The last Region XIV Conference game of the fall semester, started off going back and forth for Coastal Bend as they battled Panola College on Saturday, December 9th. The contest would then go in favor of Panola due to high energy, hustle on both ends of the floor and pure determination. Coastal Bend would end up losing momentum as they did not hit their shots and played poorly on the defensive side of the court. Panola would end up taking a 12 point lead over Coastal Bend going into halftime.
The second half started by Panola maintaining the tempo of the basketball game and stretching the lead. Coastal Bend managed to cut into the deficit and make it a nine point ball game with 13 minutes left. Poor shooting and inconsistent defensive play hurt the Cougars chances, as the Ponies continued to out hustle the Cougars and hit three point field goals. Coastal Bend would end up losing by a final score of 97-68.
Dajuan Madden led Coastal Bend with 23 points to go along his seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Malik Amos added 13 points, followed by Rashon Thomas, who added 11 points to go with his five rebounds and five assists on the night. CBC big man, Edmond Franklin made his interior presence felt by blocking five shots, grabbing five boards and chipping in six points for the Cougars.
Carliss Robinson, CBC Men's Head Basketball Coach stated "We played a very good, Panola team who played harder than we did and we came out flat. We couldn't make any shots. Guys that typically hit shots for us, didn't have shots fall for them." Robinson continued with "Panola came out and controlled the tempo of the game, they had more energy and hustle than we did. We weren't able to get on a run offensively, we didn't shoot the ball well from three point range. We'll learn from our mistakes and prepare ourselves for the next game. "
CBC's next basketball game will be home, as they host Paris Junior College on Friday, January 5th for Region XIV Conference game. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM.