Cumberland endured several tight games and ended up 0-5 to finish out January. Out of the five games, four losses came to conference teams.
The Blazers visited Oakdale Christian Academy on January 19th to matchup with three conference teams. The first game of the morning matched Cumberland against Mount Carmel for a game that stayed tight down the stretch. The Blazers trailed the Lions by 5 at the end of the first and were down 25-33 at the half. Cumberland came out strong in the second half but in the end it wasn’t enough for a win. The Lions won the contest by a narrow margin of 59-53. Tanner Pilarski dropped 22 for the Blazers with Ben Pruette adding 17.
After a back-to-back game which ended in a loss to Faith, Cumberland came back Saturday afternoon to take on tournament host Oakdale. The Blazers kept the score tight the entire game only trailing by 3 at half. Cumberland had a strong performance in the third period, outscoring the Wildcats by 7 to lead by 4 going into the fourth. Tanner Pilarksi and Micah Stargel both fouled out in the forth and left the Blazers with limited offensive and defensive strength. The Blazers bench make a great effort to keep the lead and the game tight. Oakdale make one final play with a tied gamed to score the go-ahead basket to win by two 78-76. Ben Pruette put up a season high 25 and Shane Jung also matched his score.
The Blazers came back home the next week to take on Madison in a conference game and Cedar View (TAACS, Kingsport, TN). Madison struggled early against the Blazers defense but eventually went on to overtake Cumberland 79-57. On Saturday, Cedar View led 34-9 at the end of the first and held a 25 point lead at half. The Blazers came back in the third and outscored the Seahawks 18-10 but it was not enough to pull out the win. The Seahawks went on to win 73-58.
Cumberland (7-20, 4-12) stay at home at Grace on the Hill Monday night (2/4) to take on Danville Christian (KHSAA) for a 7pm tip. The Blazers then hit the road to match up with Burgin (KHSAA) Thursday evening for a 7pm tip. Cumberland has 4 more games until heading to Louisville for the KCSAA State Tournament February 22-23.
Cumberland Homeschool Athletic Teams, Inc is a 501c3 nonprofit organization designed to provide opportunities for K-12 student athletes to participate in competitive athletics principally in the Cumberland Valley region of Southeast Kentucky.
