East Bladen’s Ariel Cromartie (4) drives to the basket against West Bladen’s Kali Allen (5) and Tah’lela Bethea (10).
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
East Bladen’s Sana’a Singletary (14) works inside as West Bladen’s Haley Taylor defends.
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
West Bladen’s Kali Allen dribbles the basketball while being guarded by East Bladen’s Ariel Cromartie.
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
Ariel Cromartie and Sana’a Singletary combined for 36 points Tuesday night to lead East Bladen to a 58-16 non-conference girls’ basketball victory over West Bladen on Patty Evers Court.
It was the 29th straight win for East Bladen in the series since West Bladen posted its lone victory in 2013, 52-41.
Singletary led East Bladen (5-1) with 19 points and Cromartie, who missed the last game because of a shoulder injury, followed with 17. Teammate Aaliyah Monroe had 11. Tah’lela Bethea topped West Bladen (1-4) scoring with 5 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
East Bladen is scheduled to play at South Columbus on Wednesday. West Bladen is scheduled to visit Farmville Central on Friday.
Master sports schedule | Standings
Cromartie and West’s Saniya Martin traded baskets early, but lay-ups by Monroe and Singletary plus a Singletary free throw put East up 7-2. Natalee Sykes nailed a 3-point shot to pull the Knights within 7-5.
After a pair of Monroe free throws, West’s Kali Allen turned an assist from Bethea into a lay-up, but a pair of Ellen Battle free throws, a 3-point play by Singletary and a Cromartie transition lay-up pushed the East lead to 16-7. West’s Hadley Dove and East’s Niyah Wooten traded free throws to end the period at 17-8.
Singletary began the second quarter with a free throw, an assist to Wooten for a lay-up and a rebound bucket. Cromartie and Monroe drove for lay-ups, and Cromartie fired in a 3-pointer as the margin swelled to 27-8.
Bethea responded with a free throw and a rebound basket, but Cromartie tacked on 4 free throws and 2 lay-ups to up the count to 37-11. Amiya McCarty ended the run with a free throw, and Dove tossed in 2 free throws, but Singletary put back a rebound for a 39-14 halftime lead.
Bethea turned an assist from Sykes into the final West basket. Monroe threw in a 3-pointer and another basket for the Lady Eagles in the third period. Singletary tallied six points in the quarter as the running clock started with East up 52-16.
T.T. Richardson drove for a pair of East lay-ups in the final period, and Battle flipped in a basket.
WEST BLADEN (16) — Haley Taylor, Harmony Richardson, Kali Allen 2, Tah’lela Bethea 5, Hadley Dove 3, Saniya Martin 2, Abigail Dew, Amiya McCarty 1, Natalee Sykes 3, Abigail Dicicce
EAST BLADEN (58) — Aaliyah Monroe 11, Ellen Battle 4, Ariel Cromartie 19, T.T. Richardson 4, Tyliah Freeman, Julia Flowers, Sana’a Singletary 17, Niyah Wooten 3, Grayce Edwards.
To report scores, email Sonny Jones at [email protected].