Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BLADENBORO-The West Bladen Knights defeated the East Bladen Eagles for a 54-30 victory in a non-conference match-up last Tuesday night. The Knights trailed once through four quarters of action against their cross-county rival as they sealed their third straight victory of the season at the time. Junior guard Jackson Pait led all scorers with 19 points as he shot the lights-out from three-point range.
West Bladen senior guard Hezikiah Adams began the first quarter with rifling a pass to Pait for his first three-pointer of the night. Both teams struggled from the field to start the game as not much separated the two teams. Senior center Chase Williams grabbed an offensive board and finished underneath the rim to put the Knights ahead 5-0.
East Bladen elected to shoot the three-ball for a quick response but the shot rattled out as the visitors’ slow start continued. Sophomore forward Kendall Lesane grabbed an offensive board and assisted Williams underneath to stretch the host lead to 7-0. East Bladen senior Dominick Collins put an end to the Eagles cold run with a pull up jumper with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
West Bladen stalled from the field and suffered from turnovers themselves as their opponent began to claw their way back. Collins found an open Shermen Long camped in the corner for three to cut the victors deficit to two points. The Knights closed the quarter 0-for-4 from the field and their opponents were able to snatch the lead on a three as the first quarter came to a close.
Adams would drain from three-point range to give the Knights back their lead at 10-8 to open the second quarter. East Bladen would suffer two straight turnovers allowing their opponents to quickly extend their lead to six points. The Eagles attempted to penetrate inside but a tough lay-up failed to fall and the host wheeled down to the other end. Williams snatched two offensive boards in one possession before finishing strong at the rim to get the home crowd off their feet.
East Bladen answered with Long draining his third three-pointer of the half to keep the visitors going in the second quarter. Lesane fought for two offensive boards in the following possession and he fed junior guard Keonta Hill down low before he was fouled on the shot. Hill went 50 percent from the charity stripe but the Knights held onto their 6 point lead going into the half.
Adams forced a steal and Pait would eventually hit a three-pointer in the corner to start the third quarter. East Bladen junior center Keyshawn Kemp answered with a two-point jumper to get the Eagles going on offense. The visitors held firm on the defensive end of the floor and Collins hit a shimmy inside before draining a mid-range shot to cut the Eagles deficit to five.
Junior forward Tylik McCall responded with a three-pointer for the Knights and Long hit another three-pointer for the Eagles to match with 4 minutes remaining in the third quarter. McCall bulldozed his way down the lane for a two-point flush to make the game 25-18 to give the host some cushion.
The Eagles had an opportunity underneath the rim but missed from in close and their opponents attempted to make them pay. Williams snatched another offensive board but couldn’t get his put-back attempt to fall at the rim. Kemp went down the other end of the floor and converted a floater inside to slash the deficit back to five. The visitors forced a turnover on the following possession but failed to find a good shot on offense.
Williams concluded the third quarter by converting a 2-and-1 at the charity stripe to push the host ahead by 28-20 with eight minutes left in regulation. The Knights began the final quarter with Williams assisting Adams for two-points down low to stretch their lead to 10. East Bladen attempted a three-pointer to start their fourth quarter but went without luck. Pait would splash a three-pointer from the wing and he would be fouled on the attempt to get an opportunity to complete the four-point play.
He did just that as the Knights were beginning to shift momentum into their favor with the home crowd getting involved by turning up the decimal levels inside the packed gym. The visitors had another three-point attempt clank across the rim and they failed to prevent their opponent from scoring once more. East Bladen finally ended their cold run with senior guard Kewone Maynor converting a lay-up to slash the deficit to 14.
Pait would convert on yet another 3-and-1 opportunity at the charity stripe to help the Knights push full steam ahead with 4:16 remaining until the final buzzer. William finished the night with 14 points and Adams finished the night with 10 points as the Knights moved to 3-0. East Bladen shook their loss off last Tuesday night to go-on to win their next two games on the schedule.
The Eagles survived a 65-62 win on the road against North Brunswick(3-1) on Thursday and they followed it up with a victory over Gray’s Creek at home on Friday. East Bladen’s overall record moves to 3-3 and they’ll take on West Brunswick(4-2) at home this Monday.
EAST BLADEN ROSTER 24/25:
Dominick Collins SR.
Chace Butler SR.
Sherman Long SR.
Kewone Maynor SR.
Shane Harkins SR.
Keyshawn Kemp JR.
Dashon Campbell JR.
Tevin McClean JR.
Khalil McKoy JR.
Yoni Gonzalez JR.
AROUND THE WACCAMAW:
South Columbus(4-2) 38, Lumberton(5-2) 60
Heide Trask(0-4) 54, Louisberg(2-2) 59
East Columbus(2-3) 47, Wilmington-Ashley(3-2) 55
Whiteville(0-2) 57, North Myrtle(2-1) 64