ELIZABETHTOWN-The East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the Pender Lady Patriots for a 61-23 victory in a Waccamaw Conference clash last Friday evening. The Lady Eagles amassed a 21-0 lead in the opening quarter before their opponents scored with three minutes remaining in the first. Pender found it difficult to break down their opponents defense and they quickly suffered the consequences as their deficit ballooned to double-digits.

East Bladen freshmen forward Taylor Dowless snatched a steal and kicked an outlet pass to sophomore guard Aaliyah Monroe in transition for a tough finish on the break to help extend the host lead to 24-2. After a couple of empty possessions, the Lady Eagles were able to close the first quarter with junior forward Cabria Baldwin splashing two shots from the charity stripe. The second quarter was much of the same dominance from the host with their top scorers getting involved in the continuous onslaught.

East Bladen senior guard Laila Smith opened the second quarter with a field goal and immediately won possession back on the inbound before feeding junior guard Ariel Cromartie for an easy finish at the rim. Pender junior guard Kimora McAllister earned a trip to the charity stripe but failed to capitalize as both shots rattled out. Smith was able to get to the line on the other end and she converted both to stretch the host lead to 32-2 in the second quarter.

Senior guard Iveonna “NeNe” Ward was able to rip her opponents out of a double-team before pushing the ball forward to Cromartie for another easy finish in favor of the Lady Eagles. Pender got two good looks underneath the rim but their cold streak continued as they struggled to get through the talons of the Lady Eagles defense. The hosts got a second chance opportunity of their own a few seconds later with Smith grabbing an offensive board before rising up and finishing the lay-up from in-close.

Pender freshmen Maddison Francis was able to subside her team’s offensive struggles with a 2-for-2 effort at the line. The Lady Patriots were able to hold firm on the defensive end of the ball to force their opponents into a turnover, which ultimately led to Francis converting a turnaround jumper from in close to make the score 36-6. The host responded with Monroe piercing the heart of the Pender defense for a driving finish to help reassert dominance in the game.

The Lady Patriots were able to close the second quarter out with a free throw from sophomore forward Kenyatta Jacobs and a Francis lay-up to go into the halftime break down 38-9. The third quarter was much of the same as the Lady Eagles piled onto their massive lead with Cromartie and Baldwin combining with four quick points at the start of the second half. Pender struggled to in-bound a pass out of timeout and Smith made them pay with a tough finish at the rim to convert a two-pointer while getting hacked by multiple defenders.

She proceeded to knock down her shot at the line to push the score to 45-9 as the Lady Eagles began to kick into cruise control. Francis was able to respond with a lay-up to give the visitors their first points of the second half but it wasn’t enough to slow down their opponents on the other end. Smith went 2-for-2 at the line before helping force a turnover on the other end to give the Lady Eagles an extra possession. Ward followed it up by splashing a three-pointer from the wing and Cromartie added another two-points with a finish from in close.

Pender struggles continued from the field, while their opponents rained down shot after shot to close the third quarter at 58-11. The visitors were able to knock some shots down via freshmen guard Solange Stuart and Francis but it was little too late as they suffered a 33 point loss. Pender’s overall record falls to 1-3 and they move to 1-1 in Waccamaw Conference play so far.

East Bladen continue their winning form as their overall record moves to 11-2 and they go 3-0 in Waccamaw Conference play to occupy the top spot in the conference standings. The Lady Eagles will push onto their second meeting with Heide Trask in conference play this Tuesday at home. Ward led the Lady Eagles in their first meeting with 20 points in the Lady Eagles first conference match up of the season against the Lady Titans back in the beginning of December.

EAST BLADEN GIRLS BASKETBALL 24/25:

Tatum Allen SO.

Cabria Baldwin JR.

Neveah Brown SO.

Ariel Cromartie JR.

Taylor Dowless SO.

Tyliah Freeman SO.

Nia McKoy JR.

Aaliyah Monroe SO.

Sana’a Singletary FR.

Laila Smith SR.

Iveonna “NeNe” Ward SR.

Niyah Wooten JR.

AROUND THE WACCAMAW:

West Columbus(2-6, 0-2) 19, Whiteville(1-8, 1-1) 62

South Columbus(4-8, 1-2) 19, East Columbus(6-3, 1-1) 64

Heide Trask(5-8, 1-1) 18, Aussie Travelers(4-1) 71