East Bladen’s Laila Smith scans the floor for a pass.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the East Columbus Gators for a 60-57 victory in a Waccamaw Conference clash on Wednesday night. East Columbus had a chance to tie or take the lead with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth but missed four shots at the free throw line. Sophomore center Niyah Wooten snatched the ensuing rebound before kicking the ball ahead to junior guard Iveonna “NeNe” Ward, and Ward would connect her pass with sophomore guard Ariel Cromartie for the finish underneath the basket at the buzzer to seal the game.
The Gators held a slight height advantage over their opponents and they dominated the boards for much of the night. The visitors were hitting early and led by as much as eight points at the start of the game. East Bladen junior guard Laila Smith finished the night with 25 points but she didn’t find her rhythm until the end of the first quarter.
Laila Smith accounted for the last of the Lady Eagles’ points in the quarter as they went into the second quarter behind by four. Smith opened the next quarter with a steal and the flush on the other end to put them within two of the visitors. East Columbus failed to respond on the other end and Ward tied the game at the free throw line.
East Columbus would call a timeout to regroup but immediately turned the ball over on the restart. The Lady Eagles would miss their next shot but Laila Smith was active on the boards and threw her lay-up off the glass to leave the possession with two. Ward would snatch a steal and finish on the break as her defender flew past her after stopping on a dime. The Gators felt the pressure from the Lady Eagles full court squeeze and they turned the ball over once more.
Luckily, they were able to recover on transition for a block shot and wheeled down the other end of the floor for a long two-point shot from senior guard Destiney Mitchell. The Lady Eagles responded with a three-point shot from Smith to keep the gap at five. East Bladen senior center Zoe Smith got on the board with a basket and East Columbus junior guard Rylie Graham answered with two points of her own. Both teams traded baskets in the final minutes of the game but East Columbus was able to get the last laugh with Malia Graham finishing at the rim to slice the deficit to 32-28 going into the half.
The Gators began to chip away at the lead to start the third quarter and eventually tied the game at 34-34 after senior forward Chynna Patrick drained her lay-in. East Bladen took back the lead at the free throw line with under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Laila Smith was able to create some breathing room after empty possession from the visitors but she failed to extend the lead even more after going 0-for-2 at the line.
Patrick would drop in another two-point basket to keep the Gators within two points of the host. Cromartie dropped two straight baskets but the Gators refused to go away and they answered with five of their own to keep them within two. The host failed to score on their next two possessions and East Columbus junior guard Malayah Hines took the opportunity to tie the game with a penetrating drive inside.
The Gators were able to create a slight separation with a 48-45 lead going into the final quarter of play. East Bladen forced a turnover on the opening possession of the fourth and would get a basket from Wooten for a positive start. Cromartie would eventually give the Lady Eagles a one point lead after draining her lay-up inside the paint.
Ward would snatch a steal and finish on the break to make the score 53-50 in favor of the host. Patrick would respond with a field goal over her defender to keep the visitors within one of their opponents. Laila Smith would fight through traffic for a tough lay-in of her own a few moments later but Mitchell quickly responded with a three-pointer to tie the game at 55-55. Laila Smith got three points the hard way after a tough finish inside and drained her free throw at the line to extend the Lady Eagles lead to three points.
Malia Graham got a crucial two point basket to keep her team within one point with under two minutes remaining in the game. East Bladen turned the ball over a lot in the final minutes but were able to make up for it with solid defense to make life difficult for the Gators. East Bladen survived their opponents final push to take the victory and move to 2-0 in Waccamaw Conference play. They take on Pender away from home this Friday for another conference clash.