BLADENBORO-The East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the West Bladen Lady Knights for a 65-30 victory in a non-conference clash last Tuesday. The Lady Eagles were led by Laila Smith with a 20 point outing and Iveonna “NeNe” Ward added another 18 to help seal a dominant win on the road to start the week. West Bladen were their own worst enemy on the night with 32 turnovers and they struggled to score from the field.

West Bladen junior Natalee Sykes sank three triples as she led the host with 14 points and senior guard Kali Allen had six points on two shots from range. The first shot of the game was a three-ball from Ward to get the Lady Eagles going on offense. The Lady Knights turned the ball over on two straight possessions before their opponents made them pay on the other end of the floor. Smith nabbed an offensive rebound off a missed shot to keep play alive and sophomore forward Nevaeh Brown eventually made it 5-0 with a lay-up inside.

The host tried to respond on their following possession but missed a shot from the mid-range. East Bladen suffered turnovers of their own in the first quarter but they were able to keep their foot on the gas by turning steals into points. Smith drained a three and ran out front on the break to stretch the visitors lead to 12 with the opening quarter coming to a close.

West Bladen were able to get to the line twice in the quarter but unfortunately went 0-for-2 in both trips. East Bladen started the second quarter in similar fashion of Ward zipping away towards the opposite end of the floor on a steal and converting the lay-up on the fastbreak. Sykes ended the Lady Knights coldstreak with a lay-up to make the game 14-2 with a quick response. The host had an opportunity to capitalize on an extra possession after Allen snatched an offensive board but a moving screen a few moments later squandered their chance.

East Bladen sophomore guard Tyliah Freeman fed Smith for a lay-up inside to keep the visitors ahead at 16-2. The Lady Eagles continued to force their rivals into turning the ball over even though they struggled with turnovers of their own. Junior guard Ariel Cromartie converted a 2-and-1 at the free throw line as the visitors tally increased. Sykes swished a mid-range jumper for a response from the Lady Knights but they couldn’t prevent Freeman from converting a lay-up on the other end.

East Bladen were able to end a cold run in the final minutes of the quarter with sophomore forward Tatum Allen draining both her free throws at the charity stripe. West Bladen senior guard Holland Davis was able to end her team’s cold run with a lay-up at the rim. Tatum Allen answered moments later with a three-ball to push the visitors lead to 26-6. Sykes didn’t flinch and immediately responded with a three of her own to give the host a slight boost despite being down by 17.

Both teams ended the half with their best opportunities coming at the free throw line as the Lady Eagles went into the halftime break ahead 26-9. West Bladen started the third quarter with senior center Alina Chavez going 2-for-2 at the free throw line and she snatched a steal a few moments later on defense. The host failed to take advantage of the extra possession and went 0-for-2 at the free throw line.

East Bladen finally got on the board for the third quarter after junior center Niyah Wooten assisted Cromartie underneath the rim for two. Kali Allen delivered an immediate dagger from the wing to slash the Lady Knights deficit to 14. A few moments later, Cromartie drained a shot from the mid-range to remind the home crowd the Lady Eagles were in front.

Davis drove downhill on her defender and tossed a lay-up into the net with momentum seeming to trend the Lady Knights way. The visitors missed a shot on the other end and Davis went 1-for-2 at the line to make the score 30-17. East Bladen shook off a turnover on their previous possession and Smith converted on a baseline drive to put the visitors back in control. The Lady Knights were denied at the rim by Wooten and they turned the ball over on an inbound pass soon thereafter.

Cromartie drained a triple to stretch the visitor lead back to 17 points and the Lady Eagles stood firm on the defensive end with another blocked shot from sophomore Taylor Dowless. East Bladen tried to catch their opponents out in transition but turned the ball over in the process. Kali Allen made her second three-point attempt of the third quarter to make the game 34-20.

Smith attacked the basket to earn a trip to the line and she drained both shots to cushion the visitors lead. East Bladen deployed a full court press and their effort on defense was rewarded with an easy finish on the break from Freeman. The Lady Eagles onslaught continued after a timeout from the host as Ward nabbed a steal before assisting Smith on a two-point jumper.

The host failed to respond, which allowed Smith to drain her second straight jumper to push the Lady Eagles lead to 22. Sykes eventually ended the third quarter at the free throw line with a 1-for-2 effort as the Lady Knights went into the final eight minutes behind by 23 points. East Bladen closed the final quarter out with offensive production from Ward, Smith, and Cromartie to help them coast across the finish line.

West Bladen’s overall record moves to 1-3 on the season and they’ll play their next game against Farmville Central(0-1) this Tuesday. Then they’ll head out on the road against West Columbus this Wednesday in a non-conference match-up.

WEST BLADEN GIRLS BASKETBALL 24/25:

Bristol Allen FR.

Kali Allen JR.

Alina Chavez SR.

Serenity Council FR.

Micheala Hester FR.

Holland Davis SR.

Laurin Lesane FR.

Saniya Martin SO.

Amiya McCarty FR.

JaNya McKeithan FR.

Natalee Sykes JR.

Addison Wilcox FR.

Aniya Willis FR.

Jahyrah Priest JR.

Vera Valentiner FR.

AROUND THE SAC 6:

Hobbton(0-2) 22, Midway(4-0) 55

Richmond(4-3) 46, Fairmount(3-0) 54

J.F. Webb(4-2) 39, St. Pauls(7-1) 62

South Lenoir(0-4) 11, Clinton(2-2) 65

Red Springs(1-4) 22, Douglas Byrd(3-1) 35