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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Elizabethtown won the Bladen Five Middle School Conference boys basketball regular season title with a 32-25 victory over visiting Clarkton School of Discovery Thursday night.
Coach Demetrius McLaurin’s Cougars improved to 7-1 with the victory and will play the Tar Heel/East Arcadia winner in the Bladen Five Tournament at Bladenboro on Tuesday. Clarkton, now 6-2 and the No. 2 seed, will play No. 3 Bladenboro in Tuesday’s first game.
Majuan McKoy and Jordan Robinson shared scoring honors with 13 points each and led Elizabethtown to the title. Teammate Nijeah McKoy added 4 points.
Tashuan Berkley led the Clarkton scoring with 12 points, and guard Garrett Melvin tossed in 5 points, and center Javant McDowell finished with 4 points.
The story of the game was at the foul line – the Blue Devils made only 7 of 34 free throws, while Elizabethtown sank 5 of 9 foul shots in the fourth quarter to finish 5 of 16 for the game.
Berkley dropped in a pair of first quarter baskets, and McDowell added one as the Blue Devils jumped in front 6-4. Robinson threw in the only 2 baskets for Elizabethtown in the quarter.
The Blue Devils missed 5 of 6 free throws in the second quarter. Berkley tallied the only Clarkton point of the period on a free throw.
The Cougars missed all 4 of their free throws in the quarter, but Robinson nailed a 3-point shot and another basket, and Majuan McKoy added a basket as Elizabethtown took an 11-7 halftime lead.
Berkley rallied the Blue Devils with a pair of third quarter baskets, and Melvin and McDowell tossed in a basket each. Teammate Xavier McKoy sank 2 free throws, and Lawson Hester hit one as Clarkton whittled the lead to 19-18.
Nijeah McKoy pumped in 2 baskets for the Cougars in the quarter, and Majuan McKoy and Robinson netted a basket each to keep Elizabethtown on top.
Majuan McKoy fired in 3 baskets and 3 free throws in the final quarter to open up the Cougar lead. Robinson added a basket, and Allen Owens hit 2 free throws.
Melvin and Berkley scored baskets for Clarkton in the final period, and Melvin, Hester and Berkley tacked on one free throw each. The Blue Devils made only 3 of 12 foul shots in the final quarter.
CSD (25) – Garrett Melvin 5, Jake Evans, Javant McDowell 4, Lawson Hester 2,Tashuan Berkley 12, Xavier McKoy 2, Jacob Priest.
Elizabethtown (32) – Majuan McKoy 13, Jordan Robinson 13, Allen Owens 2, Nijeah McKoy 4, Tyrek Smith, Cory McKoy, Cody Butler, Zachary Butler, Rasean McKoy, Fred Wooten, JaQuez McKoy, Drew Sholar, Victor Garcia, Zarion Brown.
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