After opening the 2015-16 basketball season winning two out of three non-conference games, the Motlow Bucks will jump into Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) play when they travel to Columbia State Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on Tullahoma’s sports radio The Ticket.
The Bucks have won two straight since dropping their season opener 68-66 to Olney Central College (Ill.) on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Vincennes Kiwanis Classic in Vincennes, Ind. The next night Motlow got its first win under head coach J.T. Burton by beating the home team, Vincennes University, 78-66.
Motlow won its second consecutive game Monday night, traveling to Boaz, Ala., and beating Snead State 92-70. The Bucks will be heavily tested Friday night against the Chargers, who have won back-to-back TCCAA tournament championships.
“This Friday is going to be another big road test,” said Burton. “Going to the reigning conference tournament champions’ place for the first conference game is going to be tough.
“They have very good guard play,” added Burton, “including Braxton Bonds, who I coached at the University of Tennessee. He will bring leadership and toughness to their team. We have to continue to do the little things in order to be successful.”
The Bucks dominated Snead State from the beginning, jumping out to a 51-32 halftime lead behind hot shooting that continued the entire game. Motlow connected on 56 percent of its shots from the floor and 52 percent from behind the three-point line.
Jaylen Barford and Darius Joell led all scorers with 23 point each. Barford added five rebounds, six assists and two steals; while Joell, who hit 5-9 three pointers, had three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ryan Jones scored 16 points with three rebounds and three assists and hit 3-4 from behind the three-point line.
Jared Pearson led all rebounders with 10 boards while also scoring seven points. Stephaun Adams was outstanding from his point guard position, dishing out 12 assists with six steals and seven rebounds to go along with three points. Reid Pierce and JaQualis Matlock each scored six, Jade Patrick added five and Axel Magnuson scored three points for Motlow.
Barford has led the Bucks in scoring in each of the first three contests, including his 27 points in the win over Vincennes, who entered the season ranked No. 6 in the nation by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Joell scored 18 points while Adams led the assist column with 10 and led the Bucks in rebounding with eight.
Motlow struggled in its season opening loss to Olney Central, falling behind 16-1 in the early going and trailing at halftime 41-24. The Bucks caught the Blue Knights, but lost the game on a buzzer beating layup as time expired. Barford scored 22 points and Adams added 13. Matlock and Barford each had eight rebounds, with Adams leading the team with six assists.
The Ticket can be heard in southern middle Tennessee on 105.1 FM and 740 AM, and around the world at TheTicketRadio.com and on your smartphone with the Tune In Radio app (search for WHMT). Those in Tullahoma who are LightTUBe subscribers can also listen live on channel 11.
Visit the official website of Motlow Athletics at <www.motlowsports.com> for rosters, schedules, stats and more. Interact with Motlow Athletics at <Facebook/MotlowSports> and <Twitter@MotlowSports>.
