West Bladen’s Jackson Pait.
BLADENBORO – The West Bladen Knights defeated the East Columbus Gators for a 56-33 victory in a non-conference matchup last Tuesday to start the 2024/25 season. Senior center Chase Williams and junior guard Jackson Pait helped lead the Knights to a comfortable victory. Williams dropped 19 points to lead all scorers in the game and Pait drained 17 points against the Gators.
East Columbus was led by senior forward Jordan Troy with 13 points, three rebounds and a steal. West Bladen is slated to take on Willmington-Hoggard this Tuesday for their next match-up before the Thanksgiving Break and they’ll return for another home game against East Bladen on December 3rd.The Fairmont Golden Tornadoes was the second best team in the SAC 6 Conference last season and they started their campaign with three games in Week 1.
The Golden Tornadoes took two straight losses on the road against Lumberton and 71st for an 0-2 start. Fairmont was able to bounce back a few days later and were able to avenge their loss against Lumberton away from home with a 59-53 victory at their place.
Senior forward Landon Collins led the Golden Tornadoes with 15 points, six rebounds, and three steals in the victory over their Robeson County rivals. The Golden Tornadoes will host Richmond County before the Thanksgiving Break and they’ll return to the floor on December 5th against Cape Fear away from home.
The Clinton Darkhorses had a season to forget last year at 8-15 but they’ll have a chance to turn the page with a fresh start. The Darkhorses hosted East Bladen in a non-conference contest last Monday and they failed to impress after a 20-point defeat. Sophomore guard Jabari Daughtry dropped 12 points in the Darkhorses’ season opener. Clinton will have the next week off and they’ll return to the floor to take on Hobbton on December 2nd.
St. Pauls have entered the new season with a new head coach in Ted Gaskins and they’ll contend with new faces in their starting five. Gaskin previously coached Lumberton before taking a ten-year hiatus in the Philippines. The Gaskin Era at St. Pauls started with a 64-27 defeat to West Brunswick last Friday night in a non-conference clash. The Bulldogs will play against South Columbus in their next game on December 2nd.
The Red Springs Red Devils started their season with three straight losses against Douglas Byrd, Cape Fear and Grays Creek. The Red Devils fell to Douglas Byrd in 59-55 defeat in their season opener and they took a 33 point defeat against Cape Fear. A poor third quarter from the field set them back against Grays Creek and they went on to lose by a score of 64-62. Red Springs will hope to bounce back when they take on Lakewood at home after the Thanksgiving Break.
Midway open their season with two straight on the road against the Union Spartans this Monday and they’ll travel to Princeton the following day.
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.