TABOR CITY – Sophomore center Chase Williams battled inside for a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds that led West Bladen to a 62-51 non-conference boys’ basketball victory over South Columbus Wednesday night.
Freshman Jackson Pait fired in 18 points for the winners, and freshman Tylik McCall added 6 points. Sophomore Hezekiah Adams grabbed 8 rebounds and had 4 points and 3 steals.
“Wow!” said Knight Coach Travis Pait when informed of Williams’ totals. “That’s a good night’s work. The kids played hard, and I thought our offense was really good in the first half. ”
Williams canned 3 of 4 free throws and banked in a 4-footer to keep West close early. Adams put back a rebound, and Pait drained a 3-pointer from the right wing. Two more Williams’ free throws kept West Bladen up 12-9 at the quarter break.
Andrew Todd who led the Stallions with 21 points tied the game 12-12 with a 3-ball, but the Knights responded with a 10-0 spurt. Williams and Adams dropped in lay-ups, and senior Walter Bealon and Pait knocked down 3-pointers for a 22-12 lead.
South fought back but McCall buried a 3-point shot, and Williams netted a lay-up off of an Adams’ assist. Pait hurled in a runner from the baseline, before Williams rang up another lay-up for a 31-25 Knight halftime lead.
Pait opened the 2nd half with another 3-pointer, but the Stallions roared back with an 8-0 run to whittle the lead to 34-33. Pait bombed in a long 3-pointer from the top of the key to stop the run, and McCall delivered another 3-ball for a 40-33 lead.
Another Todd 3-ball sliced the West lead to 40-36, but Williams worked inside for a lay-up, and junior Andre Moore drilled in a 3-pointer to keep the Knights up 45-38 at the 3rd quarter break.
Todd trimmed the lead to 45-41 with a 3-ball to start the final period. Then Williams took charge –flipping in a lay-up then hooking in a lay-up off of an assist from Adams. McCall sent an assist to Pait for a lay-up for a 51-41 lead.
Williams banged in 2 more lay-ups, before receiving an in-bounds pass from Moore that resulted in a lay-up and a 3-point play that stretched the lead to 58-45.
South rallied to within 58-52 thanks to a pair of Todd baskets and a 3-ball from Rovaughn Graham. However a Pait pass found Williams inside for another lay-up, and Pait canned a pair of foul shots to close out the scoring.
Jamal Brown followed Todd on the Stallion scoring list with 10 points, and Demonta Gore tallied 8 points. “South made some shots,” said Coach Pait. “And even though we tried to box out, at times their athleticism got them the rebound.”
The Knights raised their record to 3-0 and will host West Columbus Friday night.
West Bladen 12 19 14 17 – 62
South Columbus 9 16 13 13 – 51
WEST BLADEN (62) – Jackson Pait 18, Hezekiah Adams 4, Tylik McCall 6, Andre Moore 3, Walter Bealon 3, Anthony Mitchell, Chase Williams 28.
SOUTH COLUMUS (51) – Jamal Brown 10, Rovaughn Graham 4, Andrew Todd 21, Demonta Gore 8, Ellis Riggins, Chase Clewis 2, Cole Edge 1, Anthony Scott 4, Noah Greene 1.
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