Thurmond’s 5 3-Pointers Help Chargers Pull Away From BHC

  Aaron Frey
  Tuesday, February 14, 2017 10:36 PM
  Athletics

Galesburg, IL

GALESBURG — A red-hot night from beyond the arc by Isaiah Thurmond (Alton, Ill./Alton) helped the Carl Sandburg College men’s basketball team to an 81-67 Arrowhead Conference victory over Black Hawk on Tuesday night at John M. Lewis Gymnasium.

Thurmond went 5 of 6 from 3-point range and scored a team-best 21 to help the Chargers (15-13, 4-4) pull even in conference play. Sandburg also got 14 points and a team-leading eight rebounds from Matt Wendling (Athens, Ill./Athens), who hit 2 of his 4 3s.

Duncan King (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) scored 12 and Kane Wildermuth (Normal, Ill./U-High) added 11 points for the Chargers, who pulled away after taking a 36-32 lead into halftime. Black Hawk led 26-19 before a 15-2 burst helped Sandburg go into the locker room on top.

A Wendling turnaround jumper, King trey and Wildermuth drive pushed Sandburg’s lead to 45-36 early in the second half. The Braves (13-14, 2-6) were still within striking distance before back-to-back Thurmond 3s pushed the Chargers’ lead to 64-48 midway through the second.

“Isaiah shot the ball really well, but overall we played a pretty strong game as a team, especially the last 25 minutes or so,” Sandburg coach Ryan Twaddle said. “We’ve had a couple big wins in the past week, so hopefully we can keep that momentum.”

Knoxville High School product Tyler Houston had four 3s and a game-best 23 points to lead Black Hawk.

The Chargers will close out their home schedule by taking on Illinois Valley at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for Sophomore Night. Sandburg will honor its seven sophomores — Duncan King, Eric Williams, Shane Maple, Isaiah Thurmond, Kane Wildermuth, Chris Stephens and Darius Ousley — prior to the contest.