By John Clark
ST PAULS — A 16-7 4th quarter spurt broke open a 1-point game and propelled West Bladen to a 48-40 Southeastern Athletic Conference boys’ basketball victory over St. Pauls Friday night.
It was the 17th consecutive win for Coach Travis Pait’s Knights who remained atop the SAC with an 8-0 record and are 19-1 overall. West Bladen will visit Fairmont Tuesday night with a chance to secure the SAC title with a win, while a loss would knot the 2 teams in a tie for 1st. St. Pauls (2-6, 9-13) will travel to Clinton Tuesday night.
Two free throws by Theo Setzer and Antonio Arnold’s banked in runner pulled the Bulldogs to with 32-31 with 6:18 left to play. Knight center Chase Williams spun to the basket and scooped a lay-up under St. Pauls’ 6-9 Tyson Thompson. Williams’ free throw completed the 3-point play and put West up 35-31.
Knight sophomore Tylik McCall nailed a 3-point shot from the left corner, and junior Hezekiah Adams sent an assist to Williams for another lay-up. Adams then stole the ball and raced for a lay-up and a 42-33 lead with 2:37 remaining.
St. Pauls’ Tykeem Oxendine answered with a 3-ball, and Setzer put back a rebound to close the gap to 42-38 at the 1:23 mark. Williams fired a pass to a wide-open McCall for a lay-up with 49 seconds on the clock, and McCall returned the favor with an assist to Williams for a dunk and a 46-38 lead. After a series of Bulldog fouls trying to put the Knights on the line, McCall sank 2 free throws to widen the gap to 48-38.
“It was a good win,” said Coach Pait. “It was a playoff type game and this was the best crowd for a West Bladen/St. Pauls game since I have been here. It’s always tougher to play these teams the 2nd time around.”
Williams, a junior, led the Knights with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots despite sitting out over 6 minutes in the 2nd quarter due to fouls. Sophomore Jackson Pait buried a trio of 3-point shots for 9 points.
McCall contributed 9 points and 4 rebounds. Senior Andre Moore bombed in a pair of 3-balls for 6 points, and Adams finished with 5 points, 4 steals and 2 assists despite sitting out the final 4:17 of the 1st half with foul trouble.
“I thought we played well all night,” continued Coach Pait. “The defense was really good, and the offense did what we wanted.”
Williams banged in a follow, and Pait drilled in a 3-ball to start the game for West. Williams drove for a lay-up then cashed in 2 free throws, but Thompson worked the paint for a trio of baskets and St. Pauls’ edged ahead 10-9 at the break on Oxendine’s foul shot.
Adams turned a Williams assist into a lay-up and an 11-10 West lead. Back came the Bulldogs on a Thompson 3-point play and an Arnold 3-ball to take an 18-11 lead midway the quarter. Pait banked in a 3-ball from the volleyball line then drained another 3-ball to slice margin to 18-17.
“I told Jackson to take over,” said Coach Pait. “When he gets going from out there it opens things up for the other guys.”
Moore knocked down a 3-pointer from the right corner to vault West ahead 20-19 at halftime.
Williams flipped in a driving shot over Thompson to start the 2nd half. McCall drove for a lay-up, and Adams made a free throw then delivered an assist to Williams for 27-19 lead with 5:10 on the clock.
Thompson ended the run with a jump hook over Williams, but Moore sent an assist to Williams for 29-21 lead. St. Pauls’ lay-ups by Markeon Fletcher and Oxendine trimmed the margin to 29-25. However Moore knocked down another 3-ball, before a pair of Oxendine free throws closed the gap to 32-27 at the quarter break.
Thompson led the Bulldogs with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Oxendine finished with 10 points, and Fletcher tallied 7.
West Bladen 9 11 12 16 — 48
St. Pauls 10 9 8 13 — 40
West Bladen (48) — Jackson Pait 9, Hezekiah Adams 5, Tylik McCall 9, Kendell Lessane, Andre Moore 6, Ty’Leak Ballard, Chase Williams 19.
St. Pauls (40) — Theo Setzer 4, Jasiah Bryant, Jakhi Purcell, Markeon Fletcher 7, Tykeem Oxendine 10, Tyson Thompson 14, Antonio Arnold 5, Yoshua McBryde.
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