HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Solid defense and steady shooting led the Coker men to a 67-51 win over the Lees- McRae Bobcats at Timberlake-Lawton Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas men’s basketball action. The win moves the Cobras to 10-12 overall and 7-9 in the conference, while the Bobcats drop to 3-18 on the year and 2-12 in the conference.

Coker struggled to find their rhythm early and found themselves ahead by just one point as they entered halftime 27-26. Luckily for the Cobras, they got into a groove in the second half and scored 40 points, while holding the Bobcats to just 25, securing their seven Conference Carolinas victory of the season.

The win puts the Cobras in eighth and final playoff spot for the Conference Carolinas tournament with just four games left in the regular season.

Vatrick Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) led all scorers with 22 points, while Mason Ambler (Atlanta, Ga.) had 20 points and five rebounds. Joselle Bracy (Ruby, S.C.) chipped in 10 points for the Cobra and had a game high eight rebounds.

Coker managed to hold all the Bobcats to just single digit scoring, with Daniel Sepokas scoring nine points and Josh Kurtz and Anthony Johnson each scoring eight points. Stephen Haymer was the rebounding leader for Lees-McRae with five rebounds.

The next game for the Cobras will be on Monday, when they host the Saints of Limestone College. Coker will be honoring the officials of the game with a special Officials night celebration prior to the opening tip-off. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.