Saturday's Region XIV Conference match-up with Navarro College got of to a quick start for both teams scoring seemingly at will. CBC was led early by its guard play as Malik Amos continued his reign from three point land, while fellow back court mates, Dajuan Madden, Eric Williams and Rashon Thomas contributed to the Cougars 41-36 lead over the Bulldogs at the half.
Coastal Bend came out shooting very well as team in the second half. Madden, Amos and Thomas scored the bulk of the points for the Cougars after intermission. The Coastal Bend guards did more than just shoot as they shared the ball by getting their teammates involved with some open looks. Coastal Bend built a 20-point lead, mid way through the second half. However, Navarro would not go out that easily as they cut the deficit to eight. Coastal Bend would stand their ground and protected the basketball, made free throws and played stout defense when it mattered most at the conclusion. All of that despite being shorthanded by when post players Edmond Franklin, Kenny Brown and guard Madden, fouled out. Teamwork, solid transition defense and team rebounding in the second half helped propel Coastal Bend to victory over Navarro College, 98-85. This was CBC's first ever victory of Navarro College.
DJ Evans, CBC assistant coach stated "We played really well as a team on both ends of the court. We played as a unit today and that's what helped us earn this game." Evans continued, "We have a team motto of 'Together, We Attack', and today I felt we really did a good job of doing just that." Coastal Bend guards, Amos and Thomas shared the team high in scoring, each with 26 points. Amos, who is currently fifth in the nation in scoring, had another superb shooting performance from three-point land, shooting five for seven from downtown. Thomas led the Cougars with six assists and also shot the ball extremely well, going five for six from beyond the arc. Madden finished the game with 22 points, while dishing out five assists and grabbing eight rebounds for a team high. Eric Williams also played well, dropping 11 points to go along with his five assists.
The CBC Men's next game will be on the road, as they play Saturday, December 9th at Panola College in a Region XIV Conference contest. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM.