BLADENBORO — Cedrick McKiver, Demarious Guions and C. J. Lewis sparked Tar Heel to a 24-8 halftime lead and eventual 43-23 victory Wednesday over Bladenboro in the championship game of the Bladen County Boys Tournament.
Coach Ken Cross’ Panthers were the Waccamaw ‘A’ Division champions and completed their season with an 12-1 record. The Bulldogs completed their season with a 7-4 record.
McKiver fired in 7 of his game-high 13 points in the opening half, and Guions and Lewis threw in 6 points each before halftime. Guions finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, and Jahari Walker pumped in 8 points. Lewis followed with 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. McKiver also had 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Teammate Jarvis McMillan grabbed 7 rebounds, and Levi Velasco-Garcia tallied 5 points and 3 steals.
Isaiah Minus led the Bulldogs with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Corbin Chadwick contributed 7 points.
Guions banked in a 12-footer, McKiver bombed in a 3-pointer, and Lewis stole the ball and raced for a lay-up and a 7-0 Panther lead. Minus answered with a Bulldog 3-pointer, but Guions dropped in a lay-up for a 9-3 lead. Free throws by Chadwick and Jace Lesane trimmed the margin to 9-5, but Velasco-Garcia nailed a 3-point shot for a 12-5 Tar Heel lead at the break.
McKiver and Lewis drove for lay-ups, and Guions popped in a 10-footer. McKiver delivered an assist to McMillan for a lay-up then sank 2 free throws. Guions sent an assist to Lewis for a lay-up and a 24-5 lead. Minus trimmed the margin to 24-8 at halftime with a 3-ball.
Minus began the 2nd half with a free throw, but McKiver cashed in 2 foul shots, and Walker buried a 3-point shot for a 29-9 lead. Chadwick turned a lay-up into a 3-point play then hit another free throw. McKiver and Guions flipped in lay-ups for Tar Heel, while Gaston Russ made a free throw, and Minus pumped in 2 baskets to keep the Bulldogs within 33-18.
McKiver and Velasco-Garcia sandwiched Panther lay-ups around a Chadwick lay-up for the Bulldogs. Walker drilled in a 3-ball then added another bucket for Tar Heel. Lewis tacked on a free throw. McKinley drove for a Bladenboro lay-up, and Malcolm Melvin added a free throw.
Bladenboro 5 3 10 5 — 23
Tar Heel 12 12 9 10 — 43
Bladenboro (23) — Zion Ellison, Jace Lesane 1, Keithan Russ, Drake Gause, Corbin Chadwick 7, Sincere McKinley 2, Gaston Russ 1, Isaiah Minus 11, Uzziah Gause, Devan Stanley, Malcolm Melvin 1, Cole Brisson, Brooks Carroll, Aviion Murphy, Jayden Ruffin, Luke Bryant.
Tar Heel (43) — C.J. Lewis 7, Levi Velasco-Garcia 5, Demarious Guions 8, Sterling Davis, Jordan King, Dylan McLaurin, Jarvis McMillan 2, Gregory O’Neal, Daveon Whittington, Nasir Campbell, Cedrick McKiver 13, Jahari Walker 8.
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