East starts conference play with a win; West rolls on

EAST BLADEN

ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Eagles defeated the South Columbus Stallions for a 59-40 victory in a Waccamaw Conference matchup last Thursday night. East Bladen junior guard Dominick Collins led the game in scoring with 17 points as the Eagles got a comfortable win at home. Sophomore Keyshawn Kemp got the start at center due to the absence of Rodney Lacewell and he made his presence felt on the inside with 13 points to his name.

The Stallions were dominated by the host on the offensive boards and the Eagles converted on a lot of second-chance opportunities. South Columbus guard A.J. Scott was one of the few Stallion players that was consistent with his shot from the field and he finished with a team-high of 15 points. The host snatched the lead early in the first quarter with some offense from Collins and Kemp to take a 15-7 lead into the second. East Bladen senior forward Payton Tatum started the second quarter with a steal but the host went without luck on the other end after an open three-point attempt rattled out the rim.

South Columbus was able to go down to the other end to convert a three-pointer of their own to cut their opponents lead down to 15-10. Tatum was able to provide a quick response for the Eagles with a three-pointer from the corner to stretch the gap back to eight. The Stallions failed to answer as the host prevented them from getting off an easy shot and Collins capitalized on the miss by flushing an acrobatic lay-up on the other end as the gap swelled to 10. Scott gave the Stallions a lifeline going into intermission at 30-18 after knocking down some crucial buckets in the final seconds of the second quarter.

East Bladen blitzed their opponents in the third quarter after downing four three’s as a team in the quarter and nabbing several offensive rebounds. The hosts were able to preserve their double-digit gap in the fourth quarter to secure their third straight win as they improved their overall record to 5-3. The Eagles will host the Wallace-Rose Hill Bulldogs this Tuesday in a non-conference matchup for their next game.

WEST BLADEN

WHITEVILLE-The West Bladen Knights keep the victories rolling with a 55-34 win over the Whiteville Wolfpack on Friday night in a non-conference clash. The Knights backcourt of Hezekiah Adams and Jackson Pait took over on the offensive end in the final five minutes of Friday night’s game. Pait splashed a couple of three-pointers from behind the arc and drained crucial free-throws down the stretch. Adams was responsible for an assist, a steal to finish an easy one on the break, and knocked down free throws to help the Knights eclipse their opponents away from home.

Pait finished with a team-high 15 points and Adams finished the night with 10 points to his name. West Bladen junior center Chase Williams finished the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the victory. Whiteville senior guard Amari Best led all scorers with 17 points despite his team’s loss.

West Bladen improves their overall record to 5-1 and they’ll take on the South Columbus Stallions this Tuesday in a non-conference game. The Whiteville Wolfpack move to an overall record of 1-2 and they’ll take the Fairmont Golden Tornadoes this Monday.

OTHER RESULTS FOR WACCAMAW/SAC 6:

Clinton(1-0) 52, Lakewood(2-2) 49

Heide Trask(5-3, 1-0) 73, West Columbus(0-2, 0-1) 55

Pender(1-3, 1-0) 62, East Columbus(3-5, 0-1) 53