5 keys to Blackman's basketball sweep over Siegel

Blackman’s basketball teams won District 7-AAA battles at Siegel Friday night.

Blackman’s boys remained undefeated (10-0) in the district with a 58-42 victory.

The Lady Blaze (5-5 in 7-AAA) won their second consecutive district game, defeating Siegel 60-33.

Here are five keys to Blackman’s wins:

Blaze one-two punch

Bryce Williams and Brandon Thomas were unstoppable at times in the post for Blackman.

Siegel had no answer for them. They posted up and scored almost at will.

Williams scored 19 and Thomas had 15.

“Bryce Williams was really good tonight,” said Blackman coach Barry Wortman. “He guarded, he rebounded, he really played with purpose tonight. Brandon Thomas is as steady as can be.”

“They were hard for us to guard,” said Siegel coach Dyron Birdwell. “They did a real good job of exploiting that and taking advantage.”

Franklin does his part

Twice James Franklin stopped Blackman runs by drilling 3-pointers. He had 13 to lead the Stars. In the third quarter he scored two straight baskets to cut Blackman's 13-point lead to eight. Siegel had a chance to cut it to six on its next possession but missed a layup.

Seeking perfection

Blackman is still perfect in 7-AAA with two league games remaining. The Blaze are ranked No. 3 in the Class AAA Associated Press poll.

“Everybody has different things that can hurt you,” said Wortman. “It's a positive (to be 10-0), but we know we’ve got two more games next week, and then the tournament.”

Big start for Lady Blaze

In the first five minutes, Blackman jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never trailed.

Siegel didn't even have any field goal attempts. Each Lady Star possession led to a turnover, many of them before they could even get it past half court.

Blackman built off that strong start and slowly built its lead.

“That’s what we’ve struggled with this year,” said Blackman coach Jessica Jackson. “I was glad to see us get off to the good start.”

Tidbits

Jaida Bond and Jaleel Goff each scored 12 to lead the Lady Blaze. Freshman Taylor Patterson paced Siegel's girls with nine points.

Tyler Erdman added nine points for Siegel's boys while Trent Gibson netted 12 for the Blaze.

The Lady Stars picked up a win, however, Friday when Oakland was forced to forfeit an earlier victory over the Lady Stars, who are now 3-7 in league play. Blackman had already swept the Lady Patriots, so their district mark did not change.