BLADENBORO – The West Bladen Knights defeated the Farmville Central Jaguars in a 66-62 victory in a non-conference clash last Tuesday. Farmville Central entered Bladenboro with a reputation of being giants as they went 30-2 last season and they claimed last season’s 2A Eastern Regional Championship. However, this West Bladen team didn’t shrink in the face of Goliath and they proved themselves as a team to be reckoned with this season.

West Bladen senior center Chase Williams led the way with a 25 point performance to lead all scorers on the night and he got going early in the first quarter. Chase Williams fought through double and triple-teams inside the painted area as he scored the Knights first 13 points of the quarter. Farmville Central senior guard MJ Williams dropped 46 in the visitors’ previous game but he was only able to score once in the opening quarter as his team struggled to find a rhythm on offense.

West Bladen junior forward Tylik McCall found Ty’Leak Ballard underneath the basket for the lay-up to conclude the first quarter at 17-9. The Jaguars were able to take the sting out of the game with buckets from Bryant Dixon and MJ Williams to close the gap to four at the beginning of the second quarter. West Bladen attempted to respond but their shot was contested at the rim to give their opponents another opportunity to cut their lead.

Farmville Central would get two opportunities at their opponents basket but a swarming Knight defense prevented the chance from falling. The host attempted to quickly wheel down the floor but their hastiness resulted in a turnover. MJ Williams capitalized on the extra possession and he swished his pull-up jumper from near the charity stripe to cut the visitors deficit to three. West Bladen senior guard Hezekiah Adams responded immediately with a mid-range jumper of his own to make the score 19-15.

MJ Williams danced around defenders to create space for another mid-range jumper to keep the Jaguars opponents within striking distance. The visitors were able to force a turnover but failed to get their lay-up to fall on the other end. West Bladen pushed the ball down the floor and McCall would finish in-close on the fastbreak with five minutes remaining in the first half. Farmville Central would regroup out of a timeout and MJ Williams found his sweet spot for yet another mid-range shot.

Chase Williams was corralled by the Jaguars defense in the second quarter but he got involved in the offense in other ways with rebounds and assists. He dished out a pass to McCall in the corner and McCall proceeded to knock down the three-pointer to make the score 24-19. The Knights held firm on the other end to force a turnover and they stretched their lead with Adams draining a three-pointer a few moments later.

Farmville Central struck back with a bucket from the free throw line and center Xavier Shepard pulled up for a mid-range shot to make the score 27-22. The host failed to respond on their following possession which allowed MJ Williams to add to his point tally as the Knights lead shrunk to three. West Bladen missed a three point chance but Adams was able to rip his opponent for a steal and finish to keep the host ahead by five.

Farmville Central was able to scrap for an offensive board and the ball found its way to Dixon for a lay-up inside the paint. The Knights responded in quick succession with Ballard fighting through defenders for a finish near the rim. The Jaguars missed their shot on the following possession but they were able to force a turnover to make up for the empty possession. MJ Williams penetrated his opponents defense before stopping on a dime to nail a floater to keep the deficit at three.

McCall would close the first half with a two-point flush as the Knights took a 33-28 lead into the locker room at the break. West Bladen opened the third quarter with Jackson Pait splashing a three-pointer from the wing to set the tone for the second half. MJ Williams converted an acrobatic lay-up on the other end to get the Jaguars going in the quarter. West Bladen attempted to strike back quickly with a long-range bomb but went without luck.

Farmville Central missed three times in one possession before handing possession back over to their opponents. The host cold streak continued with another missed shot and Farmville Central junior guard Amarion Williams delivered a reverse lay-up on the other end. Pait attempted another shot from range but it rattled out the rim to put the Knights back on defense. MJ Williams got down hill to finish a tough shot at the rim to make the score 36-34. The Knights attempted to respond to their opponents but another missed three-pointer set them back. Amarion Williams tied the game on a two-pointer in the open floor with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter.

The Knights cold run finally subsided after Chase Williams grabbed an offensive board and converted his lay-up to get the host back in front by two. Farmville Central would turn the ball over on their next possession and the hosts were able to add to their tally with a 50 percent effort from the line by Pait. The Knights were able to add two more at the line after a couple of empty possessions by both teams.

MJ Williams prevented momentum from shifting away from the Jaguars and he converted another lay-up inside to make the score 41-38. West Bladen attempted a three-pointer in the corner but failed to convert on the open look. The visitors were harassed by Knight defenders and suffered a turnover due to the defensive pressure.

Adams went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe on the following possession to preserve the Knights lead with the third quarter creeping to a close. The hosts were able to force their opponents into a difficult shot and Adams would reverse the floor with an outlet pass to Chase Williams for the flush. MJ Williams would get the Jaguars final bucket of the quarter on a drive to the basket as the visitors entered the fourth quarter down by four at 46-42.

Farmville Central opened the next quarter with a turnover and the Knights made them pay on the other end with Chase Williams converting a lay-up. Shepard was able to give the visitors a life-line with a two-point put-back to keep the visitors’ deficit at four. West Bladen attempted to advance the ball down the floor on the following possession but ran into their opponents trap as they suffered a turnover with seven minutes remaining in the game.

The Jaguars rushed the ball down the floor and got a two-point jumper to make the score 48-46 with pressure falling on the shoulders of the host. Chase Williams was able to grab an offensive board but the Knights would eventually turn the ball over to give their opponents an opportunity to tie or take the lead. West Bladen dug their heels into the ground and forced the visitors into taking a tough shot to preserve their slender lead. Adams got out in front on the fastbreak to stretch the host lead back to six and the Knights were able to force a turnover on defense for another chance to extend their lead.

McCall did just that with a penetrating drive to the hoop with 5:55 remaining before the final buzzer. Farmville Central attempted a three-pointer out of a timeout but the shot clanked off the rim for an empty trip. McCall drained a three-pointer on the other end to send the home crowd into pandemonium as momentum appeared to be shifting back to the Knights. Chase Williams ripped a steal on the defensive end of the floor but the Knights failed to finish on an open shot from three.

Farmville Central continued to struggle on the offensive end after another missed shot but their opponents would gift them with a turnover on the following possession. The Jaguars hustled down the floor and failed to finish from in-close to give their opponents a chase to pile on the lead. McCall cashed out from the mid-range to make the score 57-46 in favor of the Knights halfway through the quarter.

MJ Williams responded with a mid-range jumper of his own to put an end to the Jaguars struggles from the field. Chase Williams proceeded to go 50 percent from the line to push the Knights lead to 10. The visitors failed to respond on their next offensive possession but were able to hold off their opponents to force a turnover. MJ Williams converted a 2-and-1 at the charity stripe to give the Jaguars much needed points. The Knights were sent to the line after crossing over into the bonus but went 0-for-2 at the line to give their opponents hope.

Farmville Central failed to capitalize on the other end as they missed another tough shot and were forced to send their opponents back to the free throw line in order to preserve clock. Chase Williams converted both free throw shots to keep the Knights ahead by nine. The Jaguars were able to secure an offensive board and Cameron Honey converted a lay-up from in-close to keep hope alive for the visitors.

The Knights suffered two straight turnovers that allowed their opponents to close the gap to five with 2:18 remaining in the game. The Jaguars received the ball after the possession arrow pointed their way and they took advantage of the extra possession with MJ Williams cutting the deficit to three points on a two-point field goal. West Bladen turned the ball over once more but were able to make up for it with Adams grabbing a steal of his own. Unfortunately, the Knights immediately turned the ball over trying to push the ball in transition.

The Jaguars were called for a double-dribble and the frantic few seconds ended fruitless for the visiting team. Pait would push the host lead to five after a couple of trips to the free throw line at 62-57. Farmville Central would get two opportunities to change their fortune on the following possession but failed to convert both times. West Bladen’s Keonta Hill fed McCall for a two-point flush to keep the host team in front with seconds remaining.

Farmville Central were able to keep the deficit at five after a successful trip at the charity stripe by Amarion Williams. West Bladen failed to ice the game after an 0-for-2 trip at the line and their opponents still felt like the game was in reach. MJ Williams splashed a three-pointer with a couple hands in his face to make the game 64-62 with 17 seconds left before the final buzzer.

West Bladen’s Kendall Lesane went 1-for-2 at the line but Chase Williams was able to come down with an offensive board to ice the game to keep the host undefeated on the year. The Knights continued winning form with a 72-34 victory over West Columbus last Wednesday as their overall record moved to 7-0. Head Coach Travis Pait and the Knights will take on Farmville Central away from home this Thursday.

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.