Wallace-Rose Hill’s Johnnie Glaspie fired in 26 points Tuesday night to lead the Bulldogs to a 71-51 Four County Conference boys basketball victory at West Bladen.
Glaspie who is committed to attend East Carolina next year on a football scholarship drained a 3-point shot and scored 11 points in the first period as the Bulldogs took a 21-12 lead.
“We had four keys to the game,” said West Bladen Coach Travis Pait. “To give a great effort; give up no points off turnovers and second shots; and to play good defense.”
“Our defensive rotations were terrible,” continued Coach Pait. “And we gave up points off turnovers and second shots.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Knights 56-30 on points in the paint. Eighteen of those points in the paint came on follow shots. The Knights also missed 12 of 23 foul shots.
A Jonathan Robinson jump-hook and a Shaquille Johnson dunk kept West within 6-4 early, but the Bulldogs ran off 5 straight points for an 11-4 lead.
Junior Sayaun Dent sank 2 free throws and drove for a pair of lay-ups – one of which resulted in a 3-point play and whittled the lead to 13-11. Glaspie led an 8-1 Wallace spurt that resulted in the 21-12 lead.
The margin grew to 27-14, but Dent hit a trio of free throws, sophmore Jimmy Williams banked in a follow, and junior John Bowen popped in a 15-footer and a free throw to close the gap to 31-22.
However Wallace ended the half with a 6-2 burst and went up 37-24 at halftime.
Kalvin Page raced for a transition lay-up, and Bowen tapped in a rebound to keep the margin at 41-28. Assists by McDonald led to Dent and Bowen lay-ups, and Johnson knocked down a 3-point shot, but the visitors lead 55-37 at the quarter break.
Senior Malique McDowell worked the paint for a pair of baskets, and Dent bombed in a 3-ball then drove for a lay-up and a 3-point play to highlight the West scoring in the final period.
Dent led the Knights with 18 points. Bowen finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds. McDonald contributed 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. McDowell had 6 points and 4 rebounds.
The Knights are now 5-3 in the league and 14-4 overall. West Bladen will travel to Wallace-Rose Hill tonight to make-up a game that was postponed back in December due to the Bulldogs participation in the football play-offs.
West Bladen (51) – Kalvin Page 3, Jimmy Williams 2, Keshawn Lewis, Michael Guyton, Stefan McDonald 7, Sayaun Dent 18, Malique McDowell 6, Shaquille Johnson 5, Jonathan Robinson 2, Will Lambeth, John Bowen 8.