By Sonny Jones
It’s exam week for students at Bladen County’s two high schools. On the basketball court, the players have aced their non-conference tests.
There are two unbeaten varsity teams — East Bladen girls (7-0) and West Bladen boys (6-0) — and two one-loss varsity teams — East Bladen boys (6-1) and West Bladen girls (5-1). Toss in the junior varsity boys teams — East Bladen (6-1) and West Bladen (3-3) — and Bladen County high school basketball teams are an impressive 33-6, an .846 winning percentage.
Here is the scoring differential for the four varsity teams:
East Bladen girls: +25.3
West Bladen girls: +14.7
East Bladen boys: +14.0
West Bladen boys: +13.8
The West Bladen girls lost their opener 59-35 at East Columbus, then beat the Gators by a point a week later, rallying from a 15-point deficit with less than six minutes to play.
It’s been a great first month for Bladen County basketball teams.
It all starts over Friday with Southeastern Athletic Conference openers. Call it the second semester to the regular season, if you will. Both Bladen schools will be on the road with East Bladen at Midway and West Bladen at Clinton. Junior varsity games tip at 4:30 p.m. followed by girls varsity about 6 and boys varsity about 7:30.
This week Bladen County basketball players are putting pencil to paper — or is it fingers to keyboard these days? I’m not sure — in dealing with the student part of being a student-athlete. Friday, the players will be back on the court seeking to ace conference tests.
• Congratulations to the Tar Heel Middle School boys soccer team for capping an undefeated season Monday with a 4-0 win against Columbus Charter in a non-conference match. The Panthers finished 10-0 and outscored their opponents 54-4.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
• 1992 — Manon Rheaume becomes the first woman to play in a regular-season professional game when she appears in the Atlanta Knights’ 4-1 loss to Salt Lake City in the International Hockey League.
POTATO PICKS TO WATCH TODAY
• WORLD CUP SEMIFINAL: Argentina vs. Croatia, 2 p.m., FOX
• BASKETBALL: Furman at N.C. State, 6:30 p.m., ACCN
• BASKETBALL: The Citadel at North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN2
• NHL: Carolina at Detroit, 7 p.m., BALLY SOUTH
• NBA: Golden State at Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m., TNT
• NHL: Washington at Chicago, 9 p.m., ESPN
• NBA: Boston at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m., TNT
Sonny Jones can be reached at wibbyj@gmail.com.
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