By John Clark
BLADENBORO – With echoes of last season’s conference championship run resounding in the rafters of ‘The Castle’, West Bladen’s Knights poured in 45 points in the 2nd half to outlast a talented Lumberton team 75-63 Friday night before a raucous packed house in the semifinals of the Bladen Offroad Christmas Tournament.
Coach Travis Pait’s Knights improved to 8-1 and will face North Brunswick (10-1) – a 63-44 winner over St. Pauls in the other semifinal – in the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday. Lumberton, now 5-5, will play St. Pauls (7-4) in the 3rd place game at 6 p.m.
Knight junior Chase Williams posted a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, blocked 3 shots and handed out 5 assists. Junior Hezekiah Adams followed with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Sophomore Jackson Pait fired in 16 points (on 6 of 12 shooting) and added 2 assists and 2 steals. Sophomore Tylik McCall finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Senior Andre Moore contributed 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists.
“It was a good win,” said Coach Pait. “Everybody played unbelievably hard. Hezi was really great in the 2nd half. Chase was Chase. He did what Chase does every night. Tylik played great and not just because he hit some shots but with ballhandling and other things. Jackson played well.”
Coach Pait continued, “Kendell (Lesane) and Corny (Cornelius Esters) gave us big minutes off the bench. The guys just kept battling and battling, and they had to. That’s a really good team….and now we get Goliath (North Brunswick).”
Lumberton senior Dimetrious Jones blistered the nets with 18 of his game-high 28 points in the final period. Sophomore Amare Jones filled up the rims with 9 of his 16 points in the 2nd half. Junior Jaiden Shephard added 8 points, and freshman Nate Lawson tallied 6 points.
Williams turned a Moore assist into a lay-up, and Pait drilled in a 3-pointer, but Dimetrious Jones stole the ball and dashed for a lay-up. Lawson popped in a pair of short jumpers for a 6-5 Pirate lead. Williams answered with a jump-hook then scooped in a lay-up. Adams hit a free throw, and Pait popped in a 6-footer for a 12-8 West lead.
Adams drove for a lay-in then sent an assist to Williams for a lay-up. Aiden Locklear threw in a 3-ball, but Pait pulled up for a 10-footer. A pair of runners by Amare Jones trimmed the margin to 18-17.Williams scored with his left hand then banked in an 8-footer. However Amare Jones’ 3-ball knotted the score at 22.
McCall converted a Pait assist into a lay-up, but Dimetrious Jones responded with a 3-point shot and a lay-up for a 27-24 Pirate lead. A McCall free throw, a Williams follow shot and Adams driving lay-up that resulted in a 3-point play edged West ahead 30-29 at halftime.
Dimetrious Jones drilled in a 3-ball, and Lawson hit 2 free throws for a quick 34-30 Pirate lead. However Adams buried a 3-point shot then ran down a long rebound for a lay-up that ignited a 23-4 Knight explosion.
Pait swished a 3-ball from the wing, Williams drove for a lay-up, McCall canned a 15-footer then splashed the nets with a 3-ball. Pait and McCall knocked down corner 3-balls, and Williams turned an Adams’ feed into a lay-up and a 53-38 Knight lead.
Adams sank 2 free throws, and McCall cashed in 3 foul shots, but Demetrious Jones started the final period with 4 acrobatic lay-ups and a 3-point basket to narrow the gap to 58-51. Williams dropped off an assist to Adams for a lay-up then tallied a lay-up and a free throw.
Demetrious Jones drove for a 3-point play that chopped the West lead to 63-56 with 3:53 left. Pait knocked down an elbow jumper, and Adams sped to the rim for a 3-point play and a 68-56 lead. Demetrious Jones flipped in 2 foul shots and scooped in a lay-up to make it 68-60 with 2:35 remaining.
Adams connected on 4 straight free throws then delivered a feed to Williams who hammered in a transition dunk for a 74-60 lead. Amare Jones banked in a 3-ball, and Pait sank a free throw for the final margin.
Lumberton 8 21 11 23 — 63
West Bladen 12 18 23 22 — 75
Lumberton (63) — Nate Lawson 6, Jaiden Shephard 8, Amare Jones 16, Nakoma Scott, Dimetrious Jones 28, Ayvan Redic, Nick Lawson, Brady Chavis, Aiden Locklear 3, Isreal Perkins 2.
West Bladen (75) — Jackson Pait 16, Hezekiah Adams 22, Tylik McCall 14, Kendell Lessane, Andre Moore, Cornelius Esters, Ty’Leak Ballard, Chase Williams 23.
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