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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
ELIZABETHTOWN – Guard Alexus Mitchell scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the second half to lead Elizabethtown to a 35-30 victory over Clarkton School of Discovery in the Bladen Five Tournament girls championship game.
Mitchell delivered assists to Zoe Smith and Azariah Rhodie who dropped in lay-ups for a 4-0 Elizabethtown lead to start the game. Clarkton center AnnaGrey Heustess turned an assist from Karli Priest into a lay-up that trimmed the margin to 4-2.
Mitchell popped in a baseline jumper, but Mariah Smith answered with a shot from the lane that kept the Lady Blue Devils within 6-4 at the quarter break.
Elizabethtown’s Ronkira Lennon banked in a 14-footer to start the second period. Mitchell sank a free throw, an 8-foot jumper and a driving lay-up to boost the Lady Cougar lead to 13-4.
Addie Bowen tossed in a free throw, and Heustess banged in a rebound to pull Clarkton to within 13-7 at halftime.
Lennon nailed a corner jumper, and Mitchell threw in a long runner to stretch the Lady Cougar lead to 17-7.
Heustess powered in a follow shot, and Mariah Smith banked in a 10-footer then tacked on a free throw. Smith flipped in a baseline runner to trim the margin to 17-14 with 2:05 left in the third quarter.
Mitchell rallied the Lady Cougars with a follow shot then drained a 14-footer. Lainey Hughes converted a Mitchell assist into a short bank shot that widened the Elizabethtown lead to 23-14 at the quarter break.
A Lennon in-bounds pass resulted in a Rhodie lay-up that padded the Lady Cougar lead to 25-14.
Mariah Smith connected on a baseline runner then banked in a 6-footer. Maegan Burney battled inside for a pair of rebound baskets that brought the Lady Blue Devils to within 25-22 with 3:32 remaining.
Mitchell made 2 free throws, but Heustess netted a lay-up off of a feed from Smith to cut the Elizabethtown lead to 27-24 with 2:22 left to play.
Mitchell fired in a runner, but Heustess answered with a free throw. A Hughes assist led to a lay-up for Rhodie that pushed the Lady Cougar lead to 31-25 at the 55-second mark. Mitchell banked in a 10-footer for a 33-25 lead.
Heustess canned 2 free throws, but Mitchell buried a 15-footer for a 35-27 lead with 19 seconds on the clock. Mariah Smith bombed in a long 3-pointer to account for the final margin.
Mitchell added 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals to her 21-point total. Rhodie followed with 6 points and 6 rebounds. Lennon finished with 4 points, 4 steals and a game-high 10 rebounds. Zoe Smith grabbed 4 rebounds.
Mariah Smith led the Lady Blue Devils with 14 points. Heustess followed with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Burney finished with 4 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Priest and Bowen totaled 4 rebounds each.
Coach Chris Davisson’s Lady Cougars captured both the Bladen Five regular-season and tournament championships and posted a perfect 8-0 record. Clarkton finished the season with a 5-3 record.
CLARKTON SCHOOL OF DISCOVERY (30) – Maegan Burney 4, Karli Priest, Lauryn Williams, Mariah Smith 14, AnnaGrey Heustess 11, Emma Turbeville, Molly Evans, Gabby Nealy, Addie Bowen 1, Cate Devane, Autumn Nye.
ELIZABETHTOWN (35) – Zoe Smith 2, Lainey Hughes 2, Alexus Mitchell 21, Ronkira Lennon 4, Azariah Rhodie 6, Brianna Phillips, Calise Jackson.
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