The Bevill State Community College Bears defeated the Northwest Shoals Community College Patriots 82-75 on Sat., Jan. 7. The Bears took an early lead, but the Patriots made a strong comeback in the second period. Bevill State managed to hang on, picking up their fifth conference win on the year.
Bevill State started the opening period by winning the tip and scoring the first points of the contest, after which the Bears would only trail once throughout the game. Both teams had trouble dropping shots in the opening ten minutes, which saw Bevill State in the lead 18-14. In the final ten minutes of the first half, the Bears went on a 16-6 run, led by the three-point shooting of Ervin Herron. Herron dropped three shots from behind the arc, and Pat Carr added a one-hand slam dunk to swing the momentum in the Bears’ favor. Northwest Shoals managed to keep the game fairly close, and Bevill State went into halftime up by nine at 39-30.
The Patriots came out from the break slow, scoring only five points in the first five minutes of the second half. At the 15:00 minute mark, Northwest Shoals began a 18-7 run of their own, brought on by three-point shots by the Patriots and several missed field goals by Bevill State. The Patriots tied the match with eight minutes remaining, but the Bears managed to regain momentum thanks in part to a three by Darren Sadler and a dunk by Mike Campbell. Both teams fought hard in the remaining minutes, but Bevill State held on to the lead, winning the contest by seven.
The Bears shot 45.9 percent on field goals for the evening, with their offense paced by Herron. He led the team in points with 22, while totaling four rebounds and two assists. Campbell and Terry Randle both picked up double-doubles on the night, with Campbell totaling 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Randle had ten points and 11 rebounds. Sadler added 17 points, two rebounds, and two assists, with Carr contributing nine points, one rebound, and four assists. Allen Rigsby had three rebounds and put four points on the board, with Justin Clements and Kevin Wright adding two points each. Erin Harris rounded out the Bears’ offense with one point and two rebounds.
Bevill State was well rounded on defense, with Herron, Sadler, and Harris making two steals each, and Carr adding a steal as well. Randle had eight rebounds while Campbell and Sadler made six apiece. Herron, Rigsby, Carr, and Wright made two defensive rebounds each, with Harris also adding one. Campbell, Carr, and Harris rounded out the defense with one block each. Bevill State head coach Al Blanton said, “Defense was a major key to our victory tonight. We really tightened down on defense, and that helped lead us to the victory.”
The Bevill State Bears (9-16, 5-6) travel to Hanceville on Mon, Feb. 9 to take on Wallace State at 7:00 p.m.
