By Sonny Jones
ELIZABETHTOWN — Zamar Lewis is introduced as “the man in the middle” prior to the game.
Tuesday night, the senior center proved to be just that.
Lewis scored 19 points, collected 14 rebounds and blocked six shots in lifting East Bladen to a 69-61 victory against Midway in a Southeastern Athletic Conference boys basketball game.
Jacob Nixon added 17 points, including three 3-point field goals, and Malcolm Bolden netted 14 points as the Eagles remained tied with St. Pauls for first place in the conference with 6-1 records. St. Pauls beat Fairmont 50-44 on Tuesday.
East Bladen, 14-3 overall, is scheduled to play at Clinton on Thursday and at rival West Bladen on Monday.
In Friday’s game, Rodney Lacewell came off the bench to add 6 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocked shots and Lee Barnes connected on a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Point guard Dominick Collins had 7 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Nixon hauled down 6 rebounds. Bolden dished out 6 assists and had 3 steals.
Tripp Westbrook led Midway with 17 points, including a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers that helped the Raiders take a 22-16 lead. Jamir McCrae had 15 points and Jack Hazelbeck had 13 for the Raiders, now 10-7 overall and 2-5 in SAC games.
East Bladen tied it at 26-all on a 3-pointer by Nixon with 5:05 left in the second quarter. In fact, the game was tied five times and the lead changed four times through the first three quarters. Lacewell’s basket off a pass from Collins with 25 remaining in the third quarter put the Eagles ahead to stay at 46-45.
Slowly, the Eagles built a working margin in the fourth quarter. Another basket by Lacewell off a pass from Collins and the first of Barnes’ two 3-points gave East Bladen a 51-47 lead with 5:55 remaining
After Midway’s Hazelbeck connected on a 3-pointer, the Eagles used a three-point play from Collins and another 3-pointer from Barnes that opened a 57-50 advantage with just over four minutes left.
Midway pulled within four at 57-53 with 3:20 remaining, but couldn’t get closer. Two free throws each by Lewis and Bolden kept East Bladen comfortably ahead over the final 90 seconds.
Midway 22 13 10 16 — 61
East Bladen 16 22 8 23 — 69
MIDWAY (61) — Jack Hazelbeck 13, Davis Williams 6, Jamir McCrae 15, Mbagnick Dione 1, Tripp Westbrook 17, Kemari McNeil, Israel Cook 7, Josh Lupo 2, Anthony Graham.
EAST BLADEN (69) — Dominick Collins 7, Malcolm Bolden 14, Malaki Monroe, Lee Barnes 6, Jacob Nixon 17, Chris Harding, Zamar Lewis 19, Peyton Tatum, Rodney Lacewell 6.
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