DUBLIN — West Bladen used a big third quarter and four players in double figures to hand visiting Clinton a 72-63 Four County Conference loss on Friday.

The win improved the Knights to 16-6 overall and 7-5 in the conference, while Clinton dropped to 14-7 and 9-3.

The two teams traded blows throughout the first quarter, but a 9-1 run by Clinton helped the Dark Horses take an 18-15 edge going into the second quarter. Sayaun Dent and Stefan McDonald each canned a three-pointer in the period.

West Bladen opened the second stanza with a small 4-0 spurt for the lead, but the Dark Horses regained the advantage and kept it — only slightly. The Knights managed to whittle away at the deficit in the second stanza, outscoring Clinton by an 11-9 margin, but still trailed by 27-26 at intermission.

Coach Travis Pait made some necessary adjustments with his offense and the results bloomed immediately.

The Knights exploded for 26 points in the third quarter, including a 12-2 run, and outscored the Dark Horses by an 11-point margin to open a 52-42 advantage. John Bowen nailed a three-pointer in the quarter for West.

The fourth frame was an up-and-down affair, with 41 points being put on the scoreboard by the two teams. Clinton got the quarter win, but only by one, 21-20, and West Bladen had sealed the win. Bowen drained another three-pointer for the Knights.

Shaquille Johnson led the Knights with 18 points, while Bowen canned four three-pointers and scored 17 points. McDonald scored 15 points and Dent had 11 for West Bladen. Will Lambeth scored eight points off the bench for the Knights.