West Bladen’s Jackson Pait shooting from range.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BLADENBORO — The West Bladen Knights were crowned co-conference champions of the SAC 6 after defeating the Red Springs Red Devils Friday night with a 70-35 victory.
The Knights got their second straight regular-season conference championship in two years and they were awarded a first-round bye for this week’s conference tournament alongside Fairmount.
West Bladen honored two seniors before Friday’s tip-off for the final home game of the regular-season;forward Cornelius Ester and guard Andre Moore.
The first quarter started off shaky for the Knights but they eventually found their rhythm at the beginning of the second quarter. Sophomore guard Jackson Pait launched his second three-pointer of the night to put the host ahead by eight points.
Red Springs also had its share of offensive struggles as the team was plagued with missed shots and turnovers.
The Knights capitalized on their struggles as Pait knocked down another three-point basket from the logo. Junior center Chase Williams prevented an easy bucket from the visitors with a two-hand denial but the Knights missed in transition. Red Springs attempted to push the ball down the floor but the team’s urgency lacked conviction resulting in turnovers.
Moore received a pass from Hezekiah Adams for the easy flush and the score was now 18-5. Red Springs sophomore guard Khalif Brown finally got a basket to fall from the mid-range for the visitors to end their coldstreak. The Knights got an immediate response with Moore sinking a three-point basket from the corner-pocket.
West Bladen grasped momentum through the quarter as Pait and Tylik McCall both hit from three-point range. The host went into the halftime intermission up 34-11 and Pait concluded the first half with 15 points to his name. The second half was dominated by the Knights and their opponents struggled to keep pace as they quickly fell behind by 30 plus.
The Knights had three players in double-digits; Williams leading all scorers with 17 points, Pait finished the game with 16 points and freshmen forward Kendall Lessane finished the game with 10 points. West Bladen’s overall record now moves to 21-1 and the team takes on the winner of Midway-Clinton Wednesday in the conference tournament. Red Springs overall record moves to 8-16 landing the team in fifth place in the conference standing with a 3-7 record.
OTHER RESULTS AROUND THE SAC 6/WACCAMAW:
St. Pauls (11-13, 4-6) 67, Midway (14-7, 5-5) 42
Fairmont (19-4, 9-1) 66, Clinton (8-14, 0-10) 36
Heide Trask (20-4, 12-0) 83, Pender (1-11, 3-17) 37
West Columbus (14-5, 10-2) 76, East Columbus (6-15, 2-10)
Whiteville (9-13, 6-6) 76, South Columbus (11-13, 6-6) 36