BLADENBORO – The West Bladen Knights stay undefeated at home after sealing a 61-35 victory over the Midway Raiders in a SAC 6 Conference clash last Friday. The Knights had four players in double-digit scoring–senior center Chase Williams led all scorers with 16 points, junior forward Tylik McCall finished with 14 points, senior guard Hezekiah Adams dropped 13 points and sophomore forward Kendall Lesane had 12 points to his name.

The first quarter was tight between the two teams as they traded buckets with one another for the opening eight minutes. Midway senior guard Kemari McNeil drained a three-pointer to give the Raiders their only lead of the game at 12-11. West Bladen’s Adams was able to respond with a three-pointer of his own to reclaim momentum for the host. Williams snatched an offensive board and converted a lay-up to conclude the first quarter with the Knights ahead by four.

Midway senior Anthony Graham started the second quarter with an offensive board and a put-back finish to pull the visitors within two. McCall gave the Knights an immediate answer with a pull-up jumper from the mid-range to keep the gap at six. The visitors attempted a long-range bomb to no avail and their opponents methodically broke down their defense with swing passes. The offensive combination of Adams, Lesane, McCall and Williams allowed the host some breathing room at 28-14.

Adams went baseline for a 2-point drive to close the first half out at 30-14 in favor of the host. The third quarter started with the Knights turning the ball over but the visitors failed to convert their shot on the other end of the floor. McCall penetrated the interior of the Raiders defense and floated his field goal into the net for the host’s first bucket of the second half. Travis Gist was able to respond for the Raiders with a three-pointer falling through the net a few moments later.

Lesane took on his defender off the dribble before finishing through contact to stretch the host lead to 34-17. Midway suffered a turnover but avoided any further damage by forcing a missed shot on the other end of the floor. Walker Holmes finished a tough reverse lay-up from the baseline to give the Raiders a much needed basket. Lasane displayed his athleticism by finishing through traffic to keep momentum on the side of the Knights.

Midway suffered a turnover on the following possession and the host would pile onto their deficit with a basket from Adams. McCall would drain another basket from in-close to force the visitors into calling a timeout in order to regroup. Gist maneuvered through a crowded painted area with a baseline drive for two-points to cut the Raiders deficit to 19 with under three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Knights were suffering from a slight cold-run but McCall put an end to that with a mid-range jumper to continue the onslaught.

Midway’s Landon Hammound converted a two-point attempt but the Raiders were in need of a miracle to slow down their opponents offense.McCall would get the final bucket of the quarter to fall as the host entered the fourth ahead by 22. The final quarter was smooth sailing for the Knights and they claimed their eleventh win of the season on their home floor.

Midway falls to an overall record of 10-3 and they’re tied for third place in the standings with a conference record of 1-2. West Bladen’s overall record moves to 15-1 and they share first place with the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes at 3-0 in the SAC 6 standings. The Knights next game is slated for this Tuesday against East Bladen for a non-conference match-up on the road. The game may be affected by inclement weather that’s supposed to roll-in at the top of the week; the Bladen County school district will have made a decision about after school activities by 6 PM Monday at the latest.

Check for updates on the Districts facebook page for additional information on school activities. The Knights will also have a road game slated for this Friday against Fairmont in a conference clash that could be pivotal in the hunt for the SAC 6 title. Fairmont(10-4, 3-0) suffered a 48-28 defeat to Whiteville in their last match up but they’ll have a non-conference clash slated for this Monday against Union Pines before their game with West Bladen on Friday.

WEST BLADEN ROSTER 24/25:

Hezekiah Adams SR.

Ty’Leak Ballard SR.

Demarion Bryant JR.

Hunter Hester SR.

Keonta Hill JR.

Kendall Lesane SO.

Tylik McCall JR.

Conner Monroe SR.

Jackson Pait JR.

Jamari Adams-Peterson JR.

Justin Spaulding JR.

Chase Williams SR.

AROUND THE SAC 6:

Red Springs(1-14, 1-2) 30, East Columbus(7-8, 2-2) 38

St. Pauls(3-12, 1-2) 71, Lakewood(11-1) 82

[1/17] Clinton(3-12, 0-3) 47, Red Springs(1-14, 1-2) 50