By John Clark
BLADENBORO – East Bladen rode a 26-14 surge in the middle quarters to a 40-33 Southeastern Athletic Conference jayvee boys basketball victory over West Bladen Monday.
Freshman Keyshawn Kemp led the Eagle scoring with 10 points, and Shannon Hankins followed with 9 points. Malikah Moore tossed in 8 points, and Kewone Maynor added 6 points. Noah Hall threw in 12 points to lead the Knights. Elijah McCollum and Cade Allen contributed 7 points each.
A pair of Kemp free throws started the game, but Hall buried a 3-point shot for a 3-2 Knight lead. Chace Butler pumped in a 16-footer for East, and Malikah Moore banked in a short shot. McCollum answered with a free throw, and West’s Conner Monroe popped in an elbow jumper to tie the score 6-6 at the quarter break.
Moore dropped in a pair of lay-ups to start the 2nd period. Sherman Long buried a 3-point shot and Shannon Hankins cashed in a trio of free throws for a 16-6 East lead. Hall rallied the Knights with a baseline jumper, Allen banked in a 3-pointer and Monroe canned 2 free throws to whittle the lead to 16-13, but Hankins swished a 3-ball for a 19-13 Eagle halftime lead.
Kemp dropped in a follow and a lay-up in the 3rd quarter for East, Tevin McLean raced for a lay-up, and Maynor cashed in 4 free throws. Hankins delivered a 3-ball as the Eagle lead reached 32-20. Hall made 2 free throws, McCollum drained a 3-pointer and Allen drove for a lay-up for West.
Hall flipped in a pair of runners, McCollum banked in a 3-ball, and Tyleak Ballard netted a free throw as the Knights rallied to within 32-28. Maynor snapped the run with 2 free throws, but Hall hit one to keep West within 34-29.
Two inside buckets by Kemp and one by Moore secured the win for the Eagles. Allen turned an assist from Gavin Elks into a lay-up for West, and Ballard tossed in 2 foul shots.
Coach Aking Elting’s Eagle jayvees improved to 6-3 in the SAC-7 and 12-5 overall and will travel to Fairmont Friday. West Bladen, now 3-5 in the SAC-7 and 6-9 overall, will visit Fairmont Wednesday.
East Bladen 6 13 13 8 – 40
West Bladen 6 7 7 13 – 33
East Bladen (40) – Braylon Cromartie, Malikah Moore 8, Shannon Hankins 9, Kyran McKoy, Chace Butler 2, Khalil McKoy, Kewone Maynor 6, Sherman Long 3, Tevin McLean 2, Keyshawn Kemp 10.
West Bladen (33) – Elijah McCollum 7, Gavin Elks, Noah Hall 12, Charles Williams, Jamari Adams-Peterson, Cade Allen 7, Isaiah Robinson, Donovon Tubbs, Connor Monroe 4, Tyleak Ballard 3.
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