ELIZABETHTOWN – Seniors Zamar Lewis and Yontee Dobson keyed a 7-0 East Bladen spurt that sealed a 52-44 Southeastern Athletic Conference victory for the Eagles over rival West Bladen Friday night.
The Knights launched a 3-point shot for the lead with 2:55 left that spun out, and Lewis banged in a lay-up off of an assist from senior Malcolm Bolden. Lewis powered in a follow then sent an assist to Dobson for a lay-up that resulted in a 3-point play and a 50-41 East lead with 1:28 remaining.
Knight freshman Jackson Pait nailed a 3-point shot to slice the lead to 50-44 with 1:00 on the clock. Eagle senior Jacob Nixon made 2 free throws in the final 30 seconds to pad the margin to 52-44.
Nixon connected on four 3-point shots and led the Eagles with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Bolden racked up 15 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. Lewis filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 2 assists and 2 steals. Dobson finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds, and sophomore Dominick Collins had 2 assists.
“Malcolm and Yontee did a good job of driving and penetrating,” said East Bladen Coach Aking Elting. “Jacob had a good game and was big for us at the end. We have been needing contributions from some of the other guys, and Yontee gave us a big one.”
Freshman Jackson Pait and sophomore Hezekiah Adams shared scoring honors for the Knights with 15 points each. Pait fired in five 3-point shots – 4 in the 2nd half – and had 4 rebounds. Adams tallied 11 1st half points and had 4 steals. Sophomore Chase Williams posted a double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Junior Andre Moore grabbed 3 rebounds.
“We made a couple of mistakes in the last 3 minutes and had 2 or 3 shots bounce out,” said West Bladen Coach Travis Pait. “There are no moral victories. They are a good team and we were right there, had a chance to win and didn’t get it done. Just have to keep working hard.”
There were 3 ties and 3 lead-changes in the 1st period. Adams delivered a 3-point shot and drove for a pair of lay-ups, and freshman Tylik McCall drilled in a 15-footer for West. Bolden sprinted for a pair of transition lay-ups, and Dobson popped in a 6-footer then slammed in a dunk. Lewis hit 2 free throws, and Nixon bombed in a 3-pointer for a 13-9 East lead.
Adams trimmed the margin to 13-11 with a lay-up off of a turnover, but Bolden answered with a 3-pointer, a running bank shot and a transition lay-up for a 20-13 Eagle lead. Williams put back a rebound and sent an assist to a cutting Adams for a lay-up.
Nixon swished another 3-pointer for a 23-16 East lead, but Williams sandwiched a free throw and a follow shot around another Pait 3-ball as the Knights sliced the margin to 23-21 at halftime.
Nixon and Adams traded baskets to begin the 3rd period. Dobson sent an assist to Lewis for a lay-up then drove for a pair of lay-ups and a 31-25 lead. Adams drove for a lay-up, Williams turned a feed from senior Walter Bealon into a lay-up and Pait threw in a corner 3-ball to pull West within 31-30 at the quarter break.
Bolden flipped in a runner then assisted on a Lewis lay-up. Williams hooked in a 4-footer off of an assist from Pait. Nixon burnt the nets with a pair of 3-balls to grow the East lead to 41-34. Williams cashed in a pair of free throws, and Pait blistered the nets with a pair of 3-balls. Bolden tossed in a runner, but a Williams foul shot cut the lead to 43-41.
The Eagles improved to 3-0 in the SAC-7 and 11-1 overall and will try to avenge their only loss of the season Wednesday night when they host Rocky Point Trask. West Bladen, now 1-1 in the SAC-7 and 10-4 overall, will entertain Fairmont Tuesday night in SAC-7 play.
West Bladen 9 12 9 14 – 44
East Bladen 13 10 8 21 – 52
West Bladen (44) – Jackson Pait 15, Hezekiah Adams 15, Tylik McCall 2, Andre Moore, Cornelius Esters, Gary Parker, Walter Bealon, Chase Williams 12.
East Bladen (52) – Dominick Collins, Malcolm Bolden 15, Malaki Monroe, Lee Barnes, Cameron White, Yontee Dobson 11, Jacob Nixon 16, Zamar Lewis 10, Rodney Lacewell.
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