The Chapman Panthers pushed their score all the way to 56 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 68-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Blue Ridge. Chapman has not had much luck with Blue Ridge recently, as the team's come up short the last seven times they've met.
When it comes to explaining why Chapman lost, one person who can't be blamed is Rashawn Cunningham. Despite the final result, he scored 24 points. Cunningham continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Khamari Turner was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Blue Ridge was led to victory by Paul Bishop and Nash Somero. Bishop scored 20 points along with nine rebounds and five assists, while Somero scored 34 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which Somero has scored at least a third of Blue Ridge's points. Another player making a difference was Nicklaus Poole, who scored two points along with nine rebounds.
Chapman's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-9. As for Blue Ridge, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 8-12.
Chapman will head out on the road to challenge Broome at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Broome is out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home. Blue Ridge will take on Travelers Rest at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in South Carolina (Travelers Rest is ranked 109th, while Blue Ridge is ranked 134th).
