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By Sonny Jones

Well, that didn’t quite work out as hoped. One round of N.C. High School Athletic Association playoff basketball and only one Bladen County team remains.

Kudos to the East Bladen girls who outscored Red Springs 43-19 in the second half on their way to a 77-46 win Tuesday night.

NCHSAA 2-A Girls’ Basketball Playoffs: East Bladen 77, Red Springs 46

For the East Bladen and West Bladen boys’ teams, it is a time of woulda, coulda, shoulda. A bounce here, a basket there, a defensive stop and results could have been different. It didn’t happen and each team saw its season end Tuesday night. Frustrating, to be sure, but fine seasons for both as they shared the Southeastern Athletic Conference regular season championship and combined for a 37-15 record.

It was nice to see Bladen County boys’ basketball relevant again after a three-year stretch from 2017-2020 where the teams combined for a 30-111 record.

NCHSAA 2-A Boys’ Basketball Playoffs: North Johnston 49, West Bladen 43

NCHSAA 2-A Boys’ Basketball Playoffs: North Lenoir 54, East Bladen 49

The East Bladen girls face a more difficult test Thursday in third-seeded Elizabeth City Northeastern. Jasmine Felton, a junior, averges 30 points and 13.8 rebounds, and senior Aniyah Rainey averages 21.4 points and 7.4 rebounds for Northeastern (25-1). You can toss in about a 7-hour round-trip bus ride for East Bladen. That’s better than the alternative of not playing.

• East Bladen and Northeastern both use Eagles for school nicknames. So, it’s truthful reporting to write the Eagles will advance to Saturday’s third round of the playoffs. Don’t sell the local Eagles short in this contest.

• Three Southeastern Athletic Conference girls’ teams advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. Only one boys’ team, St. Pauls, won. Here are Tuesday’s results and Thursday’s pairings:

BOYS
Tuesday
No. 26 North Lenoir 54, No. 7 East Bladen 49
No. 16 North Johnston 49, No. 17 West Bladen 43
No. 1 Farmville Central 79, No. 32 Fairmont 34
No. 3 Hertford County 77, No. 30 Midway 42
No. 14 Elizabeth City Northeastern 56, No. 19 Red Springs 53
No. 15 St. Pauls 61, No. 18 Burlington Cummings 55

Thursday
No. 15 St. Pauls (16-12) at No. 2 Goldsboro (25-2)

GIRLS
Tuesday
No. 14 East Bladen 77, No. 19 Red Springs 46
No. 8 N.C. School of Science and Math 44, No. 25 Midway 34
No. 4 St. Pauls 60, No. 29 Kinston 45
No. 11 Fairmont 43, No. 22 North Johnston 17

Thursday
No. 20 Roanoke Rapids (13-9) at No. 4 St. Pauls (19-5)
No. 14 East Bladen (19-7) at No. 3 Elizabeth City Northeastern (25-1)
No. 27 South Lenoir (14-10) at No. 11 Fairmont (23-4)

TWITTER POLL

Tobacco Road rivals meet in a key ACC basketball game. Cast your vote.

Which team wins Wednesday’s college basketball game?

— Bladen Online (@BladenOnline) February 22, 2023

Tuesday’s results: Which team wins the East Bladen-Red Springs girls’ basketball game?
• 22 votes – East Bladen 86.4%, Red Springs 13.6%
• Outcome: East Bladen 77, Red Springs 46

Which team wins the West Bladen-North Johnston boys’ basketball game?
• 22 votes – West Bladen 68.2%, North Johnston 31.8%
• Outcome: North Johnston 49, West Bladen 43

Which team wins the East Bladen-North Lenoir boys’ basketball game?
• 22 votes – East Bladen 68.2%, North Lenoir 31.8%
• Outcome: North Lenoir 54, East Bladen 49

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1980 — The U.S. Olympic hockey team stuns the Soviet Union with a 4-3 victory in the medal round of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Captain Mike Eruzione scores the winning goal midway through the final period.

POTATO PICKS TO WATCH TODAY

• WOMEN’S SOCCER: United States vs. Brazil, 7 p.m., TNT

• WOMEN’S HOCKEY: United States vs. Canada, 7 p.m., NHLN

• BASKETBALL: Wake Forest at N.C. State, 9 p.m., BALLY SOUTH

• BASKETBALL: North Carolina at Notre Dame, 9 p.m., ESPN

• NHL: Chicago at Dallas, 9:30 p.m., TNT

• LPGA: Honda Thailand, 10 p.m., GOLF

Sonny Jones can be reached at wibbyj@gmail.com.