Men's Basketball Courtesy of Belhaven Athletics

Blazers Outlast Covenant in 96-92 Road Win

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The Belhaven Men's Basketball team outlasted Covenant, 96-92, on Thursday night to earn their seventh consecutive victory and get to 2-0 in CCS play.

The frontcourt duo of Jacob Reese and Jonathan Lucas led the Blazers early offensively to take a 10-8 lead into the first media stoppage. After Covenant took an 18-12 lead, Belhaven responded with a 9-3 run to even things up at the 8:31 mark.
 
The two teams traded baskets until the Blazers used a 10-0 spurt to take a 44-36 lead with under two to play in the half. The Green and Gold carried a 46-40 advantage into the locker room.

DeMarcus Powe's layup with 16:34 left gave the Blazers a double-digit lead at 57-47, but the Scots clawed back to tie the game at 63 with just over 13 minutes remaining. From that point on, neither team led by more than four as each bucket was answered by another from the opposition.

Tied at 92 late, Reese corralled an offensive board and finished the putback to push Belhaven back in front with 53 seconds left. After a turnover on the other end, Jordan Marshall split a pair of free throws to put the Blazers up 95-92. It was a significant make for Marshall as it pushed the prolific guard into Belhaven's 1,000-point club for his career.

Jermario Hersey capped off his big night with a free throw in the final seconds to seal the 96-92 win and get the Blazers to 12-3 on the year.

Reese led Belhaven with a season-high 26 points and 18 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. Hersey finished with 21 points on 3-of-4 from three-point range, while Lucas posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Terry added to the strong Blazers' post play with 12 points and 12 boards off the bench.

Marshall becomes Belhaven's 21st player in the program's history to reach 1,000 points in a career. The Raymond, Mississippi native joins an elite group of scorers in a program with a storied history dating back to the 1950s.

The Blazers face a quick turnaround as they ready for a Saturday afternoon tilt against Piedmont in Demorest. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM.

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