Even fatigue will not get forward Sherman Blanford out of the game anymore — he is just too valuable.

Try to argue with Eastern coach Jay Spoonhour that the lone senior on the Eastern men’s basketball team should have rested for just one of the 35 minutes he played in the Panthers’ 76-70 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Saturday.

“I’m counting on him every single game,” Spoonhour said. “Talk about a heck of a game for him.”

Blanford’s stat line: 24 points (career high), 13 rebounds (season high), four steals, two blocks and a 9-of-14 shooting performance.

Oh, and one breakaway dunk that awoke Lantz Arena unlike any other this season.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward shot 6-of-7 in the second half against the Cougars to score 18 of his game-high 24 points. He also collected nine offensive rebounds that were part of his game-high 13.

All of which was accomplished in a game with Ohio Valley Conference tournament implications — a game which propelled Eastern to the second seed in the west division.

Name a plausible explanation that Blanford should have played a second less than his career-high 35 minutes against Edwardsville.

Can’t think of one? No worries – neither can Spoonhour.

“I take him out almost always because of fatigue — that’s it,” Spoonhour said. “He gets tired, but (against Edwardsville) I just couldn’t take him out; he was doing too many things right.”

Doing too many things right appears to be the trend for Blanford in just his second season with the Panthers.

Since entering OVC play, where the Panthers are 5-5, Blanford is averaging 14.5 points per game — ranking 15th — and 8.5 rebounds per game — ranking fourth.

The Philadelphia native is averaging four more points and two more rebounds than last season, when he was named to the OVC All-Newcomer Team.

He has scored double figures in 14 out of the 22 games this season and recorded a double-double in five of those games, three such performances coming in the Panthers’ last six games.

“I just keep doing what I do: I rebound, I play hard and I get buckets,” Blanford said. “It’s nothing more than that.”

It was guaranteed that Blanford would have a much bigger role this season and it has proven true.

“He’s the quarterback of the whole thing,” Spoonhour said at the beginning of the season. “That’s an odd situation for a forward to be that guy, but that’s the situation we’re in.”

But more importantly, Blanford has filled the shoes Spoonhour has expected him to.

After all, Blanford is the only senior on Eastern’s roster, and just one of four returning players.

But he said he knows the role he plays to the younger players on the roster, which is to lead by example.

“I’m just doing what I’m asked to do,” Blanford said. “Me being the only senior and a leader, I can’t make too many mistakes.”

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].