ELIZABETHTOWN –East Bladen’s defense forced 33 turnovers that included 17 steals and held St. Pauls to only 5 baskets en route to a 56-15 non-conference girls basketball victory.
“We talked at halftime about fundamentals, letting the game come to us and anticipating the pass,” said Lady Eagle Coach Patty Evers. “That helped us create turnovers and really gave us a big boost.”
Sophmore Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson stole the ball and pitched ahead to junior Shardajah Brown for a lay-up then nailed a 3-point shot to give East an early 5-0 lead.
Moore-Peterson turned a runner into a 3-point play that was set up by a Brown assist. Brown buried a 3-point shot, freshman Patience Ward sank 2 foul shots and senior Emily Scott stole the ball and raced for a lay-up and a 16-1 Lady Eagle lead. Two 3-point St. Pauls bombs trimmed the margin to 16-7.
Both teams endured a scoring drought in the first 4 minutes of the second quarter. Sophmore Anna Kate White popped in a 12-footer from the baseline, hit a free throw and passed ahead to sophmore Ashley Hardin for a lay-up and a 22-9 East Bladen halftime lead.
“Anna Kate came off the bench and knocked down some big shots,” noted Coach Evers. “Shar (Brown) hit some big shots for us early.”
The Lady Eagles exploded for an 18-1 third period blitz that stretched their lead to 40-10. Moore-Peterson stole the ball and fed Brown for a lay-up then turned a pass from Ward into a lay-up.
Moore-Peterson buried a 15-footer, and Ward and Scott converted steals into lay-ups. Scott flipped in a baseline jumper, and Ward banked in a runner. Hardin pumped in a 15-footer, and Ward stole the ball and closed the quarter with a lay-up.
Scott and freshman Lorna Mendell put back rebounds to start the final period. Ward stole the ball and drove for a lay-up then scored on a rebound.
Mendell banked in a turn-around, tossed in a short jumper and turned a pair of assists from White into lay-ups.
Ward filled the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 steals and 6 rebounds. “Patience did a super job of staying focused and using her speed to her advantage,” said Coach Evers.
Moore-Peterson contributed 11 points and 4 steals before fouling out with 6:18 left to play. Mendell posted a career-high 10 points.
Scott racked up 8 points and 7 rebounds. Brown finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds. Hardin grabbed 7 rebounds to go with her 4 points.
The Lady Eagles improved to 2-1 and will host East Columbus Tuesday night.
East Bladen (56) – Kaley Smith, Justyna Gargala, Shardajah Brown 7, Emily Scott 8, Anna Kate White 3, Patience Ward 13, Ashley Hardin 4, Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson 11, Yolanda Coston, Lorna Mendell 10.
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