ELIZABETHTOWN – Senior Freddy Wooten sank a free throw with 2.4 seconds left that lifted East Bladen to a 45-44 victory over Whiteville Tuesday night in the boys’ basketball opener for both teams.
Whiteville led 44-38 until Eagle senior Charles Brown canned a free throw with 2:24 remaining. Senior Javant McDowell then slammed home a dunk off of a Wooten assist. After Whiteville missed 2 free throws, Wooten nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to tie the score with 1:45 left.
The Wolfpack held the ball for the final shot, but Wooten was fouled on the rebound and made the 2nd of his 2 foul shots. A Whiteville shot at the buzzer from half-court missed.
[slideshow_deploy id=’201420′]
Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
McDowell scored 13 of his game-high 15 points in the 2nd half and also snared 5 rebounds. Wooten finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore Malcolm Bolden followed with 7 points. Sophomore Zamar Lewis grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots.
Kayshawn McCollum led the Wolfpack with 14 points. Wendell Smith netted 12 points and K. J. Hall added 11.
Wooten drained a 3-point shot, sent a pass to McDowell for a lay-up, and cashed in 2 free throws for an early 7-5 Eagle lead. Bolden raced for a lay-up with a long rebound, but a pair of Wendell Smith lay-ups gave Whiteville a 13-9 lead at the break.
Senior Jacob Priest tossed in a runner, Lewis banked in a 6-footer, and Nazir Smith converted a turnover into a lay-up that tied the game 15-15. Wooten hooked in a fade-away bank shot, and McDowell’s free throw pushed East ahead 18-16 at halftime.
Priest knocked down a corner 3-ball, and Bolden turned a steal into a lay-up. McDowell dropped in a lay-up off of a Wooten assist to knot the score 25-25. The Eagles countered a 7-0 Wolfpack run with a McDowell lay-up and a Bolden 3-pointer that kept East within 32-30 at the quarter break.
McDowell muscled in a follow then drove for a lay-up and a 3-point play. Brown beat the Whiteville press for a lay-up, and a McDowell free throw gave East a 38-37 lead with 5:08 on the clock.
Coach Aking Elting’s Eagles will travel to West Columbus Wednesday night.
Whiteville 13 3 16 12 – 44
East Bladen 9 9 12 15 – 45
Whiteville (44) – Wendell Smith 12, K. J. Hall 11, Daejuan Thompson 5, Antonio McFadden 2, Kayshawn McCollum 14.
East Bladen (45) – Charles Brown 3, Malcolm Bolden 7, Jacob Priest 5, Nazir Smith 2, Zamar Lewis 2, Javant McDowell 15, Freddy Wooten 11.
About Author
