West Bladen’s Chase Williams attempts to move past a double-team.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BROOKS BEST
BLADEN COUNTY — There were some great performances on the hardwood last week as both of the area’s schools secured major victories and the county’s best hoopers showed out.
Head Coach Travis Pait and the Knights have looked unstoppable so far this season as they hold an overall 11-1 record.
West Bladen’s growth from last season to this season has been remarkable to watch and they’ll go into conference play this Friday against Clinton as the conference’s clear favorites. The Knights ended 2023 as Bladen Off-Road Christmas Tournament Champions after defeating a gauntlet of opponents across the region.
Coach Pait and the Knights continued rolling by starting the New Year with a huge victory against West Columbus at home on Tuesday night. Junior center Chase Williams stood out as the leading scorer of the game with 17 points but sophomore guard Jackson Pait ignited the crowd in the third quarter after splashing three three-point attempts. Pait would finish the game with 16 and follow up his excellent performance with 13 points against South Brunswick the next night.
West Bladen senior Cornilius Ester made a huge impact off the bench with rebounds, assists, and buckets against West Columbus to help grasp momentum in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game. The West Bladen Lady Knights also played lights out against West Columbus last Tuesday and held their opponents to just 15 points for the entire game. Senior guard Kiera Lewis and her magic left-hand led the Lady Knights in scoring with 23 points as they took a 62-15 victory.
Senior guard Kali Allen also finshed the night with 11 points and junior guard Holland Davis contributed 12 points to the Lady Knights fourth victory of the season. West Bladen will play a non-conference match-up against West Columbus this Wednesday before they start their campaigns in the SAC 6 this Friday. The East Bladen Eagles started the season off slow but they’ve grown into a team to be feared in the Waccamaw Conference as the season has been progressing. The Eagles started their New Year off with two straight wins against East Columbus and Pender last week.
Senior guard Lee Barnes stole the show on Wednesday night against East Columbus by draining six three-pointers in the game to finish the night with 19 points. Barnes was throwing heat from every which way against East Columbus and his hot streak from behind the arc continued against Pender with five made three-point attempts. Junior guard Dominck Collins displayed his scoring abilities against Pender as well, finishing with 19 points to his name.
The East Bladen Lady Eagles found ways to win in the fourth quarter of both their games last week, with their guard Laila Smith at the forefront of it all. Smith dropped 25 points against East Columbus last Wednesday and a few days later went on to drop 23 points in the win against Pender. Smith displayed her fearlessness to get to the basket against a tall East Columbus side and the night could’ve turned out a lot differently without her willingness to finish at the rim.
She came up big for her team against Pender last Friday after going on a 10 point tear in the fourth quarter to help the Lady Eagles edge out their opponents in the final minutes. Smith finshed the night with a double-double after snagging 10 rebounds to accompany her 23 points. The Lady Eagles will look to continue their run of two straight wins when they take on Heide Trask this Tuesday evening.