On Jan. 18 in middle school basketball action, the Williston-Elko Lady Blue Devils defeated the Guinyard-Butler Lady Warponies by a score of 16-4. The game was never in doubt as the Lady Blue Devils sizzled to a 11-2 halftime lead and never looked back. The Lady Blue Devils had a balanced attack offensively with four of the five starters scoring. Ashley Williamson led the troops with six points and seven rebounds. Ke Ke Parker also had a good outing with five points, six steals and two assists. Also scoring were Tasheeka Whetstone and Shari Williams with two points each.
The Jefferson Davis Academy varsity girls drove past Clarendon Hall Academy for a 42-39 victory Tuesday, Jan. 24 in Blackville. Jefferson Davis Academy led 28-25 after three quarters. However, a back-and-forth contest with nine lead changes seemingly swung in the favor of the Lady Saints of Clarendon Hall as they took a 36-31 lead with 4:03 left to play. Down but not out, the Lady Raiders of Jefferson Davis Academy charged back down the stretch, outscoring the Lady Saints 11-3 in the last three minutes to pull out the win.
The Barnwell High boys varsity basketball team could do no wrong in the first half of Friday’s region game against Silver Bluff. Behind the shooting of center Phazahn Odom, who pumped in 15 first-half points, the Warhorses dominated the Bulldogs on their way to a 30-20 halftime lead. However, the second half was a different story as the winds of momentum shifted to the Bulldogs. The end result for the Warhorses was a disappointing 58-55 overtime loss.
Sometimes in the world of sports, there are games a team needs to win and there are games teams have to win. For the Blackville-Hilda High varsity boys basketball team, Friday night’s game against North High was a must-win situation. After cruising with three straight wins to capture the championship in the Hawks’ Holiday Invitational tournament, Blackville-Hilda has slumped with four straight losses. The drought, however, ended against the Eagles as the team put together its best performance in almost a month in a 72-67 victory.
The Lady Blue Devils of Williston-Elko High and Lady Hawks of Blackville-Hilda High looked pretty evenly matched for three and a half quarters Thursday in Blackville. However, after eight lead changes and six ties, Williston-Elko High seized control over their region rival. Ebony Corbitt took over the offense for the Lady Blue Devils, scoring eight of the team’s last 14 points in a 54-44 victory. Corbitt, who finished with 14 points, was four-of-five from the floor in the final five minutes of play.
In a battle of wills, the Williston-Elko High boys varsity basketball team held off in-county rival Blackville-Hilda High 51-47 Thursday night in the Hawks’ Nest. The Blue Devils led by as much as 14 points in the first half, but found themselves in a physical and intense battle in the final quarter after the Hawks rallied to take a 44-43 lead with 4:08 left to play. WEHS, however, gathered every ounce of energy and strength in the last three minutes for a 8-4 run to secure the game.
The Williston-Elko High Blue Devils had little trouble finding the bottom of the net Friday night against region rival North High. Fueled by the plays of Kalin Strong and Rokeem Williams, the Blue Devils torched the Eagles by a score of 70-43. The hot-shooting duo combined for 41 points. Rokeem Williams led the team with 21 points, including four three-pointers. Strong had a breakout game with 20 points 17 rebounds, four blocked shots and four assits.
Barnwell High senior point guard Edward Johnson said the team wanted to come out and make a statement against Blackville-Hilda High. Well, the message by Johnson and his teammates was received loud and clear by everyone Jan. 3 in the Barnwell High gymnasium. Hoping to erase the not-so-fond memory of a two point loss in the team’s first meeting, the Warhorses were in complete command from start to finish in the rematch as they blew away their incounty rivals by a score of 64-41.
In the Hawks Invitational championship game, the Allendale-Fairfax Lady Tigers out-clawed the Blackville-Hilda Lady Hawks 40-21 Thursday in Blackville. For the Lady Tigers it was a series of runs, spurred by a tenacious defense that was the difference in the game. The Lady Tigers forced 28 turnovers, including six during a 9-2 run at the start of the third quarter. The scoring run by the Lady Tigers made the score 31-15 with 5:19 left in the third quarter. Blackville-Hilda never recovered at that point, going just two of 18 from the field the rest of the way.
The Williston-Elko High varsity girls basketball team got payback Thursday night against Ridge-Spring-Monetta High in Blackville. In the teams first meeting, Dec. 13, Ridge-Spring Monetta topped Williston-Elko High 47-42. In that game three starters from Williston-Elko High fouled out, including leading scorer Tierra Richberg. In the rematch, however, Williston-Elko High wasn't left short-handed. Fueled by the plays of seniors Richberg and Jalen Reed, the Lady Blue Devils defeated the Lady Trojans 46-36 in the Hawks Invitational Consolation game.
