ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Eagles defeated the Purnell Swett Rams for a 57-48 victory on Wednesday in a non-conference match-up. East Bladen sophomore Ronnie Covington was dominant on both ends of the floor to finish the night with 17 points and 16 rebounds as the Eagles claimed their third win of the year. The Eagles’ struggle to make shots the night before wasn’t the case against Purnell Swett as they converted tough shots.

Senior forward Lee Barnes led all scorers with 19 points after making five three-pointers in the game. The game was mostly settled at the free throw line with plenty of fouls between both teams; East Bladen went 18-for-33 as a team from the charity stripe and Purnell Swett went 18-for-37 from the line. The Rams were held in check for most of the night but they were able to slice the host lead to four points in the final quarter.

Collins was able to respond on the other end with a two-point field goal to preserve the Eagles lead down the stretch. Covington and Barnes both came up big for the Eagles in the final minutes with their offensive production. Collin Sampson led the Rams with 16 points as his team fell to 1-2 on the year. East Bladen will take on West Brunswick at home this Friday in a non-conference match-up.

OTHER RESULTS 12/06:

South Columbus(4-4) 72, West Brunswick(1-5) 64

East Columbus(2-3) 67, South Brunswick(1-3) 57

Spring Creek(3-2) 49, Midway(3-2) 44

Hoke County(5-1) 59, Red Springs(2-5) 50

Lady Eagles get revenge

ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the Purnell Swett Lady rams for a 63-27 victory on Wednesday night in a non-conference clash. The Lady Eagles lost to the Rams in a tight game last Friday but last night’s game was a much different outcome. East Bladen applied pressure with their full court press and forced over 20 turnovers as they blitzed their opponents out of the gym.

Junior guard Iveonna “NeNe” Ward continued her excellent form on the court and dropped 28 points in Wednesday’s victory. Sophomore guard Ariel Cromartie was lethal from range and she finished the night with 14 points as the second leading scorer on her team. Junior forward Laila Smith was the Lady Eagles third leading scorer with 10 points and she had six rebounds to her name.

The Rams’ Niyah Locklear accounted for most of her team’s offensive production with 17 points in the defeat. East Bladen now move to an overall record of 5-1 and they’ll take on West Brunswick at home this Friday for their next game.

OTHER RESULTS:

East Columbus(5-0) 53, South Brunswick(1-3) 44

Lake View(4-0) 46, South Columbus(1-7) 7

Spring Creek(4-1) 39, Midway(1-4) 19

Hoke County(1-4) 56, Red Springs(0-5) 50