Basketball Game Preview: West Bladen Knights vs. St. Pauls Bulldogs

West Bladen hasn't had much luck against St. Pauls recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The West Bladen Knights will look to defend their home court against the St. Pauls Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. West Bladen will be strutting in after a win while St. Pauls will be coming in after a loss.

West Bladen took a loss when they played away from home back in December of 2024, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They slipped by South Columbus 54-53.

Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, St. Pauls' good fortune finally ran out two weeks ago. They took a hard 54-40 fall against Fairmont. The contest marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

West Bladen will have to contain Zhari Shipman as she made an impact in St. Pauls' last game. She went 10 for 24 on her way to 30 points in addition to eight rebounds and five assists. Shipman has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 11 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Zakoreya Davis, who posted four points in addition to 14 boards and three blocks.

Even though they lost, St. Pauls smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.

St. Pauls' defeat dropped their record down to 10-2. As for West Bladen, their victory ended a nine-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-7.

West Bladen was taken down by St. Pauls 71-32 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Thankfully for West Bladen, Jashontae Harris (who went 8 of 16 on her way to 20 points along with eight steals and six assists) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.