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By John Clark

WHITEVILLE — Sophomore Jackson Pait and junior Hezekiah Adams sparked a 20-5 closing run that clinched a 55-34 non-conference boys’ basketball victory for West Bladen Friday night over Whiteville.

Whiteville senior Amari Best poured in 11 of his game-high 17 points in the 3rd quarter as the Wolfpack trimmed a 35-22 Knight lead to 35-29 on a Best lay-up. However Adams dished an assist to senior Ty’Leak Ballard who banged in a lay-up that beat the buzzer and padded the led to 37-29.

Adams canned a free throw to begin the final period, and sophomore Tylik McCall rattled in an elbow jumper. Junior center Chase Williams dropped in 2 free throws to stretch the lead to 42-29 with 5:33 remaining.

Pait buried a pair of 3-point shots, and Adams stole the ball and raced for a lay-up then sank 2 free throws to grow the lead to 52-32. Pait tossed in 3 more free throws in the final 30 seconds.

Pait led the Knight attack with 15 points and 3 assists. Williams filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots. Adams finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. McCall totaled 7 points and 5 rebounds. Senior Andre Moore pulled down 7 rebounds and had 2 assists.

“We really had to fight to get this one,” said West Bladen Coach Travis Pait. “We’ve had so many people out sick – one didn’t play tonight – some of the others did. We haven’t been able to practice.”

“Conner (Monroe), Ty’Leak (Ballard) and Corny (Cornelius Esters) were big for us tonight off the bench,” added Pait. “They came through and kept us in it.”

Monroe nailed a pair of 3-point shots in the 3rd period to help the Knights withstand the Best explosion. Monroe finished with 6 points and 2 rebounds. Ballard contributed 4 points and 3 rebounds, and Esters contributed a rebound and some key minutes on the floor.

McCall, Pait and Adams fired in 3-point shots in the 1st period. Williams hit a free throw, and Ballard powered in a lay-up off a Pait assist for a 12-2 Knight lead.

Williams muscled in 2 lay-ups off assists from Moore and Adams. McCall turned a Williams assist into a lay-up before Williams spiked in a dunk off another Adams assist to stretch the lead to 20-6. However, Brycen Edwards answered with a 3-ball for Whiteville, and Best closed the gap to 20-13 at halftime with a pair of baskets.

Pait splashed in a long 3-ball to begin the 2nd half, and Adams flipped in a baseline jumper. Monroe sandwiched his two 3-pointers around a follow shot and 2 free throws by Williams as the West lead grew back to 35-22.

Edwards finished with 6 points for the Wolfpack.

The Knights improved to 5-1 with the win and will host South Columbus Tuesday night.

West Bladen 12 8 17 18 — 55
Whiteville 3 10 16 5 — 34

West Bladen (55) — Jackson Pait 15, Hezekiah Adams 10, Tylik McCall 7, Conner Monroe 6, Andre Moore, Cornelius Esters, Ty’Leak Ballard 4, Chase Williams 13.

Whiteville (34) — Justin Ward, Will Fisher 4, Brycen Edwards 6, Amari Best 17, Bishop Herring, D. J. Shipman 1, Damarion Hall, Caleb McLean 3, Teron Bowen, Zay’shaun Bennett 3.