I was wrong. Coming into 2019 season, I had the Blazers ranked in the top-three of teams in the Gulf South Conference. My No. 1 was not the Blazers. Jimmy Kodet, Justin McBride and KJ James were lost to graduation. Also, the Blazers had just suffered one of the most disappointing loses I had ever witnessed at the hands of ...
Read More »Blazers’ senior night ends with cutting down the net
Bring out the scissors. The Blazers ended their night cutting down the nets after clinching a share of the Gulf South Conference regular season championship with Thursday’s 101-84 win over the Warhawks of Auburn Montgomery. The Blazers came out the gate stagnant, falling behind 12-2 early in the first half. Head Coach Helfer then substituted four of the five starters ...
Read More »‘Lift up’: Franklin, Lady Blazers win on senior night
In their last regular season game, the Lady Blazers’ seniors were all smiles versus Auburn Montgomery. The 64-50 win on Thursday evening was as emotional as any game this season. Senior Sonya Franklin tried her best to keep the rest of the seniors from folding. “We have a saying called ‘lift up’, where we just try to keep everyone lifted ...
Read More »Jones gave ‘maximum effort’ on the court
The only way out was death. Through 1983-1987, forward Leon Jones was the heart and soul of Blazers basketball. At six feet and six inches tall, the Watkinsville, Georgia, native was a football player before finding his love in hoops. A love that made him an unstoppable force, as he holds the record for the best career field goal percentage ...
Read More »Salt N’ Pepper: Two Blazers building massive chemistry
Two-thirds of the way through the season, 22 teams have been served a meal of defeat, seasoned with salt and pepper. “Salt and pepper” refers to the backcourt tandem of Beau Justice and Winston Morgan, who began terrorizing opposing defenses during the 2017-2018 season. Justice and Morgan have become a recognizable duo that now works better together than as single ...
Read More »Lady Statesmen escape VSU with gritty win
The story of the Lady Blazers’ 70-66 loss against the Delta State Lady Statesmen tells of turnovers and crunch time. This matchup was as even as their last one, when the Lady Blazers edged the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws 69-60 on Feb. 14. Turnovers made it hard for the Lady Blazers to run away with the Feb. 16 game, giving ...
Read More »Townsend’s defense extends off the court
Crystal Townsend is a late bloomer to the game of basketball. Ranking No. 9 in the Gulf South Conference in rebounds with 7.4 and 11 points per game, Townsend got her start in high school. Townsend graduated from Cape Coral High School in Cape Coral, Florida, where she was a key piece in leading her team to a 24-6 overall ...
Read More »Blazers bounce back versus Montevallo
The Blazers were out looking for revenge on Thursday. After falling to Montevallo on Jan. 24, the Blazers evened the score, winning an intense 75-70 battle. Guard Beau Justice led the Blazers in scoring, posting 19 points and knocking down four three-pointers. Justice caught his stride after going into halftime with only three points on the board on 1-4 shooting. ...
Read More »Lady Blazers humble Montevallo in blowout
Valdosta State’s 20-4 run in the fourth quarter not only sealed the win for the Lady Blazers but led to an embarrassing 83-44 smack down on the Montevallo Falcons. This was the Lady Blazers’ most impressive win of the year by far, and it was fueled by their previous matchup with Montevallo, when VSU also won 47-38. “Playing at their ...
Read More »Helfer, Blazers prepared for rival teams
Rival teams should keep their targets. The Blazers have the track record and are not fazed by teams who hate them most. At 14-4 and second in the Gulf South Conference standings, VSU doesn’t seem to be changing things up – at least not now. “We try to prepare for each game the same way and take care of ourselves ...
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