By John Clark
RED SPRINGS – West Bladen had to win Friday night’s game at Red Springs twice. The Knights thought they had won when freshman Jackson Pait buried a 3-point shot from the corner with 10 seconds left to put West up 33-30, but the Red Devils’ Kaedon Porter beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.
In the Red Devil time-out before Porter’s shot, Coach Travis Pait said, “We told the guys to foul because we had fouls to give but they didn’t. I am really proud of them because they didn’t fold, they just kept battling.” The Knights outscored Red Springs 14-9 in the overtime to claim the 47-42 Southeastern Athletic Conference victory and hand the Red Devils their 1st SAC-7 loss.
Freshman Tylik McCall started the overtime with a 3-pointer that circled the rim then kissed the backboard and fell through for a 36-33 lead. Porter answered with a basket, but sophomore Hezekiah Adams sank 2 free throws to keep West up 38-35.
Porter’s 12-footer sliced the margin to 38-37, but sophomore Chase Williams canned 2 free throws and Adams stole the ball and raced for a lay-up and a 42-37 lead. Makhi Arthur’s 3-ball closed the gap to 42-40 with 1:10 left. Adams popped free and drove for a lay-up, Chase Williams made 2 free throws and Pait hit one in the final 28 seconds.
Williams, a 6-7 center, led the Knights with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Adams finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals despite sitting out 11 minutes in the 1st half with foul trouble. Pait totaled 10 points and 2 assists. McCall contributed 6 points and 3 assists. Junior Andre Moore pulled down a team-high 9 rebounds. Senior Anthony Mitchell who has recently returned from the injured list grabbed 4 rebounds.
“This team is fun to coach and only a gnat’s hair from being 4-0 (in the league),” stated Coach Pait. “They share the ball, they don’t care who scores, everyone knows their role and they don’t try to do too much. Our guards have played well and haven’t turned the ball over since the break. Fairmont didn’t turn us over, they just knocked us down.”
Porter led the Red Devils with 13 points, and senior Jamey Tedder added 8 points. Jaylen Sturdivant and Makhi Arthur followed with 7 points each.
Pait nailed a corner 3-ball to start the game then delivered an assist to Williams for a lay-up. Adams pumped in a baseline jumper, and Williams dropped in another basket off of a feed from McCall. However, a pair of Tedder lay-ups and 2 buckets from Sturdivant edged Red Springs ahead 10-9 at the quarter break.
Neither team scored in the entire 2nd quarter, so the halftime score remained 10-9. Neither team held the ball in the period. “We missed a couple of lay-ups and had some other really good shots, and they are a good-shooting team,” noted Coach Pait. “I think it helped us because they are used to scoring a lot and they didn’t.”
McCall bounced in a 3-ball to begin the 2nd half, but Red Springs reeled off 7 unanswered points to take a 17-12 lead. Williams answered with a pair of lay-ups – one off of a McCall assist to ignite a 9-0 run. Adams beat the press for a lay-up, and Pait’s 3-ball climbed over the rim for a 21-17 lead. Adams netted a lay-up off of a McCall assist, and Williams powered in a lay-up for a 25-19 West lead at the quarter break.
A pair of Williams free throws pushed the lead to 27-19, but Red Springs turned a pair of turnovers into lay-ups and whittled the margin to 27-25 on a Porter lay-up. Adams converted a free throw, and Pait sent an assist to Williams for a lay-up and a 30-27 lead. Porter’s lay-up tied the game 30-30 with 48 seconds on the clock.
“Tylik handled the ball well tonight,” noted Coach Pait. “We were able to go deep into our bench. Walter Bealon made some unbelievable plays. Walter is getting more comfortable and is passing the ball well.”
West Bladen improved to 2-2 in SAC-7 play and 11-5 overall and will visit St. Pauls Tuesday night. Red Springs, now 3-1 in league play and 11-4 overall, will host East Bladen Tuesday night.
West Bladen 9 0 16 8 14– 47
Red Springs 10 0 9 14 9 – 42
West Bladen (47) – Jackson Pait 10, Hezekiah Adams 13, Tylik McCall 6, Andre Moore, Cornelius Esters, Gary Parker, Walter Bealon, Anthony Mitchell, Chase Williams 18.
Red Springs (42) – Carnelius Manning 2, Kaedon Porter 13, Jamey Tedder 8, Kohnner Oxendine, Makhi Arthur 7, Jasiah Williams 5, Jaylen Sturdivant 7, Timothy Hammonds.
About Author
