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The 11th annual Bladen Offroad Christmas Basketball Tournament will be played at West Bladen on December 28, 29 and 30.

“We are excited to have Bladen Offroad back as our sponsor,” said Knights Coach Travis Pait. “This local business has become a destination to meet automobile owners’ needs for tires, rims, service, and repairs.”

Scott Gordon, owner of Bladen Offroad, said “Bladen Offroad is proud to be associated with this great event. For a number of years West Bladen has provided a quality high school tournament here in southeastern North Carolina. At Bladen Offroad we strive to provide excellent service and great prices to our customers. Our sponsorship of this tournament is one of many ways that we give back to our community.”

This year’s tournament field is again strong with more local teams participating. Scotland (3-6) opens up against a very strong St. Pauls team (5-2) that boasts highly recruited sophomore Tyson Thompson.

Tournament favorite North Brunswick (8-1) will try to continue their hot start against a Whiteville team (1-4) that should be coming into basketball shape after a deep football playoff run. Look for North Brunswick’s dynamic guard Malakhi Daniels to be one of the favorites for Most Valuable Player.

Lumberton (2-4) brings a young team into the tournament to face West Columbus (1-2). West Columbus has gotten a late start on basketball as its football team reached the Eastern 1A Finals. The Vikings’ Unique Kelly will definitely be one to watch along with Lumberton’s Dimetrious Jones who comes in averaging 20.5 points per game.

The nightcap will feature Dillon Christian (3-3) versus host West Bladen (6-1). West Bladen is led by a versatile big man, 6-foot-8 Chase Williams. Dillon Christian’s guard duo of Thompson Stone and Jackson Outlar hope to offset Williams’ strong inside play in a matchup of teams that are familiar with each other.

Coach Pait announced that the Most Valuable Player Award will be named The Sayaun Dent Most Valuable Player Award in honor of the late Sayaun Dent. Mr. Dent was a part of three Bladen Offroad Christmas Tournament Championship teams and is the only two-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award. Sayaun went on to win a national championship at Sandhills Community College and was named National Player of the Year. A portion of the proceeds from the concession stand will also help fund a scholarship in Sayaun Dent’s name.

Players to watch:

North Brunswick – Malakhi Daniels, Sr., 15.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg; Ronnie Ballard, Sr., 11.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg; Caleb Bernard, Sr., 11.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg.

West Columbus – Unique Kelly, Sr., 19.5 ppg, 7 rpg; Tristian Tubbs, Sr., 13 ppg, 7.5 rpg.

St Pauls – Tyson Thompson, So., 13.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.8 bpg; Theo Setzer Jr., 6.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg; Jordan Cook, Sr., 7.3 ppg, 3 rpg.

Scotland – Jaquez Caldwell, Sr., 15.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg; Dylan Lampley, Sr., 10.1 ppg, 6 rpg.

Dillon Christian – Thompson Stone, Jr., 19.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg; Jackson Outlar, Jr., 19.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg.

Whiteville – Amari Best, Sr., 11 ppg, 12 rpg.

Lumberton – Dimetrious Jones, Sr., 20.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg; Jaiden Shepherd, Jr., 13.4 ppg, 13 rpg.

West Bladen – Hezekiah Adams, Jr., 11.3 ppg; Chase Williams, Jr., 18.7 ppg; Jackson Pait, So., 11.7 ppg.

Games will start each day at 2, 4, 6, and 8 with the gate opening at 1 p.m. Admission will be $7 with no passes out. Only NCHSAA passes (coaches, referees, and officials) will be allowed. Concessions will be available for purchase.

Thursday, Dec 28
Game 1, 2 p.m., St. Pauls vs. Scotland
Game 2, 4 p.m., Whiteville vs North Brunswick
Game 3, 6 p.m., Lumberton vs West Columbus
Game 4, 8 p.m., West Bladen vs. Dillon Christian

Friday, Dec 29
Game 5, 2 p.m., Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2
Game 6, 4 p.m., Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4
Game 7, 6 p.m., Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2
Game 8, 8 p.m., Winner Game 3 vs Winner Game 4

Saturday, Dec 30
Game 9, 2 p.m., 7th place Loser Game 5 vs Loser Game 6
Game 10, 4 p.m., 5th place Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 6
Game 11, 6 p.m., 3rd place Loser Game 7 vs Loser Game 8
Game 12, 8 p.m., Championship Winner Game 7 vs Winner Game 8