Published: January 11, 2009 10:56 pm      

Miners pull away to defeat Blazers

As he was walking with his teammates back to the bench after the first quarter, Jermaine Blackburn expressed disbelief that his East Kentucky Miners were losing to the West Virginia Blazers.

The teams had met twice before, in Pikeville, with the Miners winning by 44 and 32 points.

This time, the Blazers were a little too close for Blackburn’s comfort. So, he took matters into his own hands.

Blackburn scored 20 of his 31 points in the third quarter as the Miners pulled away for a 123-100 win Sunday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

West Virginia (1-8) stayed close in the first half, which saw four ties and four lead changes. But the Miners, a member of the Continental Basketball Association, eventually seized control in the third quarter and led 91-79 going into the fourth.

“We have to play four quarters, and I thought we played two or three tonight,” Blazers coach Tony Webster said. “We got better. That’s a very good team we played. When we played them down there they took it to us. The guys are getting better and the chemistry is getting there.”

“It doesn’t matter what level you are on or how old these guys are, you have to come in mentally focused on the ballgame,” Miners coach Kevin Keathley said. “They played with everything they had and I know their fans are very proud of them for the way they played.

“They outrebounded us, they outworked us. They did all the things they needed to do to win the ballgame. But in the end, the guys stepped up and talent probably took over as the game went along.”

Among that talent is two former NBA players. Wayne Turner is a former Boston Celtic and Galen Young played briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Keathley fully expects Blackburn, a 6-foot-7 Boise State alumnus, to soon be there.

“He’s probably the most talented player I have coached since Jamario Moon, who is now a starter in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors,” Keathley said. “I promise you will see him in the NBA some day.

“When he kicks it in gear, he is very tough to guard. We’ve got him playing the three spot, but he can play the point, two or three. He’s a very difficult matchup for anybody.”

The Blazers trailed 21-12 in the first quarter before taking the lead with a 12-0 run. Chawn Martin hit three three-pointers during that stretch.

East Kentucky reclaimed the lead early in the second, but the Blazers stayed close and actually led by as much as 48-45 after 14-3 run. The Miners again went back on top, assuming a 52-51 lead at the half.

Mike Dean scored a game-high 35 points for the Miners. Delvin Thomas added 13, while Jason McLeish and Mike Crain scored 11 each.

Cedric Brown led five Blazers in double figures with 20 points. Desi Crisp followed with 18, Maurice Davis 16, Corey Love 14 and Martin 11.

West Virginia remains at home this week, hosting the Georgia Grizzlies on Wednesday and Thursday. Both games will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

— E-mail: gfauber@

register-herald.com



East Kentucky Miners 123,

W.Va. Blazers 100

East Kentucky

Jason McLeish 4 2-2 11, Wayne Turner 1 2-2 4, Mike Dean 13 4-4 35, Mike Crain 5 0-2 11, Jermaine Blackburn 13 3-3 31, Delvin Thomas 5 3-5 13, Galen Young 4 1-1 9, Joe Buck 2 3-4 7, Alonzo Hird 0 2-6 2. Totals: 47 20-29 123.

West Virginia

Neil Rasnake 1 0-0 3, Cedric Brown 8 1-2 20, DeNelle Hale 2 0-0 4, Chris Nichols 3 0-0 6, Chawn Martin 4 0-1 11, Brian Kidd 1 0-0 2, Joey Preast 2 0-0 6, Maurice Davis 5 6-7 16, Melvin Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Corey Love 4 6-10 14, Desi Crisp 7 0-0 18. Totals: 37 13-20 100.

EK 23 29 39 31 — 123

WV 24 27 28 21 — 100

Three-point goals: EK: 9 (McLeish, Dean 5, Crain, Blackburn 2); WV: 12 (Rasnake, Brown 2, Martin 3, Preast 2, Crisp 4); Fouled out: none.