Wallace-Rose Hill capitalized on free throws and East Bladen turnovers to defeat the Eagles 62-56 in the opening round of the Four County Conference boys basketball tournament at Teachey Tuesday night.
The Eagles were whistled for 25 fouls compared to only 12 for the Bulldogs who pressed full-court the entire game. Wallace-Rose Hill connected on 17 of 29 free throws, while East Bladen made 7 of their 8 foul shots.
“We didn’t play bad,” said Eagle Coach Ken Cross. “We turned the ball over too much. We can’t help the foul situation, but we could do something about the turnovers. We shot free throws well, just didn’t shoot enough of them.”
Junior Ethan Hines dropped in a pair of first quarter baskets, and Eian Hines pumped in a 3-point jumper and assisted on Ethan’s lay-up. Junior Demetrius Wooten added a basket as the Eagles edged ahead 13-12 at the first quarter break.
Freshman Adonis Avery lit a fire under the Eagles in the second period, draining a pair of 3-point shots and adding 2 more baskets. Eian Hines tallied 4 points in the quarter, and Wooten buried a 3-point attempt as East Bladen built a 32-26 halftime lead.
Wallace rode an 18-10 surge to a 44-42 lead at the quarter break. Eian Hines and Wooten threw in 4 points each in the quarter to keep East Bladen close.
Led by senior Johnnie Glaspie who topped all scorers with 17 points the Bulldogs maintained a 3-4 point lead throughout the final period.
Senior Jermaine Robinson buried a 3-point shot for East in the final quarter.
Avery and Eian Hines topped the Eagle scoring with 12 points each, and Wooten followed with 11 points. Senior Dayvon Powell and Ethan Hines finished with 6 points each.
The Eagles concluded their season with a 6-17 record.
East Bladen (56) –Jermaine Robinson 3, Dayvon Powell 6, Ethan Hines 6, Eian Hines 12, Chris Cromartie 4, Trevor Lloyd, Denzel Johnson, Sincere Smith 2, Demetrius Wooten 11, Adonis Avery 12.
About Author
