BURGAW – Junior Dominick Collins and senior Lee Barnes combined for 33 points Friday night to lead East Bladen to a 62-48 Waccamaw Conference boys’ basketball victory over Pender.
Barnes threw in a trio of 3-balls and scored 11 of his 14 points in the opening half as the Eagles built a 35-19 halftime lead. Collins poured in 15 of his game-high 19 points in the 2nd half to help keep the Eagles on top. Collins also finished with 4 steals and 3 rebounds.
Sophomore Keyshawn Kemp tossed in 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds for East. Sophomore Ronnie Covington scored all 7 of his points before halftime. Junior Kewone Maynor pumped in 6 points, and senior Rodney Lacewell added 5 points and 6 rebounds.
Maynor turned an assist from junior Chace Butler into a lay-up to start the game. Covington banged in a follow shot, and Collins stole the ball and raced for a lay-up and a 6-0 lead. Covington dropped in a lay-up then nailed a 3-point shot. Collins tacked on a free throw for a 12-2 lead.
Shannon Hankins delivered a 3-point basket, but Patriot junior Malcolm Driver pumped in a pair of 3-balls to narrow the gap to 15-12. Barnes sandwiched a pair of 3-point baskets around Kemp’s rebound basket as the lead swelled to 23-14.
Barnes flipped in a lay-up, and Kemp powered in a follow to begin the 2nd quarter. Covington darted down the baseline for a lay-up, and Barnes drilled in another 3-ball. Collins hit a free throw, and Lacewell cashed in 2 foul shots for a 35-19 Eagle halftime lead.
Collins drove for a trio of lay-ups and sank 3 foul shots for East in the 3rd quarter. Senior Cyrus Page rallied the Patriots with a 3-point shot, 2 baskets and 2 free throws. Lacewell connected on a free throw, and Barnes beat the buzzer with a corner 3-ball to keep the Eagle lead at 48-38. Pender never got closer than 43-37 in the 2nd half.
Maynor converted assists from Collins and Barnes into lay-ups to start the final period. Collins stole the ball twice and darted for lay-ups. Lacewell muscled in a lay-up off a Collins assist. Kemp nailed a corner jumper, and Collins drove for another lay-up to end the scoring.
Page topped the Pender scoring with 18 points, and Driver finished with 16 points. Center Ryan Howell netted 6 points.
Coach Aking Elting’s Eagles remained unbeaten in Waccamaw play at 3-0 and are 8-4 overall. East Bladen will visit Heide Trask Tuesday night. Pender will travel to Lakewood Tuesday night.
East Bladen 23 12 13 14 — 62
Pender 14 5 19 10 — 48
Pender (48) — Jordan Hansley 2, Malcolm Driver 16, Patrick Keith 4, Desmon Thomas, Cyrus Page 18, Adrian Lewis 2, Ryan Howell 6, Demarius White, Emmett Wade.
East Bladen (62) — Dominick Collins 19, Chace Butler, Lee Barnes 14, Sherman Long, Shannon Hankins 3, Ronnie Covington 7, Kewone Maynor 6, Peyton Tatum, Tevin McClean, Rodney Lacewell 5, Keyshawn Kemp 8.
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