting in the first half to give the Beavers a 47-33 lead at the break. The spurt included an 18-3 run in which King made a 3-point shot.
 
King scored another 11 points in the second half, but Hayes, his backcourt mate, stepped it up with four 3s and 14 points after the break. The junior guard finished the night with 19 points.
 
The key, however, for Blackburn on Saturday night started on the defensive end where Hayes contributed to the team total of ten steals.     
 
It was that defensive effort that helped BC jump out to the big lead as the Beavers forced 19 turnovers in the game and turned those turnovers into 34 points.
 
Blackburn also dominated from beyond the arc shooting 19 of 41 three-point shots to 6 of 18 from MacMurray. Raushaun Amos (St. Louis, Missouri / Soldan) pulled down an impressive seven rebounds and six assists, and fellow Beaver Bryson Kirby (Lincoln, Illinois / Lincoln) finished with nine points and five assists.
 
Nigel Ferrell (St. Louis, Missouri / Lift for Life Academy) came off the bench and provided a massive spark for the Beavers with 11 points and two rebounds. The bench players for Blackburn outscored MacMurray’s bench, 26-15.
 
UP NEXT: A matchup with Westminster at their house is next up in the schedule. The Beavers will be looking for their second straight win in the series. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.