The four Bladen County high school basketball teams received bids to the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.
The West Bladen boys and East Bladen girls earned first-round byes and are scheduled to play at home Thursday, Feb.26 against opponents to be determined.
The East Bladen boys (10-15), fresh off winning the Carolina Conference tournament, are seeded No. 15 and scheduled to host No. 18 Lejeune (7-10) on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. in the 2A East bracket. Admission to the game will be $10.
The No. 22 West Bladen girls (5-17) will travel to play at No. 11 Louisburg Magnet (10-11) on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the 3A East bracket.
Third round games are scheduled Saturday, Feb. 28.
The top 48 teams in each class based on the Rating Percentage Index qualify for postseason. The 24-team East and West brackets are determined by the longitude of schools involved. The top eight seeds in each bracket receive a first round bye.
Master sports schedule | Standings
The East Bladen boys lost their first eight games, but rallied to win five of their last six, including three games in the Carolina Conference tournament. The Eagles beat North Duplin 56-53 on Friday, Feb. 20 for the championship. East Bladen was 7-5 in conference play and finished fourth.
“This win helps us get momentum into the playoffs,” East Bladen coach Aking Elting said following the win against North Duplin. “Confidence is key with these guys. With this win we should carry that confidence (into the playoffs).”
Lejeune finished second in the Coastal Plains 1A/2A Conference. The Devilpups have lost two tight games against Lakewood this season by 61-59 and 62-57 scores.
East Bladen defeated the Leopards twice in Carolina Conference play 74-62 and 56-49.
The winner of the East Bladen-Lejeune game will play Thursday, Feb. 26 at Voyager Academy-Durham (19-7).
The West Bladen girls placed fourth in the Southeastern Conference and lost 11 of their first 12 games before a three-game winning streak helped the Knights qualify for the playoffs.
The Knights’ first round opponent, Louisburg Magnet, placed fourth in the Quad County 2A/3A/4A Conference. The teams have a common opponent. Louisburg Magnet opened its season with a 45-31 loss against North Johnston. West Bladen lost to North Johnston 53-15 on Dec. 22 in a Christmas tournament.
The winner of the West Bladen-Louisburg Magnet game will play Thursday, Feb. 26 at No. 6 Wake Preparatory Academy (12-8). The Guardians finished third in the Quad County 2A/3A/4A Conference.
The seventh-seeded West Bladen boys (20-6) will host the winner between No. 10 Greene Central (14-9) and No. 23 Bartlett Yancey (6-14) in the 3A East bracket Thursday, Feb. 26 inside Ken F. Cross Gymnasium.
The Knights won the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament championship beating Fairmont 64-55 on Friday, Feb. 20 in the tournament final.
The East Bladen girls (19-7) earned the No. 6 seed in 2A East. The Eagles will be home Thursday, Feb. 26 against the winner between No. 11 Manteo (8-9) and No. 22 Rosewood (6-15).
East Bladen finished fourth in the Carolina Conference and lost to Lakewood in the tournament champship game. The Eagles played in the 1A state championship game last season, losing to Cherokee.
Sonny Jones can be reached at [email protected].