West Bladen Tylik McCall (far right) handles the ball on the offensive-end.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN — The West Bladen Knights defeated the East Bladen Eagles for a 50-29 victory on Tuesday in a non-conference match-up.
West Bladen’s dynamic center and leading scorer Chase Williams was kept contained by the host defense for much of the game but the Knights had other players willing to step up to take the offensive load off his shoulders.
Sophomore forward Tylik McCall was one of the players that rose to the occasion and he started the game with a quick six points after knocking down two straight three’s in the first two possessions for the Knights.
East Bladen junior guard Domnick Collins drained the host’s first basket of the quarter after fighting through contact to drop his floater inside the lane.
The Knights were able to claim a second chance opportunity after snagging an offensive board but guard Hezekiah Adams was fouled on his way up towards the rim. He knocked down 1-of-2 free throws to extend the visitors lead to 7-2.
The Eagles had a tough time finding their way through their opponents defense before settling for a missed shot on the wing.
The Knights quickly pushed the ball down the floor and senior forward Andre Moore had enough space in the corner to knock down his three-point shot.
East Bladen attempted to respond but another shot from distance rattled out of the rim and their opponents pushed the ball up the floor, which eventually led to another Moore three-point dagger to balloon the visitors lead to 13-2 with five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Sophomore guard Jackson Pait and Williams both got their first bucket of the night at the free throw line to push the Knights lead to 15-2.
Collins was hounded by Knights defenders but he was able to dribble around traps to finish inside with a floater for the Eagles second made basket of the quarter.
The Knights finished their last few possessions of the quarter with turnovers and a missed shot. Collins was able to slash the visitors lead with a lay-up to close out the first quarter at 15-6 but both teams carried their shooting struggles into the next quarter.
After a series of misses from both teams, the Knights were able to convert on a second chance opportunity after Adams grabbed the board and finished at the rim. East Bladen coldstreak on the offensive end continued and their opponents took advantage on the other end. Williams got the ball down low and slipped the double-team for an easy finish at the rim to extend the lead to 19-6.
The Eagles attempted to work the ball inside but was denied by Williams with a block but were able to retain possession for another chance to end their scoreless run.
The host worked the ball around the perimeter but failed to find an opening and the Knights eventually clamped down to steal the ball away. Adams would go-on to drop a three-point dagger on the other end to extend the Knights lead to 16 points as the halftime buzzer approached.
East Bladen’s struggles from the field finally came to an end on their last few possessions of the second quarter as Collins put five more points on the board.
West Bladen’s Cornelius Esters dropped a lay-in to push the score to 25-11 at the intermission. The offensive struggles continued for the Eagles but they were finally able to knock a shot down from range with senior forward Lee Barnes sinking his contested shot from the corner.
West Bladen responded on the other end with Williams snagging another offensive board and finishing at the rim to make the score 29-14. Collins went to his signature floater in the lane for a quick answer from the host but Adams would go down the floor to trade a two-point bucket to add onto the visitors lead. McCall would eventually drain another three-pointer to scratch the Knights lead 34-17 with less than five minutes left in the third quarter.
Collins would nab a steal and flush the lay-up on the break coming out of timeout but the Eagles had plenty of work to do at 34-19. East Bladen were able to force their opponents into missed shots but they found a hard time putting the ball through the net themselves. Williams threw down a one-hand slam with authority to close out the third quarter at 36-19. McCall and Williams both ended the fourth quarter with six points apiece as the Knights took the win comfortably in the final minutes.
McCall would finish the night with 15 points to lead the Knights, while Adams and Williams both concluded their night with 13 points each. Collins finished with 18 points to lead all scorers despite the Eagles taking their third loss of the season. West Bladen moved to an overall record of 3-1 on the season and they’ll play against South Columbus this Thursday in their next game.