ELIZABETHTOWN – Juniors Malcolm Bolden and Jacob Nixon and senior Nazire Smith made big plays down the stretch as East Bladen held off Red Springs 57-47 Saturday in a key Southeastern Athletic Conference boys’ basketball game.
The Eagles, now 6-3 in SAC-7 play and 11-7 overall, moved into a 2nd place tie in the conference with the Red Devils. Each have three losses in league action and have split their two regular season meetings. Fairmont, which lost 56-52 at Midway on Saturday, is 5-4 in the league.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Bolden poured in a game-high 20 points, dished out 3 assists, and had 3 steals. Nixon fired in 12 points and had 2 assists. Smith scored 9 of his 11 points in the 2nd half and racked up 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Eagles were without star center Zamar Lewis who was suspended for 2 games due to an ejection against St. Pauls Friday night. Junior Jordan Mathis pulled down 9 rebounds and tallied 7 points, and junior Yontee Dobson grabbed 7 rebounds.
Sophomores Peyton Tatum and Rodney Lacewell were called up from the jayvee team and made big contributions. Tatum blocked 2 shots and had 2 rebounds, while Lacewell corralled 3 rebounds. Juniors Cam White and Malacki Monroe had 3 rebounds each.
“Peyton and Rodney did a great job filling in. Sometimes it takes 2 guys to replace one,“ said East Bladen Coach Aking Elting. “We also did a better job of blocking out today. This was a big win for us today.”
The Red Devils fell behind by 13 points then employed a full-court pressure defense in an attempt to catch up. Jamey Tedder flipped in a runner to trim the Eagle lead to 36-33 after 3 periods.
Nixon buried a corner 3-ball to begin the final quarter, and Bolden scooped up a Red Devil turnover and darted for a lay-up. Bolden delivered an assist to Smith for a lay-up and a 43-33 East lead. Smith flipped in a runner, and Nixon sent an assist to Bolden for another lay-up and a 47-34 lead.
Bolden dashed through the Red Devil press for another lay-up. Dobson made a free throw then turned a Smith assist into another lay-up and a 52-37 lead at the 2:14 mark. Smith cashed in a free throw, then hurled a pass to Monroe for a lay-up and a 55-41 lead.
The Red Devils sliced the margin to 55-47, before Bolden canned 2 free throws with 25 seconds left.
Kaedon Porter led Red Springs with 12 points. Tedder followed with 10 points, and Kohnner Oxendine totaled 9 points. However the Red Devils only connected on 2 of 16 3-point shots.
“We really worked hard at practice on looking for when the pick was coming (for their shooters), and did a decent job of recognizing it and getting around it,” said Elting. “I am just pleased with everyone’s effort and the win.”
The Eagles blitzed the Red Devils early. Bolden swished 2 free throws, and Nixon sped down the court for a transition lay-up. Bolden sent an assist to Mathis for a lay-up, Mathis threw in 2 free throws, and Bolden turned a steal into a lay-up and a 10-2 lead.
Monroe pumped in a 17-footer, and Bolden flipped in a 12-footer over a defender. Dobson stole the ball and pitched ahead to Bolden for a lay-up and a 16-3 lead.
Red Springs closed the gap to 16-11 early in the 2nd period, but Nixon drained a 3-point shot. Smith scooted down the court for a lay-up, and Nixon flushed a fade-away 12-footer to pad the lead to 23-13. Bolden turned another steal into a lay-up and a 25-18 East halftime lead.
A Bolden assist led to a Mathis lay-up to begin the 2nd half. Nixon popped in a 12-footer, and Smith banked in a runner to keep the lead at 31-24. Smith beat the Red Devil press for a lay-up, and Nixon stole the ball and fired a pass to Bolden for a lay-up and a 35-30 lead.
The Eagles will travel to Midway Tuesday night.
Red Springs 5 13 15 14 –47
East Bladen 16 9 11 21 – 57
RED SPRINGS (47) – Henry Buie, Kaedon Porter 12, Jamey Tedder 10, Dylan Dean 2, Colton Locklear 6, Johnny Chavis, M. Arthur 2, Mario Leonard 1, Kohnner Oxendine 9, Jaaron Monroe 5.
EAST BLADEN (57) – Malcolm Bolden 20, Jordan Mathis 7, Jacob Nixon 12, Nazire Smith 11, Cam White, Peyton Tatum, Yontee Dobson 3, Malaki Monroe 4, Rodney Lacewell.
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