ELIZABETHTOWN — Lacey Suggs turned in a triple-double performance Thursday and led the Lady Eagles past visiting Wallace-Rose Hill for a 61-33 Four County Conference win.
East Bladen improved to 22-0 overall and 12-0 in the conference, while the Lady Bulldogs fall to 11-6 and 8-3.
The Lady Eagles went on a 12-0 run to open the game — on two straight baskets by Abby Ward, a three-pointer by Suggs, a basket by Christiana Cromartie and three-pointer by Ward — and kept Wallace-Rose Hill off the scoreboard until the 2:16 mark. But after the Lady Bulldogs hit a basket, East Bladen got buckets by Suggs and Ja’Tyre Moore-Peterson.
The Lady Bulldogs finished the quarter with a 4-2 spurt but trailed by 18-9.
Things went a little wonky for the Lady Eagles in the second stanza. Suggs scored six of East Bladen’s nine points in the quarter, with Ward getting a free throw and Moore-Peterson a basket for the other points. Wallace-Rose Hill also scored nine in the period and East Bladen took a 27-15 edge into halftime.
“That was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the first quarter to the second,” East Bladen coach Patty Evers said. “We just got too laid back; we didn’t dribble penetrate and didn’t play very good defense.”
Whatever Evers said at halftime brought quick results, as the Lady eagles opened the second half with a 10-0 spurt that included two baskets by Suggs, a basket by Moore-Peterson, a basket by Miller Heustess and a basket by Ward for a 37-15 East Bladen lead.
Wallace-Rose Hill stopped the bleeding with its first points of the second half — a three-pointer at the 3:50 mark of the third quarter. But the Lady eagles finished the period with an 8-3 burst on baskets by Suggs, Ward and Moore-Peterson to take a 45-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
Moore-Peterson opened the frame with a basket, but Wallace-Rose Hill went on a 5-2 spurt before Cromartie hit a basket and Heustess hit two straight to give East Bladen a 53-26 lead. Suggs hit a basket and two free throws to end her night midway through the quarter and the Lady Eagles got baskets by Michelle Page and Danielle McDowell to close out the 28-point win.
“We were better at not rushing the offense in the second half,” Evers said. “And we did a good job of penetrating and kicking the ball out for open shots.”
Suggs turned in a night with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists for her triple-double. Ward also filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and five steals. Moore-Peterson had 10 points, while Cromartie added 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.