It was a bit of a struggle at times for the East Bladen girls’ basketball team until Sana’a Singletary took over.

The sophomore center scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the third quarter Tuesday night in leading the Eagles to a 41-28 victory over North Brunswick in a non-conference game played on Patty Evers Court.

Singletary’s third-quarter performance helped East Bladen (4-0) turn a 17-15 halftime lead into a 35-22 advantage.

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“It was a rough, slow start,” East Bladen coach Patty Evers said. “We couldn’t find ways to score. We needed to get Sana’a going.”

She did, indeed, get going.

Singletary scored the first two baskets in the third quarter, added a three-point play midway through the period, then scored the final four points of the quarter for the Eagles that gave East Bladen a 35-19 lead. North Brunswick’s Taylor King made a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that made it 35-22.

“She did an excellent job,” Evers said of Singletary. “She’s only a sophomore. There’s a lot of room to grow.

“I’m very proud of Niyah Wooten. She held her composure. She was the only senior on the floor after Ariel (Cromartie) got hurt,” Ever said. “We had to fight through adversity once again and I’m proud of the girls. They did a good job.”

Cromartie, the Eagles’ point guard and leading scorer at 15.7 points per game entering Tuesday, injured her left shoulder with 2:57 remaining in the second quarter and did not return. Cromartie was hurt on a scramble for the ball when she landed on her left shoulder, then a North Brunswick player landed on top of her. Cromartie’s injury was to be evaluated Wednesday, Evers said.

“We held our composure to play neck and neck with them at the half and then early in the third quarter, we went ahead, took a significant lead and then we just held on in the fourth quarter, made some key free throws,” Evers said. “We played good defense there in the last five minutes of the game to keep them away from the basket.”

East Bladen never trailed in beating the Scorpions for the second time this season. The Eagles won 53-40 on Nov. 20.

North Brunswick (0-5) rallied from a 13-7 first quarter deficit to pull within 17-15 at half on a basket by Adrianna Gomez.

East Bladen outscored the Scorpions 18-7 in the third quarter.

NORTH BRUNSWICK (28) — Adrianna Gomez 13, Dari’elle Young 5, Laya Wizman 3, Taylor King 7.

EAST BLADEN (41) — Aaliyah Monroe 13, Ellen Battle, Ariel Cromartie 2, T.T. Richardson, Tyliah Freeman 2, Julia Flowers, Sana’a Singletary 21, Niyah Wooten 2, Grayce Edwards.

Sonny Jones can be reached at [email protected].