West Bladen’s Mallory Bryan dribbles forward.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BLADENBORO — The Knights have had more than a week of rest after weather canceled one game and postponed the other but they’ll be back in action against Clinton today.
West Bladen boys head coach Travis Pait and his squad have been rolling so far this season with an overall record of 11-1. The Drakhorses will pay a visit to The Castle for the first SAC 6 Conference game of the year between the two teams.
Clinton have posted a 6-2 record so far and they are currently on a three game win streak, with their last victory coming against Union last week. The Knights have turned their home floor into a fortress this season with a perfect 6-0 record and they’ve been blitzing their opponents out the gym by a combined score of 453-279 at home.
West Bladen will look to defend their conference title by starting with a tough adversary in Clinton. The Darkhorses are led by junior forward Nydarion Blackwell, who is scoring 11.1 ppg and he’s snatching around 5.9 rebounds a game. The Lady Knights will also clash with Clinton this Tuesday for their SAC 6 Conference opener after a week off. West Bladen girls head coach Brian McCleney and his team are 4-5 on the season with plenty of basketball still left to play. They’ll be attempting to bounce back from a five point loss to South Brunswick a few weeks ago as they take on a 6-2 Darkhorse side.
The Lady Knights are led by their senior backcourt of Kiera Lewis and Mallory Bryan; both players are capable of putting the ball on the floor to create their own offense. Sophomore forward Kali Allen is also a threat from the corner-three and can be an x-factor for the Lady Knights on the offensive side of the ball. Clinton has one of the youngest teams in the conference with only two of their starters from last season returning; senior forward Ava Wiliford and junior Janiyah Simmons hold the most varsity experience in the team.
The West Bladen boys JV game will tip-off at 4:30, followed by the girls varsity matchup at 6 and the boys varsity game is slated for 7:30 to wrap things up.