West Bladen Mallory Bryan looking for room to work with the ball.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BLADENBORO — The South Brunswick Cougars defeated the West Bladen Lady Knights for a 54-30 victory in a non-conference match-up on Friday night. The first quarter was scrappy to say the least as the two teams searched for an edge over the other with possession switching hands frequently. West Bladen senior guard Mallory Bryan got some tough shots to fall inside the painted area to give the Lady Knights a slight 11-6 lead going into the second quarter.
South Brunswick freshman guard Meryn Deutsch started the next quarter with a steal and two points on the fastbreak to get the Cougars offense rolling. The lead quickly flipped into the visitors favor after Adyson Bell banked her three-point shot from the top of the key to make the score 13-11. The Lady Knights tried to force their way inside but their opponents made sure to clog the lane to deny them any easy baskets.
West Bladen had a chance to reclaim the lead after an offensive rebound from junior center Alina Chavez but her kickout to the three point line led to a missed shot. South Brunswick guard Matea Moye responded by sinking a two-point jumper on the other end to extend her team’s lead to 15-11. The Lady Knights continued to struggle on offense until Chavez drained a field goal with a chance at a three-point play after being fouled down low in post.
Her free throw attempt would rattle out and the Cougars proceeded to push the ball up the floor before their opponents could set their defense. Junior shooting-guard Teanna Perry would drive into the lane for a two-point flush to extend the lead to 19-13. The host would eventually fall behind 25-16 at the halftime buzzer with momentum firmly in the grasp of their opponents.
West Bladen senior guard Kiera Lewis started the third quarter by draining a three-pointer and South Brunswick fired back with a three-pointer of their own as the pace of the game began to pick up. The game intensity ramped up but shots were not falling for either team with plenty of turnovers to go around. Senior guard Kira Beardsley got two straight buckets to fall to extend the Cougars lead to 34-19.
The Cougars were able to turn a sloppy quarter into a 20 point lead going into the final quarter of the game. Perry and Deutsch would combine for 23 points to secure their team a victory on the opening night of the season. Chevez led the Lady Knights with 12 points despite the loss at home.