Michael Young - Sports Editor

WEHS senior point guard Quantel Mack sank the free throw that sealed the Blue Devil victory over SouthSide Christian High School.

By sinking a free throw with no time remaining in the clock, senior point guard Quantel Mack sealed the fate of SouthSide Christian High Feb. 19 in the second round of the class 1A playoffs.

Mack's shot kept the Blue Devils playoff run intact as it gave Williston-Elko High a 47-46 victory.

With the game tied at 46-46, Mack was fouled as he drove to the basket on a layup attempt as the buzzer sounded to end regulation.

Although he had two hits because he was fouled in the act of shooting, Mack needed only the first attempt to seal the deal.

Mack, who finished with 11 points, 10 steals and six assists, said he was confident going to the charity stripe.

"I wasn't that nervous because I'm a pretty good free throw shooter," Mack said. "I know I had two free throws, but didn't want to take any chances. I was happy when the first shot fell."

With the win, Williston-Elko High improves to 13-12 on the season.

Williston-Elko High head coach Devin Liferidge said the team pulled off a big road win.

"Its always tough playing playoff games on the road. SouthSide Christian was a tough matchup for us. They're very athletic and they shot well from the perimeter," Liferidge said. "To our players credit, we were able to force some turnovers late in the game and produce some big baskets down the stretch for the victory."

For Williston-Elko High, senior forward/center Antonio "Busta" Walker was the top offensive gunner, finishing with 16 points, 11 boards and three blocked shots.

Also contributing was Rookem Williams with 15 points, including two three-pointers, five assists and two steals. Kevin Johnson had three points and five rebounds.

In the opening round of the playoffs Feb. 16, Williston-Elko High downed Indian Land High by a score of 63-59.

The game was closely played in the first half with Williston-Elko High clinging to a 30-27 halftime lead.

However, in the third quarter, the Blue Devils turned up the heat and outscored Indian Land 21-10 to take a 51-37 lead.

Williston-Elko then held off a late fourth quarter surge by Indian Land for the victory.

The Blue Devils had a balance offense with six players scoring, including three in double figures. Walker led the troops with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Rokeem Williams had a good shooting game from the perimeter, going 6-for-9 for 15 points and two three-pointers. Ondrew Bellinger turned in his best offensive outing of the season with 14 points, six assists and five steals. Kalin Strong pitched in six points and three assists.

"They made a little run at us. However, we did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball," Liferidge. "Overall I thought we did a very good job of distributing the ball."