ST. PAULS – A 9-minute East Bladen scoring drought allowed St. Pauls to score 24 unanswered points en route to a 40-16 lead and eventual 64-43 non-conference boys basketball victory over the Eagles.
Eagle senior Eian Hines spun down the lane for a lay-up that tied the game a final time at 16-16 with 6:09 left before halftime.
The Bulldogs closed the half with a 14-0 run then opened the second half with 10 more unanswered points.
Demarius McArthur snapped the Bulldog scoring streak by dropping in a lay-up off of a feed from Hines with 4:56 remaining in the third quarter. Denzel Johnson drilled a 3-point shot, and McArthur scored again in the paint to keep the margin at 46-23.
Sadrique Ingram hit 2 free throws, and Hines dropped in a lay-up in transition then stole the ball and raced for another lay-up that closed the gap to 50-29 at the quarter break.
Demetrius Wooten banked in a high-arching runner to start the final period then buried a 3-point shot that trimmed the margin to 50-34. Hines hit a free throw then slammed in a dunk-follow.
Hines bombed in a 3-point shot to keeps the margin at 56-40 with 3:55 on the clock. St. Pauls’ Isaiah Harlee crammed in a follow and put back 2 more rebound baskets.
Johnson made a free throw then turned a Hines assist into a lay-up for the final basket.
Hines led the Eagles with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Johnson followed with 12 points, and McArthur finished with 6 points.
Harlee topped the St. Pauls scoring with 16 points, and Cole Humphrey followed with 12 points. Teammate Jacob Oxendine added 10 points.
The Eagles were plagued by 19 turnovers in the game, and the Bulldogs held a 40-22 rebounding advantage.
Hines drove for a lay-up and McArthur put back a follow shot as the Eagles grabbed an early 4-2 lead. St. Pauls rallied back in front 8-4, but Johnson delivered a pair of 3-point baskets for a 10-8 East Bladen lead. Hines’ transition lay-up kept East Bladen even 12-12 at the quarter break.
Xavier Wooten cashed in 2 free throws to tie the score again 14-14 early in the second quarter.
The Eagles host Midway in their Four County Conference opener Tuesday night.
EAST BLADEN (43) – Demarius McArthur 6, Demetrius Wooten 5, Eian Hines 16, Xavier Wooten 2, Sadrique Ingram 2, Denzel Johnson 12, Deondre Harris, Aaron Laforte, Joshua McKoy, Jordan Payton, Adonis Avery.
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