ELIZABETHTOWN — After a tumultuous first quarter that set the Lady Eagles back on their heels, East Bladen put on the defensive clamps and took a 57-44 win over visiting Whiteville in the Three Rivers Conference opener for both teams on Friday.

The win keeps the Lady Eagles unblemished at 3-0, 1-0 this season, while the Lady Wolfpack falls to 1-2, 0-1.

Whiteville hit the court running and opened a 19-12 advantage after the first quarter of play. But from there, East Bladen’s defense began to lock things down.

Patience Ward pumped in six points in the second stanza and Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson added five points to lead a 16-7 Lady Eagles spurt through the quarter and gave East Bladen a slim 28-26 lead going into halftime.

Ward continued her offensive attack in the third quarter, dropping six more points, and Erica McKoy contributed six points as well to help East Bladen outscore Whiteville by an 18-6 margin and open a 46-32 advantage.

The Lady Eagles used balanced scoring around the court through the fourth frame and, despite getting outscored by the Lady Wolfpack 12-11, sealed up the 13-point victory.

Ward led the Lady Eagles with 19 points and added seven steals, while McKoy and Moore-Peterson each scored 13 points.

East Bladen will host South Columbus in a Three Rivers Conference matchup on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Staff report