LELAND – Junior Malakhi Daniels pumped in 13 points and ignited a pivotal 9-0 spurt that cemented a 48-36 non-conference boys’ basketball victory for North Brunswick over previously undefeated West Bladen Wednesday night.
The Scorpions carried a 28-23 lead into the final period, but Knight sophomore Hezekiah Adams dropped in a lay-up off of an in-bounds pass from junior Andre Moore. Senior Walter Bealon sent an assist to West sophomore Chase Williams for a lay-up that trimmed the margin to 30-27 with 5:16 remaining.
Daniels answered with a runner, and teammates C. J. Robbins and Matt McKenry tossed in lay-ups, before Isaic Nipper nailed a 3-pointer to grow the lead to 39-27.
Williams banged in a lay-up, and Adams stole the ball and raced for a lay-up that closed the gap to 39-31. Terry Hood drove for a 3-point play for the Scorpions that pushed the lead back to 42-31 with 2:10 left. Williams rang up a lay-up, a free throw and a rebound basket in the final minutes but the Knights never got closer than 9 points.
“If you don’t shoot it, don’t handle it, don’t box out and don’t rebound, you don’t win,” said Knight Coach Travis Pait. West Bladen had 5 turnovers in the final period, 10 in the 2nd half and 19 in the game.
Williams just missed a double-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Knights. Adams finished with 11 points. Moore and freshman Tylik McCall grabbed 5 rebounds each, and freshman Jackson Pait had 2 steals.
McKenry followed Daniels on the Scorpion scoring list with 9 points, and Robbins and Hood added 8 points each.
Williams converted an Adams assist into a lay-up and a 3-point play to start the game. Pait drained a fade-away 15-footer then delivered a pass to Williams for a lay-up and a 7-6 lead. Adams bombed in a long 3-point shot for a 10-7 lead, but McKenry tied the game with a 3-ball for North.
McCall sent a feed to Adams for a lay-up, and Pait popped in a baseline jumper for a 14-10 West lead. However a McKenry lay-up and 2 free throws from Daniels edged North on top 16-14 at the break.
Adams and Williams drove for lay-ups for West in the 2nd period, but Daniels threw in a pair of runners, and a Robbins lay-up gave North a 24-18 halftime lead.
Williams scored on a follow shot, but a Daniels runner kept North up 28-20, before Moore drilled in a corner 3-ball to pull West within 28-23 at the 3rd quarter break.
The Knights, now 8-1, will battle Pamlico County Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the opening round of their own Bladen Off-Road Christmas Tournament.
West Bladen 14 4 5 13 – 36
North Brunswick 16 8 4 20 – 48
WEST BLADEN (36) – Jackson Pait 4, Hezekiah Adams 11, Tylik McCall, Andre Moore 3, Cornelius Esters, Walter Bealon, Chase Williams 18.
NORTH BRUNSWICK (48) – Isaic Nipper 3, Aaron Smith 2, Terry Hood 8, Malakhi Daniels 13, Kamonte Carter 5, C. J. Robbins 8, Matt McKenny 9, Jordan Stegall, Kane Jennette, Ky Hensley, Zavion Fryar.
Author: BladenOnline.com
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