East Bladen during a timeout in the fourth quarter.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Eagles defeated the West Brunswick Trojans for a 54-49 victory on Friday night in a non-conference matchup.
The Eagles survived a late fourth quarter surge from the visitors to claim their second straight win in two days’ time. East Bladen senior guard Lee Barnes had a big night off the bench with 12 points on four made three-pointers and sophomore forward Ronnie Covington was active on the boards, while also dropping 12 points himself.
Junior guard Dominick Collins led all scores with 13 points and he ran the show for the Eagles on the offensive end for much of the game. West Brunswick took a slight three-point lead in the first quarter to start but the host quickly tied the game with shots from behind the arc from Covington and Barnes. Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening quarter with low shooting percentages across the floor. Covington grabbed an offensive board and finished at the rim to give the Eagles a 8-6 lead going into the second quarter.
Collins nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key to extend the host lead to 11-7 at the beginning of the second quarter. West Brunswick went down the floor and responded with a two-point field goal of their own to keep them within striking distance. The Trojans were able to force a turnover on the next possession but their opponents were quick to reset their defense in transition to deny them any easy buckets.
Collins would hit another three-pointer after a couple of empty possessions to preserve the host lead as they attempted to snatch momentum. The Eagles would reclaim possession after their opponents turned the ball over and they took the opportunity to convert on a Rodney Lacewell put-back finish to go up 16-9. West Brunswick sophomore guard Jude Surigao finished his lay-up in a crowded lane for a quick response on the offensive end of the floor.
The visitors then got a Royce Metters steal and finish to slice the deficit to three points with the halftime buzzer quickly approaching. Covington extended the lead back to five after receiving a dump off pass from Lacewell as the Trojan defense scrambled to grab a rebound from a missed shot. The Trojans hung around after draining four shots from the free throw line on two straight possessions but their opponents continued to dominate inside the interior.
Lacewell received the ball down low before throwing his shot through the net to push the score to 20-17 with a minute left in the second quarter. West Brunswick senior forward Kaden Bryant nailed a quick two-point field goal but his team failed to stop Barnes from draining a three-pointer on the other end. The Trojans quickly pushed the ball down the floor to get the last shot of the half and guard Issac Clarida did just that with his three-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half at 23-22.
The third quarter started with both teams trading baskets but the hosts were able to keep a slight edge with a three-pointer from junior forward Kewone Maynor. Surigao went 1-for-2 at the free throw line on the other end of the floor to keep the Trojans within three points of their opponents. Lacewell would stretch the lead to five after a series of sloppy possession from both teams. West Brunswick left with nothing on their next possession after going 0-for-2 at the charity stripe and Lee Barnes made them pay with another three-point dagger from the wing.
Senior guard Tristan Roberts was able to respond to the Eagles recent three with one of his own to keep the deficit to five points between them. East Bladen missed their shot on the other end and the visitors took the opportunity to cut their lead to three after a quick lay-up in transition. Lacewell converted two freebies at the free throw line with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter and the pressure went back on the visitors.
The Trojans failed to score on their next possession but were able to get a stop on defense to keep them within five points. Senior forward Tyreek Woodward splashed a three-pointer from behind the arc that sent the Trojans bench into a frenzy with minutes remaining in the third quarter. Covington came up big for the Eagles once more with another offensive-rebound and he finished above the rim to preserve the lead.
The Trojans missed their shot on the other end and Barnes once again hit a dagger from behind the arc for a quick seven point turnaround. Both teams got up multiple missed shots before the final buzzer to end the quarter at 40-33 and the final quarter was just as intense. Covington opened the final quarter by converting a 2-and-1 at the free throw line to extend the lead to 10 points. Surigao would eventually drain a two-point jumper to keep the visitors alive and the Trojans were able to force a turnover on the other end for a chance to cut their opponents lead.
The Eagles got an unconventional three-point play after Lacewell went 1-for-2 at the line and Payton Tatum converted the two-point field goal on the missed free throw. West Brunswick went without luck on their next possession but were able to force a steal and convert on the fastbreak to make the score 46-41. East Bladen struggled to get around their opponents traps and suffered yet another turnover down the stretch. Metters nabbed the steal and finished an easy lay-up on the break to put the Trojans within two points.
The Trojans smelled blood in the water after the Eagles third straight turnover but were sloppy in possession themselves to allow their opponents off the hook. The Eagles failed to find a good look on the offensive end after great defense from the visitors with under two minutes remaining. West Brunswick attempted to play quickly with the clock against them but a bad pass prevented them from cutting into the lead any further.
Collins nailed two-shots at the free throw line to extend the gap to five and the visitors went down the floor to miss another shot. However, the ref blew his whistle for an over-the-back foul on the Eagles to give the visitors another opportunity at the basket. East Bladen clamped down on defense and forced a second straight missed shot from their opponents.
Collins would convert four more free throw shots at the charity stripe to push the lead to nine points with under a minute remaining. Woodward would splash from deep to keep the Trojans hopes alive with 47.3 seconds until the final buzzer. East Bladen would get caught in their opponents full-court press and turn the ball once more. The Trojans would miss the shot but would get another chance after battling for the offensive board.
The ball would be kicked out to Woodward at the top of the key and he would drain his shot to cut the lead back to three with 25.3 remaining in the fourth. The Trojans would force a turnover on the inbound pass and sophomore K’Veon Griffin would be sent to the free throw line in the process with a chance to bring his team within one. Unfortunately for the Trojans, Griffin would go-on to miss both free throws and the visitors resorted to fouling to preserve clock.
East Bladen had a chance to ice the game if they converted the next two free throws but missed both to give their opponents another chance. West Brunswick attempted to push the ball down the floor quickly but a bad pass trickled out of bounds. Collins was sent to the line this time and he converted both shots to end the game at 53-49.
East Bladen now move to an overall record of 4-3 and they’ll take on South Columbus at home for their first Waccamaw Conference game this Thursday.