The Bruins picked up another South region win on Thursday night as the team defeated Southeastern Baptist College 83-71 in Laurel, Mississippi. Eli Cupples and Henry Blair led the way for the Bruins combining for 42 points as the team improves to 9-10 on the season and 5-1 in region play.
"This was a fun game for us because of the way we played," Bruins Head Coach Burton Uwarow said. "We were able to shoot the ball well and kept our turnovers low. We're at a point in the season where we need to have depth as we look towards the region tournament and I thought several guys really stepped up big for us tonight to get the win."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a win over Toccoa Falls College on Tuesday night. With just four games remaining on the schedule and each against region opponents, the Bruins hit the road for the first of two road games to round out the week.
In their last matchup in January, the Bruins cruised past the Chargers 89-69 in the Davis Field House with Blair and Cupples again carrying the offensive load in the win. The Bruins looked to keep up their winning ways while the Chargers were looking to bounce back after a loss to Toccoa Falls on Saturday.
From the opening tip, the Bruins were able to come out strong as good ball movement creating scoring opportunities. The Chargers kept pace as they continued to ride the energy of the home crowd to keep the score close.
Near the midway point of the half, the Bruins were able to pull ahead 27-23. The Chargers remained within striking distance but the Bruins got key buckets down the stretch from Eli Cupples and Henry Blair as the team took a 44-40 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Bruins came out looking to build on their lead. The team got a big boost from several bench players as Trevor Brunson came up with a block and then followed it up by hitting a three to give the team a 52-44 lead.
The Bruins began to pull away as Hayes Brush grabbed a steal and slammed down a dunk later on in the half. Down the stretch, threes from Mark Dickerson and Eli Cupples helped the Bruins put the game out of reach as they held on to win 83-71.
"I have to give a lot of credit to our captains for their work in keeping this team together," Coach Uwarow said. "To have to be on a break like we were, these guys have stepped up and help lead this team and they have done a great job. We know we have another opportunity on Saturday and it's gonna be a tough game and a tough place to play so we have to be ready for it."
Henry Blair led the Bruins with 22 points while Eli Cupples finished with 20 after hitting four threes in the game. The Bruins got a big boost inside from Stephan Hugley as the junior finished with 12 points while Mark Dickerson scored 10.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road to round out the week as the team travels to Pensacola, Florida, for a matchup with rival Pensacola Christian College on Saturday night.
