03/28/2024
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By John Clark

ELIZABETHTOWN -Jaden Lewis scored 8 of his game-high 10 points during a 12-2 spurt that propelled Elizabethtown’s Cougars to a 28-19 lead and eventual 34-20 victory over Clarkton School of Discovery in the opening round of the Bladen County Boys Basketball Tournament.

Coach Darius Gillespie’s Cougars evened their record at 1-1 and advanced to Thursday’s 5:15 tournament championship game against Bladenboro.

Elizabethtown led 15-11 at halftime, and after Clarkton’s Hunter Wood and the Cougars’ John Monroe traded free throws, the Blue Devils’ JaQuan McRae tossed in a runner, Topher Callihan banked in a free throw, and Wood sank 2 technical free throws to edge CSD ahead 17-16.

Lewis drove for a reverse lay-up then converted a Blue Devil turnover into a lay-up. Monroe hurled in a high-arching driving shot that banked in for a 22-17 Cougar lead. A Monroe steal and assist resulted in a Lewis lay-up, and Sheldon Melvin stole the ball and dashed for another lay-up.

Wood swished a pair of free throws to halt the run, but a baseline runner by Lewis pushed the lead to 28-19 at the quarter break. Lewis opened the final period with another steal and lay-up. A rebound basket by Nathan Demery padded the Cougar lead to 32-19.

Prince Powell sank a free throw for Clarkton, and Prince McKoy stole the ball and closed out the scoring with another lay-up for Elizabethtown.

Lewis dished out 3 assists and had 2 steals. Monroe racked up 8 points, 5 rebounds and had 5 steals. Tykee Hill finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Kaden Johnson grabbed 4 rebounds.

Wood topped the Blue Devil scoring with 9 points. McRae tallied 4 points and 8 rebounds. Callihan finished with 3 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Azarion Willis and Cayden Moore snared 5 rebounds each, and Omar Powell scored 3 points.

Hill’s rebound basket gave Elizabethtown an early 2-0 lead, but Wood buried a pair of 3-point shots, McRae threw in a runner, and Callihan muscled in a follow shot for a 10-2 Blue Devil lead. A Lewis assist to Hill for a lay-up trimmed the margin to 10-4 at the quarter break.

Another Lewis pass led to a Hill lay-up, Monroe nailed a 3-point shot and Isaiah Lloyd knocked down a jumper from the key to vault the Cougars in front 11-10. Omar Powell tied the game with a free throw, but Lewis delivered another assist to Hill for a lay-up, and Monroe put back a rebound for a 15-11 Elizabethtown lead at the half.

Clarkton           10    1    8  1 – 20
Elizabethtown  4  11  13  6 – 34

CLARKTON SCHOOL OF DISCOVERY (20) – Topher Callihan 3, Azarion Willis, Hunter Wood 9, JaQuan McRae 4, Omar Powell 3, Braylon Johnson, Noah White, Izaac Elkins, Cayden Moore, Prince Powell 1, Ryne Priest, Aiden Trinidad, Zanmarion Pone.

ELIZABETHTOWN (34) – John Monroe 8, Jaden Lewis 10, Tykee Hill 8, Nathan Demery 2, Jadarius McArthur, Isaiah Lioyd 2, Damian Maynor, Prince McKoy 2, Fox Sutton, David Barnes, Sheldon Melvin 2, Kaden Johnson.

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