RED SPRINGS – St. Pauls defeated West Bladen 62-34 Thursday night in the boys basketball semi-finals of the Southeastern Athletic Conference Tournament.
Shaun Emanuel nailed a pair of corner 3-balls and scored 9 points as the Bulldogs raced to an early 14-4 lead. Sophomore Landon Stanley followed up his own miss for the 1st Knight basket, and senior Javonta Matthews threw in an 8-footer.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Josh Henderson threw in 5 points in the 2nd period as the Bulldogs stretched the lead to 30-11. Freshman Chase Williams and sophomore Malachi Allen powered in follow shots for the Knights. Matthews hurled in a high-arcing 12-footer, and junior Gary Parker sank a free throw.
Jeyvian Tatum drained a 3-point shot and racked up 11 points in the 3rd quarter as the margin grew to 53-15. Allen pulled up for a 16-footer, and Matthews flipped in a runner for West.
Matthews popped in a 10-footer and cashed in 2 free throws to begin the final period. Senior Josiah Brown, Stanley and Matthews all drained 3-point shots. Senior Travail Baldwin tossed in a baseline runner to cut the lead to 56-32. Walter Bealon made 2 free throws.
Matthews led the Knights with 13 points. Allen followed with 7 points, and Williams contributed 4 points and 5 rebounds. Parker also pulled down 5 rebounds.
Tatum topped the Bulldog scoring list with 14 points. Henderson scored 11, and Emanuel added 9 points.
West Bladen, now 12-13, will await the release of the NCHSAA post-season brackets Saturday to see if their season will continue. St. Pauls, 18-5, will play Red Springs Friday night in the tournament championship game.
West Bladen 4 7 4 19 –34
St. Pauls 14 16 23 9 – 62
West Bladen (51) – Hezekiah Adams, Cornelius Esters, Josiah Brown 3, Landon Stanley 2, Malachi Allen 7, Keshawn Ballard, Gary Parker 1, Walter Bealon 2, Javonta Matthews 13, Chase Williams 4, Travail Baldwin 2.
St. Pauls (62) – Elston Powell 6, Cameron Revels 2, Josh Henderson 11, Lukus Osborne, Jeyvian Tatum 14, Elijah Blanding 2, Shaun Emanuel 9, Kenneth Jones 8, Marcus Galbreath 5, Kemarion Baldwin 4, Houston Hunt.
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