The unbeaten East Bladen girls basketball team was seeded No. 1 in Class 2-A East and will host St. Pauls on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the opening round game of the state playoffs. The West Bladen boys were seeded No. 23 in the East and will play at No. 10 Goldsboro on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Pairings were announced Saturday by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. Seedings are based on a maximum 22-game season.
The East Bladen girls are 27-0 (22-0 for seeding purposes) after winning their third consecutive Four County Conference tournament championship Friday night, defeating Clinton 76-37. The Eagles defeated St. Pauls during the regular season by scores of 57-10 and 57-13. St. Pauls is 9-15 (8-14 seeding) and is seeded 32nd in the East.
If East Bladen wins, it will host the winner between No. 17 Warren County (16-6) and No. 16 SouthWest Edgecombe (11-10) on Thursday. The third-round is scheduled Saturday and East Bladen would host the game if still in the tournament.
The West Bladen boys are 20-7 (17-5 for seeding purposes) after losing to Clinton 72-59 on Friday in the championship game of the Four County Conference tournament. Goldsboro is 22-3 (21-1 seeding). If West Bladen wins Tuesday, it will play the winner between No. 7 Kinston (18-4) and No. 26 (Warren County (12-10). The Knights would play at Kinston and would host Warren County.
Here are pairings around the region:
2-A BOYS
No. 23 West Bladen (17-5) at No. 10 Goldsboro (21-1)
No. 25 Midway (15-7) at No. 8 Franklinton (17-5)
No. 24 First Flight (16-6) at No. 9 Clinton (15-7)
No. 19 Red Springs (15-7) at No. 14 Southern Vance (16-6)
No. 22 St. Pauls (17-5) at No. 11 Jordan-Matthews (19-3)
No. 31 SouthWest Edgecombe (8-12) at No. 2 Fairmont (20-0)
1-A BOYS
No. 17 Plymouth (15-7) at No. 16 Wallace-Rose Hill (16-6)
No. 25 Perquimans (12-10) at No. 8 Whiteville (14-4)
No. 28 Lakewood (10-11) at No. 5 Voyager Academy (19-3)
No. 30 Northside-Pinetown (9-13) at No. 3 Heide Trask (20-2)
No. 26 Hobbton (11-11) at No. 7 Neuse Charter (17-4)
2-A GIRLS
No. 32 St. Pauls (8-14) at No. 1 East Bladen (22-0)
No. 25 East Duplin (13-9) at No. 8 Red Springs (16-6)
No. 22 North Johnston (11-11) at No. 11 Clinton (20-2)
No. 26 Midway (13-9) at No. 7 T.W. Andrews (18-4)
1-A GIRLS
No. 17 Ocracoke (14-8) at No. 16 South Robeson (15-7)
No. 25 Cape Hatteras at No. 8 Wallace-Rose Hill (14-7)
No. 27 Whiteville (9-9) at No. 6 Northampton (16-3)
No. 26 Kestrel Heights (11-10) at No. 7 East Columbus (17-4)
No. 23 Neuse Charter (10-9) at No. 10 Lakewood (17-5)
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