ELIZABETHTOWN — Tayshaun Berkeley wasn’t sure of the time. He was sure of the feel.
Knocking in a pair of momentum-turning 3-pointers bridging the final two quarters, the junior reserve sparked East Bladen to a 54-44 victory over visiting Whiteville in its Three Rivers Conference boys basketball opener Tuesday night.
“It’s always good to beat Whiteville,” third-year head coach Kenzil McCall said with relief and joy afterward. He coached there about a decade ago, including as head coach in 2007-08.
In the final two minutes of the third quarter, the Eagles’ 10-point lead had been wiped out. Whiteville’s defense had become frenetic, speeding up the pace on East Bladen (1-1, 1-0 Three Rivers) and forcing turnovers.
“We were figuring out how to stop it,” Berkeley said of the run. “Everybody was rushing. They were coming back. We kept our composure, and believed in our teammates.”
As the final seconds of the quarter ticked away, senior Pierce Melvin moved across the timeline toward the top of the key.
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t look at the time,” Berkeley said of catching a pass on the left wing. “I got the ball in my hands and shot. It felt good in my hands.”
Instinct just before the buzzer sounded was timely.
As the fourth quarter began, repetitive motion kicked in, Berkeley catching a pass beyond the 3-point arc on the left side, this one closer to the top of the key.
“When it got in my hand, it just felt good,” Berkeley said. “We had to build on that and keep the lead pushing.”
Whiteville’s energy was strong, but waned just a bit as the fourth quarter moved along; East Bladen’s lead was methodically re-established. Berekeley said he didn’t think the Wolfpack (1-1, 0-1 Three Rivers) was necessarily fatigued.
“I felt like it was more momentum,” he said. “We have a lot of chemistry. It was fun basketball.”
His head coach agreed.
“We responded well,” McCall said, calling Berkeley’s third-quarter shot likely the biggest of the game. “We had two that didn’t start that gave us some real big minutes.”
Berkeley was one, and junior Juwan Baldwin was the other.
“They responded to the pressure real well,” McCall said.
He praised his team’s effort, and the approach to a league rival.
“I’m real proud of how hard they’re playing,” McCall said. “It’s like the other night when we lost — we just need to finish the fourth quarter. Tonight we did that.”
And Melvin and McDowell were big reasons why in different ways.
Berkeley’s second 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 37-31 lead. Senior guard Keshaun Davis added a bucket from underneath inside, Whiteville missed a 3-pointer and 6-foot-6 sophomore Javant McDowell converted his team’s offensive rebound for a 43-33 lead with 3:37 to play.
Melvin drained five of six free throws in the last minute-plus for a team that collectively went 12-for-27 at the stripe. McDowell led the Eagles with 16 points and was clearly the best force for either team in the low post.
Berkeley and Melvin had 10 points each for the Eagles. Cameron Richardson’s 17 points led the Wolfpack.
East Bladen’s Javont McDowell soars high for a basket against Whiteville in Tuesday’s Three Rivers Conference clash. The Eagles won, 54-44.
East Bladen’s Freddy Wooten (30) guards Whiteville’s Ervin Moore (20) during Tuesday night’s 54-44 victory over the Wolfpack.
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