By John Clark
ELIZABETHTOWN -Allison Hickman and Cheyenne Reinhart combined for 15 points, and Bladenboro closed the game with a 6-0 spurt to defeat Elizabethtown 22-17 Thursday in the championship game of the Bladen County Middle School Girls Tournament.
Mariah Ward made a free throw with 3:16 remaining to edge the Lady Cougars ahead 17-16, but Hickman stole the ball and banked in a 6-footer for an 18-17 Bladenboro lead. Reinhart sank 2 free throws, and Hickman and Amiya McCarty hit 1 free throw each in the final 2:10.
Hickman led the Lady Bulldogs with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals. Reinhart totaled 7 points, 6 steals and connected on 7 of 10 foul shots in the final quarter. Janya McKeithan finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. McCarty added 3 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Karlee Gause had 4 steals, and Harley Jordan had 2 steals.
Tall Sana’a Singletary racked up 6 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocked shots and 2 steals for the Lady Cougars. Arian Fields and Ellen Battle tallied 4 points each. Battle also grabbed 8 rebounds and had 3 steals. Aaliyah Monroe netted 2 points and 3 rebounds, and Kamyra McDowell snared 4 rebounds.
McKeithan powered in a follow shot, and McCarty drove for a lay-up and an early 4-0 Lady Bulldog lead. Fields and Hickman traded short bank shots to keep the margin at 6-2. Singletary muscled in a basket for the Lady Cougars, and Hickman canned a free throw for a 9-4 Bladenboro lead at the quarter break.
Singletary cashed in 2 free throws, and Battle banged in a follow to pull Elizabethtown within 9-8 at halftime. Singletary started the 2nd half with a follow shot, but Hickman answered with a rebound basket. Fields dropped in a lay-up to edge the Lady Cougars in front 12-11 at the 3rd quarter break.
Reinhart swished 2 foul shots to vault Bladenboro on top 13-12 to begin the 4th period. Monroe’s rebound basket put Elizabethtown ahead 14-13, but Reinhart tossed in 2 more free throws for a 15-14 Bladenboro lead. Singletary’s transition lay-up put the Lady Cougars on top 16-15, before another Reinhart free throw knotted the score 16-16 at the 4:04 mark.
Coach Otis Evans’ Lady Bulldogs, now 3-0, will travel to Nakina Thursday, while Elizabethtown, now 2-1, will host Whiteville Central Thursday.
Bladenboro 9 0 2 11 – 22
Elizabethtown 4 4 4 2 – 17
BLADENBORO (22) – Maycee Kinlaw, Logan Powers, Hadley Dove, Kristen Singletary, Cheyenne Reinhart 7, Karlee Gause, Allison Hickman 8, Amiya McCarty 3, Harley Jordan, Venus Garcia, Janya McKeithan 4, Maleigh Chatman.
ELIZABETHTOWN (17) – Sana’a Singletary 6, Zirrihana White, Mariah Ward 1, Ellen Battle 4, Harmony Richardson, Kayclynn Chambers, Alayah Powell, Allysa Stringfield, Aaliyah Monroe 2, Tanaisha McKoy, Arian Fields 4, Nyasia Banks, Zahreonna Baldwin, Kamyra McDowell.
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