ELIZABETHTOWN -Kendell Lesane powered in 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds Wednesday to lead Bladenboro’s Bulldogs to a 50-8 victory over Tar Heel in the opening round of the Bladen County Middle School Boys Tournament.
Coach Joe Gore’s Bulldogs improved to 2-0 and will battle Elizabethtown Thursday at 5:15 p.m. in the tournament’s championship game. Tar Heel, now 0-2, will host West Columbus on January 26th.
Kendall Lesane banged in a trio of follow shots in the opening quarter and dropped in a lay-up off of an assist from Jaquan Lesane. Jaquan Lesane buried a 3-point shot, and Blake Britt, Keonta Hill and Ashton Davis turned steals into lay-ups. Davis flipped in another lay-up as the Bulldog lead grew to 19-0 at the quarter break.
Tar Heel’s Keon Whittington drilled in a 3-point shot from the top of the key to start the 2nd period. Jaquan Lesane answered with a 3-point bomb for Bladenboro. Davis and John McDowell converted steals into lay-ups. Darren Davis muscled in a follow shot, and Chase Bryan drove for a lay-up and a 30-3 halftime lead.
Kendall Lesane put back a pair of rebound baskets in the 3rd quarter. Hill and Jaquan Lesane raced for lay-ups after stealing the ball, and Hill netted another lay-up. Levi Garcia drained a 3-point shot for the Panthers, and teammate Carson Navarro popped in a 16-footer.
Bryan and Sincere McKinley dropped in lay-ups after steals in the 4th period for Bladenboro, and McKinley, Sayvion Covington and McDowell also drove for lay-ups.
Kendall Lesane topped the Bulldog scoring with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Jaquan Lesane finished with 8 points, and Davis followed with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Britt also had 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Hill racked up 6 points and a team-high 5 steals. McDowell and Bryan tallied 4 points each, and McDowell added 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
Garcia and Whittington scored 3 points each for Tar Heel. Osvaldo Fures and Demarius Guions snared 3 rebounds each.
Tar Heel 0 3 5 0 – 8
Bladenboro 19 11 10 10 – 50
TAR HEEL (8) – Levi Garcia 3, Keon Whittington 3, Cedric McKiver, Demarius Guions, Shyron Thompson, Sterling Davis, Cooper Mills, Osvaldo Fures, Elijah Council, Jarvis McMillian, Dylan McLaurin, Ronnie Labra, Carson Navarro 2, Jordan King.
BLADENBORO (50) – Blake Britt 2, Ashton Davis 6, Jaquan Lesane 8, Kendell Lesane 12, Keonta Hill 6, Chase Bryan 4, Corben Chadwick, John McDowell 4, Jace Lesane, Darren Davis 2, Sincere McKinley 4, Calvin Sinclair, Sayvion Covington 2, Brayden Steele, Devin Stanley.
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