Blackburn Men's Basketball won a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup on Wednesday night. Blackburn was able to unleash an offensive strike in the second half and gain control late in the half to win by a final score of 133-129.
It was senior night for the Beavers. Blackburn recognized four seniors in the basketball program: Marcellus Polk, Bastien Seiller, Nigel Ferrell, and Karson Hayes. Each senior contributed countless hours of hard work and dedication to the program, and each of them will be missed.
Blackburn was led by senior guard, Karson Hayes. He had 23 points, with five assits. Defensively, Hayes forced two turnovers, and had six rebounds. Hayes finished his last home game placing seventh on Blackburn's all time scoring list. Javon Stovall followed close behind Hayes, finishing with 22 points. He had seven rebounds, and six key free throws that extended Blackburn's lead in the second half. Stovall also had a block and a steal as well. Several other Beavers finished with double digit points, including Bryson Kirby, with 14, Christian Wagner with 14, and Tim Marston, with 12. Nigel Ferrel finished with ten points, eight assists, and two steals. He had six rebounds as well. Chanz Aldridge came in clutch for the Beavers, going a perfect eight for eight on free throws, each of which came in the final two minutes of the game, securing the win for Blackburn. Aldridge also had 20 of his own points, and was the team leader in assists, finishing with eleven. The team's played as a unit and was able to piece together multiple points off of fastbreaks to defeat Greenville. In their final home game as Blackburn Beavers, the four seniors did not disappoint, as Blackburn defeated Greenville and secured their position in the playoff race.
Greenville was led offensively by Henry Johnson, who had 23 points. He was ten for 16 on field goals, and one for three on free throws. Sontiago Grady finished just behind him, tallying 21 of his own points. Johnson also had three assists, as well as two blocks and a steal. Marvin Bateman finished with 19 points, and Eric Williams finished with 13. Dustin Bankowski finished with 16 points. Though high scoring was a part of Greenville's offense, Blackburn was able to make a defensive stand in the second half to secure the win.
With this game, Blackburn moves to an overall record of 12-12, and 11-6 in the SLIAC. Their next and final game will take place this Saturday, February 22nd. The Beavers will travel to Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and take on Spalding University in the final conference game of the 2019-20 season. The game will start at 7:30 p.m.