Basketball Game Preview: West Bladen Knights vs. East Bladen Eagles

The West Bladen Knights are taking a road trip to take on the East Bladen Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. West Bladen is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 14 games.

On Tuesday, West Bladen strolled past Fairmont with points to spare, taking the game 47-31. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 63rd, while the Golden Tornadoes are ranked 225th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Chase Williams

Points

02/11/25 vs Fairmont	18
02/07/25 @ Midway	17
02/04/25 vs Clinton	21
01/31/25 @ St. Pauls	22

West Bladen's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Chase Williams, who posted 18 points. The match was Williams' fourth in a row with at least 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tylik McCall, who scored 12 points.

Meanwhile, East Bladen was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 45-39 to Whiteville. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

East Bladen's loss dropped their record down to 8-14. As for West Bladen, they pushed their record up to 21-1 with the win, which was their 13th straight at home.

Everything went West Bladen's way against East Bladen in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, as West Bladen made off with a 54-30 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for West Bladen since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.