BLADEN COUNTY — The ‘22-23 boys basketball season was an entertaining season with plenty of great games and performances to count. St. Pauls’ edging out East Bladen in the SAC 7 Conference Championship game in an overtime thriller was a game to remember with the battle coming down to the last shot. Both teams went into the championship game off the momentum of solid regular seasons and both teams had skillful hoopers across the floor for an almost dead-even matchup.
The first half was back-and-forth as both teams attempted to establish an inside presence by moving the ball around the perimeter and dumping the ball off to their big man. East Bladen’s Zamar Lewis dropped dimes to his fellow teammates from the post and backed down his opponents for a couple of tough lay-ins in the first half. St. Pauls’ guard Lukus Osbourne was their go-to man on the offensive end throughout the season so the Eagles put emphasis on taking him out of the game early. This got center Tyson Thompson more involved on the offensive side of the ball and he utilized his footwork in the post to drop some buckets in from in close.
East Bladen turned early first-half turnovers they forced into easy points and they got easy buckets in transition with guard Dominick Collins getting out in front. Defense is what kept the Eagles in the game and it eventually got them a four-point lead going into the locker room at the halftime buzzer. St. Pauls’ upped their intensity going into the third quarter and went on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead with the help of Thompson.
The Eagles struggled to find a consistent rhythm and eventually were behind by four points at the conclusion of the third quarter. East Bladen star-man Malcolm Bolden took over down the stretch as the Eagles refused to go away in the final quarter of regulation. St. Pauls’ turned the ball over in a crucial possession that allowed their opponents an opportunity to take the lead. East Bladen missed the first initial go-ahead shot but Lewis was there to clean up on the offensive boards to snatch the lead from their opponents with minutes remaining.
St. Paul’s didn’t flinch and Thompson dropped a lay-up on the other end to take a slight one-point advantage. The Eagles had a chance to ice the game at the free throw line but went 1-for-1 to send the game into overtime. The last few minutes of the title game was settled at the free throw line and the Bulldogs held a slight advantage with seconds remaining. The Eagles were able to force their opponent into a turnover for one last chance to send the game to a second overtime. Bolden got a nice look from outside the perimeter but the shot rattled out of the rim and the Bulldogs took the victory at 41-38.
Some great individual performances ranged from West Bladen guard Hezikiah Adams taking over with acrobatic finishes against North Brunswick in a tight game to East Bladen guard Jacob Nixion dropping 32 points in a blowout victory against Clinton. West Bladen had their share of tight games against St. Paul’s this season and they were able to nick a victory at home with the help of a great team performance.
The Knights center Chase Williams showed his offensive versatility in the win against St. Pauls by knocking down threes and using his strength inside to drop buckets from in close. He finished the night with 14 points after sitting out much of the first half due to foul trouble.
Adams took over with 17 points to lead the Knights in scoring but was clutch for his team down the stretch by draining 3-of-4 of his last shots to take the lead in the final seconds of the fourth. West Bladen shocked a lot of people last season as one of the youngest teams in the SAC 7 and they went on a streak of seven games unbeaten down the final stretch of games in the regular season.
East Bladen tandem of Bolden and Lewis dominated in their final home game of the regular season with a combined for 42 points in the victory against Red Springs. Bolden sent three bombs from the outside and Lewis pounded the interior with his strength to give their opponents migraines. Center Rodney Lacewell also came off the bench for the Eagles to add some extra physical down low for a productive night in the post. Nixon also had a solid Senior Night with 15 points in the bag for an excellent send-off.
There were plenty of great performances in the early stages of the season as well and the Bladen Offroad Christmas Tournament had some top talent showcasing their skills. Wilmington-Laney’s guard Khalil Gentwright dropped 30 points to squeeze past St. Pauls in the tournament’s semi-finals. Gentwright displayed his shooting and dribbling abilities to give his opponents nightmares on the offensive end. St. Pauls guard Cameron Revels dropped a cool 15-point display in the same game and almost sank a halfcourt shot at the buzzer but it rattled out to conclude the game at 49-48.
Another solid performance was in the first round of the NCHSAA 2A State Playoffs with North Lenoir slasher Tra’Shed Lynch willing his team to victory with a 27-point performance against East Bladen. The Eagles hosted North Lenoir in a packed house as they were the higher seed going into the postseason. Lewis and Nixon carried the offensive load for the Eagles as they were down star player Malcolm Bolden.
The game started off sloppy as both teams looked to gain a foothold, but the away team eventually found their rhythm going into the second quarter. Lynch was virtually unstoppable on the offensive end with his ability to put the ball on the floor and finish through contact in a clogged interior. He dropped 10 points in the third quarter with shots from the low block, the mid-range, and from behind the arc. The Eagles fell behind 49-45 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but Collins and Nixon combined offense to claw their way back in order to tie the game.
Lynch demanded the ball in his hands and he drained a mid-range shot to secure the lead for the Hawks with seconds remaining. The Eagles had a chance to respond but turned the ball over which forced them into sending their opponents to the free-throw line with the hopes of preserving time. North Lenoir handled their business at the free throw line and was able to survive the night.