ELIZABETHTOWN – Senior sharp-shooter Mikey Bilal hit four of his six 3-point shots in the final quarter Friday night to help the West Columbus Vikings rally past the host East Bladen Eagles in a key Southeastern 1A-2A Conference boys basketball game.
The game came on the heels of a disappointing road loss to St. Pauls on Tuesday that knocked the Vikings from a share of the conference lead.
Bilal finished with 26 points and Chaz Everette scored 23 for the Vikings, whose conference record now stands at 9-2. Chris Smith contributed 12 points to the WCHS win. Coach Michael Powell’s Vikings are now carrying a season record of 16-3.
West Columbus had a brilliant night from the foul line, sinking 16 of 17 attempts
Mario Cisneros, the Vikings’ 6-11 senior center, pulled down 12 rebounds and Everette added nine.
East Bladen, which saw its record slip to 7-3 in the Southeastern Conference, got another huge scoring night from Leumichael “Mike-Mike” Smith, who tallied a game-high 29 points. Jeffrey Bryant scored 23.
East Bladen led throughout the first half, taking a 35-30 lead at half. West Columbus managed to tie the score at 51 after three quarters before gaining the lead in the final quarter.
“We stepped things up on defense in the second half and got some key shots to fall late in the game,” Powell said. “It’s definitely a game we needed to win after losing like we did at St. Pauls.”
West Columbus will close out its conference schedule on Tuesday when it plays host to South Robeson. On Friday, the Vikings will have a non-confernece home game with Wilmington Laney.
BOYS GAME
| W. Columbus |
15
|
15
|
21
|
24
|
-
|
75
|
| E. Bladen |
18
|
17
|
16
|
17
|
-
|
68
|
WEST COLUMBUS (75): Bilal 26, Everette 23, Smith 12, Cisneros 4, Ward 6, Snowten 2, Leggett 2.
EAST BLADEN (68): Smith 29, Bryant 23, Beatty 4, Lancaster 4, Autry 4, Huggins 2, Cromartie 1.
