Battle for Bluefield

Photographs by Rampage student photographers Natalie Burgess and Gianna Sloan-Lebron.

On January 21, 2022 at Ned Shott Gymnasium in Bluefield WV, Bluefield State University and Bluefield University renewed their cross-town basketball rivalry.

Even though it was a regular season game a lot was at stake for both teams, particularly bragging rights for the twin cities of Bluefield. BSU led early, but BU came back in the second half to score an 83-76 win.

“I am extremely proud of these men after coming back from three losses,” said BU head coach Richard Morgan. “They came here and handled business. There’s things that we still need to improve, but for right now I am truly proud of their performance today.”

The teams battled closely in the second half before BU pulled away in the final minutes. Jamal Hinkle led the Rams in scoring with 22 points. Volante Carroll added 12 points and 28 rebounds. Other Ram players in double-figure scoring were Brandon Shields with 14 and Kaleb Hewitt with 12. The Rams got great support from their bench players, who outscored the Big Blue bench 44-7.

Photographs by Rampage student photographers Natalie Burgess and Gianna Sloan-Lebron.