‘Dawgs break down Panola, 70-65

By MIKE MONTFORT

Better late than never.

Transportation issues delayed the start of Saturday’s game by two hours, but didn’t stall Navarro’s effort or winning gameplan Saturday as the Bulldogs defeated Panola 70-65.

As a result, Navarro became East Zone runners-up and, via tiebreaker, earned the No. 3 seed for the Region XIV Tournament at Shreveport, La., next week.

With the tournament’s third seed in hand, Navarro (18-12/12-7) draws a first-round bye and advances into a Thursday quarterfinal matchup against the Kilgore-Lee winner.

Five players hit double figures as head coach Grant McMillan’s club completed a season sweep of Panola by defeating the Ponies at Arthur Johnson Gym in Carthage.

Akol Mawein led the way with 15 points, while German Kasanzi came off the bench to contribute 14. Ed Manuel produced 13 points and eight rebounds, while Brian Washington fashioned his sixth double-double of the season.

Washington’s line was 10 points from 4-of-8 shooting, with 13 rebounds, five assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

The Bulldogs led 37-26 at halftime, but coach Aaron Smith’s Ponies barreled back to take a 58-56 lead during the final 20 minutes.

Panola hit only 33 percent from the floor, including 9-of-34 three-pointers.
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SCORE BY HALVES:
Navarro……..37….33 – 70
Panola………26….39 – 65
NAVARRO (70): Akol Mawein 15, German Kasanzi 14, Ed Manuel 13, Brian Washington 10, Dravon Clayborn 10, Souleymane Doumbia 5, Tyrese Patterson 3. TOTALS: (25-65)-(6-17)-(14-21)-70.
PANOLA (65):  Kamari Brown 18, Cameron Carson 15, Jermaine Drewey 8, Davian Sanders 8, Stanton Rose 5, Arron Gideon 4, Dominique Jackson 4, Kelyn Penn 3.  TOTALS: (20-60)-(9-34)-(16-20)-65.
FOUL OUT: None.
REBOUNDS: PC 35,  NC 47. (9/38) Washington 13, Mawein 8, Manuel 8, Patterson 7, Doumbia 6.
ASSISTS: PC 10, NC 17. Washington and Patterson 5, Clayborn and Mawein 3.
STEALS: PC  8, NC 1. Washington
BLOCKED SHOTS: PC 2, NC 5. Doumbia 2.

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TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD
Games Saturday, February 29, 2020
REGION XIV
Navarro 70, Panola 65
Bossier Parish 94, Tyler 87
TVCC 97, Paris 79
Angelina 69, Coastal Bend 68
Blinn 79, Lamar State-Port Arthur 68
Jacksonville 90, Lee 86
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REGION V WJCAC
(Saturday’s 4th-Place Play-In Game 1)
At The Dorothy Garrett Coliseum, Big Spring)
Western Texas 72, Odessa 60
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(Monday’s 4th-Place Play-In Game 2)
Western Texas v New Mexico Military Institute
7 pm CT/ 6 pm MT at The Caster Activity Center, Hobbs, NM.