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.  
Kalin Strong and Jerry James fueled the team down the stretch. Strong grabbed a team high 16 rebounds, including four boards in the last two minutes of play. Strong also contributed 14 points and six assists.
James, who finished with eight points, converted a three-point play to put the Blue Devils ahead to stay at 51-47 with 54 seconds left to play.
The Blue Devils then forced two turnovers on the Hawks’ following two posssesions to secure the victory.
 With the win, Williston-Elko High improves to 5-4 in the season.
Williston-Elko High coach Kenneth Lipsey said his team has been playing well lately.
“Our effort has been really good over the last few games,” Lipsey said. “We knew coming in here it was going to be a battle and it was. We jumped on them early, but they came back. Our players, however, showed a lot of poise late in  the game coming up with a couple of big baskets for the win.”
For Blackville-Hilda High, it was a game of missed opportunities as the team turned over the ball on four of its last five possessions. BHHS also missed six shots in the paint in the final minute of play.
BHHS coach Michael Beasley said his team has to execute better if they hope to end their three-game losing streak.
“We haven’t shot the ball well the last three games and that’s why we’ve lost,” Beasley said. “We struggled to get the ball in the basket, especially early in games. In all of our losses, we’ve dug early holes for ourselves.”
For WEHS, three players scored in double figures. Joining Kalin Strong were Rokeem Williams and Anthony Cuthbertson. Williams posted a double-double with 12 points, 11 steals and four assists. Cuthbertson had his best performance of the season with 10 points and nine rebounds. Others scoring included Zac Smith with four points, six assists and four rebounds; and Shaquille O’Neal with a three-pointer.
The Hawks’ top offensive performer was Roderick Kearse with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists. Roderick Smith had a good, all-around game with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Dwayne Prophet added eight points, including a three-pointer.