It was only a matter of time before Lamar State College Port Arthur's Joe Lucien exploded onto the NJCAA Region 14 scene.
Tick, tick, tick … boom!
Lucien, a freshman forward from Beaumont, dominated in the paint to collect 34 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double of the season. Unfortunately, the Seahawks fell short in their attempt to top No. 18-ranked Panola College as the Ponies escaped with a 77-74 conference win in the Carl Parker Center in Port Arthur on Saturday afternoon.
"Hats off to Joe Lucien," Seahawks Head Coach Lance Madison said. "He's really come on strong and played well. Tonight, I thought he was a man among boys. He showed a lot of heart getting 34 points and 11 rebounds against a team bigger than him. He just keeps developing; he's going to be a Division I player."
The 6-foot-7 West Brook High product's scoring output was the best this year by any Seahawks player. He hit on 15 of 20 field goal attempts and was 4 for 5 at the free-throw line.
The Seahawks' season scoring leader, Kanntrell Burney, had been sidelined by a hamstring injury forcing him to miss the past two games. He returned Saturday as the No. 2 scorer in the nation -- entering the game with a 24.6 points per game scoring average – finishing 4 of 11 from the floor for 11 points.
Lucien's 34 points is the high game of the season for the Seahawks with Burney scoring the previous high of 32 points when he came alive against Panola earlier this season in Carthage, Texas.
Lucien now has four double-doubles this season, including 14 points and 11 rebounds against Jacksonville Feb. 27 and 17 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday at Bossier Parish Community College.
With the win, the Ponies improved to 9-2 on the season. LSCPA, now 3-8, plays a makeup game Monday at 2 p.m. at Navarro College in Corsicana before returning to Port Arthur on Wednesday, March 10, to host Victoria College at 4 p.m. in the Parker Center.
The Ponies led 43-35 at halftime and doubled their lead to 66-52 with 11:28 remaining in the second half.
Burney hit a 3-pointer with 37.1 seconds left to bring the Hawks to within three points for the second time in the contest. Panola dribbled the clock down but Burney stole the ball with just enough time to sprint to the top of the 3-point circle and get off an unsuccessful shot around a defender.
"I'm proud of the guys," Madison said. "Panola is a top team. There's a reason they're on top of the standings."
Freshman guard Sherman Brashear hit five of his six 3-pointers in the first half and scored a total of 20 points. Sharpshooter Cody Deen, Panola's top scorer, hit for 27 points.
