Despite not scoring a field goal for nearly three minutes in the final quarter, the Blackville-Hilda High varsity boys basketball team had enough firepower at the end to overtake Williston-Elko High. The final score was 43-37 Feb. 13 in Norway.

With the win, Blackville-Hilda finishes second place in the region with a record of 16-7 overall.

For the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, Williston-Elko High prevented Blackville-Hilda from playing its shoot-and-crash-the-board style of game.

However, after a brief scoring drought, Larry Smith breath life back into the Hawk offense.

Smith scored eight of the team 11 points in the quarter, including a three-pointer for the victory. Smith wrapped up the contest with 18 points. He went seven-of-10 from the floor with a trio of three-pointers.

"This was a big game for us so I knew I had to step up," Smith said. "It was very tough all the way through because both teams wanted it so bad. Luckily for us we were able to pull it out at the end."

The victory also gives Blackville-Hilda second seed in the class 1A playoff. The Hawks will opened at home against Lewisville High Feb. 16 in the opening round of the 1A playoffs.

Blackville-Hilda coach Michael Beasley said his team knew what was on the line with this game.

"We knew we needed a victory in this game to have a good chance of a good playoff seeding," Beasley said. "It was a tough game all the way through, but we found a way at the end to make the plays for the victory."

Others scoring for the Hawks included Javaris Dukes with six points; Mile Vice had four points and Jaleel Hammonds contributed six points, four assists and three steals.

Antonio Walker led Williston-Elko High with 22 points with 12 of those coming in the second half.

"I think our team made a big turnaround after a couple of disappointing losses late in the season," Beasley said.

On Thursday, Feb. 11 in the Hawks Nest, Blackville-Hilda High held off Williston-Elko High by a score of 57-56.

Blackville-Hilda High squandered a 12-point first half lead to a scrappy Williston-Elko High team in the third quarter. However, the Hawks weathered the storm in the final quarter because of Jaleel Hammonds' accurate shooting.

Hammonds scored eight of his game high 22 points in the final six minutes of the game. Hammonds finished nine-of-15 shooting from the floor and four-of-five from the free throw line.

By defeating Williston-Elko High, Blackville-Hilda High finished the regular season in a two-way tie with Williston-Elko for second place in the region.

For the game, Blackville-Hilda High had three players scoring in double figures, including Javaris Dukes with 10 points and five assists.

Larry Smith had 10 points and four assists. Others scoring included Roderic Smith with five points and Roderic Kearse with four points.

For the Blue Devils, Antonio Walker posted a double-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. Quantel Mack had 13 points, including two three-pointers. Rokeem Williams contributed 14 points, five steals and four assists.