03/29/2024
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West Bladen High School LogoWest Bladen’s Knights moved into a tie for first place in the Four County Conference Friday night with a 64-58 boys basketball victory over visiting Heide Trask.

The Knights started the night in a 3-way tie for second with Trask and Midway one game behind first-place Clinton. The West Bladen victory coupled with Midway’s win over Clinton lifted the Knights into a 3-way tie for the top spot with Clinton and Midway.

West Bladen is now 7-3 in the league and 16-4 overall.

The Knights came out of the gate smoking as they raced to an early 15-2 lead. Senior Rahu Purdie hit a free throw, and senior center Brandon Council turned a feed from junior Stephon McDonald into a lay-up.

After Trask cut the margin to 3-2, Council flipped in a jump-hook from 10 feet, McDonald canned 2 foul shots, and Purdie powered in a short jumper. Senior Malcolm Vaught and Purdie bombed in 3-point shots to widen the gap to 15-2.

Tyquan Davis snapped the streak with a rebound basket, but freshman Jonathan Robinson dropped a pass to senior Brian Floyd for a lay-up and a 17-4 West lead. Davis’ lay-up brought Trask to within 17-6 at the quarter break.

Davis and Jacquan London keyed a 6-0 Titan run that started the second period and trimmed the margin to 17-12.

Purdie banked in a 16-footer to halt the spurt, and McDonald turned a Vaught pass into a lay-up. Council tossed in a short jump hook, and Vaught nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner.

Purdie pulled up in the lane and hung in the air to draw the foul, while he banked in a short jumper. Purdie tacked on the free throw for a 29-12 West lead.

A tap-in by Tynaffit Davis and a transition lay-up by London trimmed the Knight lead to 29-17, but Daquan Lennon sank 2 foul shots to up the count to 31-17.

Jonathan Robinson dropped in a lay-up, then popped in a 15-footer. A Floyd lay-up gave the Knights their biggest lead of the night at 37-19, before Jonathan Jordan beat the halftime buzzer with a lay-up that whittled the margin to 37-21.

“We were really good defensively in the first half,” said Knight Coach Travis Pait. “Brian Floyd came in and gave us a lift. He is really playing well right now.”

Council spun to the basket for a lay-up to begin the second half.  Purdie made a foul shot, and Vaught buried a 3-point shot to keep the lead at 43-25.

Tyquan Davis sandwiched a pair of lay-ups around Tynaffit Davis’ 3-point basket that pulled Trask to within 43-32.

Senior Justin Ruffin threaded a pass down the lane to Robinson for a lay-up to halt the Trask run. Robinson banked in an 8-footer and added a free throw to boost the lead to 48-34.

Vaught and Tyquan Davis traded 3-point baskets that kept the Knights on top 51-38 at the third quarter break.

A Tynaffit Davis tap-in and 2 free throws by Tyrease Armstrong sliced the Knight lead to 51-42, but Council popped in a turn-around from the baseline. Purdie pumped in a 12-footer, then muscled in a short jumper in traffic.

McDonald canned 2 free throws for a 59-46 West lead with 3:49 remaining. Trask made 5 of 8 free throws to cut the margin to 59-51, before McDonald’s free throw with 1:08 left.

London’s follow shot and Tyquan Davis’ 3-ball narrowed the gap to 60-56 with 14 seconds left, but Vaught hit 2 foul shots for a 62-56 lead. After a pair of Tynaffit Davis free throws, Floyd raced ahead of the Titan defense, hauled in a long pass from Vaught, and sealed the verdict with a lay-up.

Purdie topped the Knight scoring with 16 points. Vaught drained four 3-point shots and finished with 14 points. Council worked the paint for 10 points and 4 rebounds, and Robinson followed with 9 points and 5 rebounds.

“We got 19 points from our bigs (Council and Robinson) tonight,” said Coach Pait. “They played really well, and we’ll take that from our ‘5-spot’ every night.”

McDonald filled the stat sheet with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. “Stephon did a lot of good things tonight,” continued Coach Pait. “And he guarded 33 (Tyquan Davis) all night.”

Tyquan Davis topped all scorers with 19 points for Trask. Tynaffit Davis followed with 11 points, and London and Armstrong added 10 points each.

The Knights will host Pender Tuesday night.

WB (64) – Justin Ruffin, Rahu Purdie 16, Malcolm Vaught 14, Stephon McDonald 7, Daquan Lennon 2,  Brian Floyd 6, Sayaun Dent, Jonathan Robinson 9, Brandon Council 10.

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