MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After scoring a season high 29 points on Saturday, Carlos Hart followed that performance with 32 points as No. 9 Valdosta State beat a gritty Christian Brothers team by a final of 93-82 on Monday night. Valdosta State improved to 22-4 overall and 17-3 in GSC play as they have officially locked up the two seed for the GSC Tournament.
 
The Blazers swept the Buccaneers for the first time since the 2015-16 season as they have had countless battles over the past decade plus. Christian Brothers was as dominant as ever on the glass as they out rebounded Valdosta State 52-28 with 25 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end for 19 second chance points. VSU won the turnover battle 22-9 and scored 25 points off those turnovers and poked away at 16 steals that resulted in 29 fastbreak points. Hart scored his season high on 11-22 from the field and 9-11 from the line while also putting together seven rebounds and four steals. LaDarrius Chigano was a big bench piece for coach Helfer, as the forward scored a season high seven points on 5-6 from the line while swatting a shot and tallying a steal. Two players for CBU recorded double-doubles as Christian Thompson had 19 points and 12 rebounds while Iman Kheirati put up 11 points and 16 rebounds. As a team, the Blazers shot 33-69 (.478) from the floor, 8-24 (.333) from deep, and 19-23 (.826) from the line. The Bucs shot 29-68 (.426) from the field, 2-15 (.133) from distance, and 22-28 (.786) at the charity stripe.
 
It took about six seconds for the Blazers to get into the scoring column as Cobey Harraway tipped in a putback layup as Valdosta State was on the board early. Following a layup from Hart, Braxton Williams blocked a layup attempt on the left block as it was a physical game early. A steal from MJ Jones followed a step back three from Hart made it a 9-1 game with 17:20 left in the first has as John Reilly quickly called a timeout. Christian Brothers couldn't get anything to go inside as the Valdosta State defense was holding steady as the Blazers swatted two straight shots at the rim to force a shot clock violation which took us to the under 16 timeout as VSU led CBU 9-1.
 
Christian Brothers would come out of the break on an 8-3 run to make it a one possession game as head coach Mike Helfer quickly called a timeout to bring his starters back into the game as Valdosta State led 12-9 with 13:45 left in the first half. Turnovers were an issue for both teams early as VSU had five to CBU's seven just six and a half minutes into the game. The Buccaneers would jump out to a 15-14 lead on layup from Kheirati heading to the under 12 break.
 
Williams drilled a pair of free throws coming out of the timeout to give VSU the lead once again. Both teams were trading blows until another putback layup, this time from Drew Mills prompted a quick timeout from CBU's John Reilly yet again as VSU was leading 20-17 with 9:17 left in the first half. Christian Brothers would regain the lead once again a second chance basket from Christian Thompson made it 23-22. On the other end, Maalik Leitch was left wide open as he hit his second three of the game as the Blazers were back ahead with a 25-22 lead heading to the under eight timeout.
 
LaDarrius Chigano intercepted the inboard coming out of the break and was fouled in the active shooting a few seconds later. Chigano went 1-2 at the line as the lead was up to three before Archer McMenamin quickly got one inside to make it 26-25. An empty possession from the Blazers led to a trip to the line for Kirisome who tied things at 26 following a split. Drew Mills broke a silent stretch for both team as he knocked home a triple before another Blazer steal got Hart loose in transition as he laid it in for a 34-29 lead with 3:34 left in the first half.
 
True freshman Max Cain came out of the timeout with two quick baskets inside as it was back to a one point in Memphis. Hart used a strong move inside as he muscled one in with his left hand to bring the lead back to three. The Buccaneers would even things again, this time at 38 with just under a minute remaining. Hart would drive and finish again before a foul from Jones nearly 30 feet from the basket as CBU was in the double bonus. Following a pair of made free throws, Leitch drove the lane and tossed a wild shot before Mills came in with a putback layup at the buzzer as the Blazers were heading to the locker room with a 42-40 lead.
 
Christian Brothers' Tane Kirisome led all scorers with 15 points on 5-7 from the field and 4-5 from line while swatting three shots. Hart les the way for Valdosta State as the senior had 11 points on 4-9 from the floor while poking away at two steals. The Blazers shot 16-37 (.432) from the floor compared to the Buccaneers 14-31 (.452) on just 1-7 from deep. CBU was aggressive on the boards as expected as they were winning the rebounding battle 26-16 with ten of those coming on the offensive end.
 
Carlos Hart opened the scoring in the second half with a pump fake followed by a layup with his right hand. After that, neither team couldn't find the bottom of the net until Christian Thompson scored on a second chance layup with just over 17 minutes left as VSU was leading 44-42. Iman Kheirati gave CBU the lead on a wide open triple on the left wing as Helfer went to his bench for some scoring with 16:38 left in the game. Christian Brothers would stretch their run to 11-2 as they were leading 51-48.
 
Coming out of the break, Hart drilled a pair of free throws and forced a defensive stop where Hart finished yet another one inside to retake the lead. Nmeso Nnebedum would convert on an and one to take the lead once again as they were now leading 56-53. Hart continued his dominant second half as he scored his eighth point of the second half inside yet again as the Blazers were now leading by one. Valdosta State would grow the run to 7-0 as Drew Mills got out in transition on a deep three from Christian Brothers and he slammed it home to elevate the lead to 59-56 with 11:59 left in the game.
 
Christian Thompson would bully one inside for an and one for CBU as things were all square at 59 in yet another back and forth game. Christian Brothers would grow the lead to five until Braxton Williams would step into a triple on the break to bring it back to two. Yet another second chance for the Bucs grew the lead back to four at 66-62 with 9:43 left in the contest. After Chigano blocked shot in transition, Hart drove down the floor and found Leitch wide open in the corner who drilled a three to bring it back to one. Hart then stole the ball in transition and Green Jr. was able to tip the ball in as VSU was all of a sudden up two. Lucas Brown Jr. would then get in on the robbery as he poked the ball away that gave Hart a head of steam, as he finished the hoop and the harm to take us to the media timeout as Valdosta State had scored ten points in 55 seconds to lead 74-70 with 7:14 left.
 
A pair of free throws from Kheirati brought is back to a one possession game followed by a tie game as Christian Thompson scored inside yet again for his 16^th and 17^th points of the game as it was all knotted at 76. Following a pair of free throws from Chigano, Brown Jr. stole the ball in transition and finished on a sweet up and under layup to make it a four point lead as VSU was leading 82-78 heading to the final media timeout.
 
After a strong defensive possession, as beautiful crosscourt pass resulted in Leitch being wide open as he drilled a three to grow the lead to seven. Lucas Brown Jr. continued to be a pest in the backcourt as he miraculously tipped a ball under the hood that somehow went in as they had their largest lead of the night at nine, leading 89-80 with 1:56 left. Thompson laid one inside until Hart silenced the Memphis crowd on a mid-range jumper for his 29th and 30^th points of the game which was a new season high. After a missed triple, Hart would get sent to the line for two more as he gave Valdosta State an 11 point lead, which would be the final at 93-82.
 
The Blazers will now play three straight games at home as they host Auburn Montgomery on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. followed by Montevallo on Saturday, Mar. 2 for senior day at 4 p.m. VSU will also be hosting the first round of the GSC Quarterfinals against an opponent TBD on Tuesday, Mar. 4 at a time TBD.