Clarkton School of Discovery 31, Elizabethtown 28
Guard Erica McKoy scored 5 of her 17 points in the final quarter as Clarkton School of Discovery fought off a determined Elizabethtown rally and claimed the Bladen Five Middle School Tournament Girls Championship with a 31-28 victory at Tar Heel Monday.
Coach Chris Callihan’s Lady Blue Devils who shared the regular-season title with Elizabethtown took a 26-16 lead into the final quarter before the Lady Cougars rallied with 8 straight points.
Jatyra Moore-Peterson put back a pair of rebound baskets, Shenell McMillian pumped in a 12-foot jumper from the left wing to slice the Clarkton lead to 26-22. Free throws by Moore-Peterson and Natalie Gainey pulled the Lady Cougars to within 26-24 with 2:17 left to play.
McKoy raced past the Elizabethtown press for a lay-up and a 28-24 Clarkton lead, but Gainey muscled in a lay-up off of an in-bounds pass from Moore-Peterson to close the gap to 28-26.
McKoy drove for another lay-up and a 30-26 lead with 1:22 remaining. Moore-Peterson answered by driving in the lane and flipping in a one-hander to whittle the lead to 30-28 with 1:03 left.
Elizabethtown had chances to tie in the final minute, missing 2 free throws and another shot in the lane. Finally McKoy was fouled with 2 seconds left and made the first foul shot for the final margin.
Anna Kate White and Ashley Hardin threw in 6 points each to follow McKoy in the CSD scoring column. Moore-Peterson topped all scorers with 18 points. McMillian added 4 points for the Lady Cougars.
McKoy poured in 9 points and White and Hardin added a basket each as the Lady Blue Devils raced to a 13-3 first quarter lead. Moore-Peterson threw in a basket and a free throw for the Elizabethtown points.
White and McKoy dropped in a basket each to keep the Lady Blue Devils ahead 17-9 at halftime. Moore-Peterson tossed in 4 points, and Patience Ward added a basket for the Lady Cougar points in the second quarter.
Lorna Mendell turned a Hardin assist into a lay-up, and McKoy sank a free throw to push the Clarkton lead to 20-9 in the third quarter.
Moore-Peterson scored a lay-up in transition, but a McKoy assist set up a short jumper for Hardin, and White’s rebound basket stretched the CSD lead to 24-12.
Moore-Peterson popped in a short jumper, and McMillian put back a rebound for Elizabethtown, but Hardin hooked in a follow shot from the lane for a 26-16 lead at the quarter break.
C’ton (31)- Anna Kate White 6, Erica McKoy 17, Jaya Howell, Lorna Mendell 2, Ashley Hardin 6, Sarah Johnson, Kabarah Moore, Ting Lin, Cybil Campbell, Abbie Cross, Gracyn Martin, Lila McDuffie, Izzy Smith, Kirsten Starkloff.
E’twn (28)- Jatyra Moore-Peterson 18, Natalie Gainey 3, Denisha Owens, Jana Wright, Cemizha Stephens, Leedemsa Cotton, Mya Williams, Victoria Pridgen, Zy’Asia Monroe, Kierra Willis, Shenell McMillian 4, Shykira Rhodes, Patience Ward 3.
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