Blackman bench sparks Blaze in win over Franklin

COLUMBIA – When Franklin took a 4-0 lead on Blackman to start Saturday’s game in the First Farmers & Merchants Christmas Classic, Blackman coach Barry Wortman called time out and took his starters out of the game.

The reserves gave the Blaze the spark they needed to defeat the Rebels 63-47.

Deonte Alley and Jacob Nelson, in particular, keyed the Blaze as they hit 3-pointers every time Franklin tied it in the first half.

The Blaze (7-2) built a commanding 35-26 halftime lead and led by double digits throughout the second half in their win. Alley and Nelson combined for 21 of the Blaze’s first-half points, combining for seven 3-pointers.

“We just didn’t come out with the energy we needed to come out in that game,” Wortman said. “You’re not going to be rewarded for not competing, so we went with some other guys, and I thought they brought great energy. Jacob Nelson and Deonte Alley gave us great energy and provided us with a nice lead. I thought that really settled our team.”

The Blaze battled to a 14-14 tie at the end of the first quarter. Alley connected on two 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Blaze stay in the game.

To start the second quarter, Alley hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Blaze a 20-14 lead.

“I wanted to stay in the game, do what I needed to do, and hit shots,” said Alley, who finished with 16 points, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. “We were having bad possession after bad possession, so I wanted to keep our team in the game.”

The Blaze built the lead to 10 after baskets by David Ivy and Christian Dewitt.

But the Rebels weren’t done. They started penetrating Blackman’s defense and finding players open under the basket for layups. They started forcing Blackman into turnovers. Franklin went on a 10-0 run to tie it at 24-all.

Then Nelson stepped up, drilling three consecutive 3-pointers. He single-handedly outscored Franklin 9-0 to boost the Blaze to a 33-24 lead which they never lost.

They were the only points that Nelson scored in the game. He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range.

“Those guys are both really really good open-shot makers,” said Wortman. “I was really pleased with our zone offense, they got them the open shots, and they jumped up and knocked them right in the rim.”

Blackman 63, Franklin 47

Blackman 14 21 15 13 – 63

Franklin 14 12 6 15 – 47

Blackman: Deonte Alley 16, Christian Dewitt 12, Nelson 9, Hart 9, Wilson 5, Ivy 4, D. Page 3, Jeffries 2, Williams 2, Armstrong 1.

Franklin: Garrison Mathews 14, Joe Critchlow 11, Spalding 8, Muir 5, B. Page 4, Hargreaves 2, Dutton 2, Jenkins 1.