Buccaneers advance to Region XIV semifinals
Five players score in double figures in 81-69 quarterfinal win

TYLER, Texas – The Blinn Buccaneers are headed to the Region XIV Tournament semifinals.
Sophomore guard Miles Dixon scored 23 points and four other Buccaneers scored double digits Friday in an 81-69 victory over the Trinity Valley Cardinals at the Wagstaff Gym.
Blinn now advances to the semifinals, where it will face Jacksonville College at 6 p.m. Saturday. Jacksonville beat Paris 96-86 earlier on Friday.
The winner of the tournament gains a berth to the NJCAA National Championships in Danville, Ill.
D.D. Scarver scored a game-high 28 points for Trinity Valley, but Dixon shot 9-of-15 from the floor in the Bucs’ winning effort.
“He really did a great job,” Blinn (26-6) coach Tra Arnold said. “He made big shots for us and kept us in the game.”
Dre Evans scored 16 points, freshman Daishon Knight scored 14, forward Joel Wright scored 13 and Titus Rubles added 10 as Blinn outscored Trinity Valley 43-32 in the second half.
Trinity Valley went on an early run to take an 11-4 lead, but Dixon hit a couple big shots to pull the game back in reach. Blinn went on a 10-0 run to put the game away.
Blinn out-rebounded Trinity Valley 42-26 and shot 31-of-38 from the free throw line.
“That’s big,” Arnold said of the Bucs’ rebounding edge. “That’s the one thing we do consistently, is we really pound the glass and create second opportunities for our team.”
Blinn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are now both in the semifinals of their respective conference tournaments. The women’s team plays Tyler at 3 p.m. Saturday at Wagstaff Gym.
For complete Region XIV Tournament information, visit www.region14hoops.com.