Spread the love

Staff Report

WINSTON-SALEM — The East Bladen girls’ basketball team is back in the state championship game for the first time since before any of the current players were in kindergarten.

NeNe Ward scored 30 points, connecting on six 3-point field goals, and Lalia Smith had 27 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday afternoon as the seventh-seeded Eagles defeated top-seeded Perquimans 77-63 for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A East championship.

East Bladen (26-3) will seek its first state title Friday against defending state champion Cherokee (27-2) at 3:35 p.m. inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Tickets for Friday’s game may be purchased at the door for $20 cash or online at https://www.ljvm.com/events-tickets/ for $20 plus $1.50 per order online fee.

Parking is available in the Allegacy, Pepsi, Sierra, and Public Parking lots for $10 per car and $30 for charter buses. School buses are free.

It was the second straight season East Bladen had reached the East final, losing last March to Waccamaw Conference rival East Columbus 76-66. The Eagles lost to Salisbury in the 2A state finals in 2010 and 2011 and to Bishop McGuiness in the 1A state finals in 2007 and 2009.

While the final score provided a comfortable margin for East Bladen on Tuesday, the victory came with some tense moments.

Kaydee Hunter made a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 90 seconds that gave Perquimans a 6-0 lead. However, Ward made five 3-pointers in the first quarter that helped East Bladen take a 19-13 lead at the end of the period.

Smith’s three-point play with 2:37 remaining in the second quarter gave East Bladen a 30-19 advantage. A pair of Smith free throws with 8 seconds remaining sent the Eagles to the locker room with a 34-25 edge.

Perquimans scored the first nine points of the third quarter, capped by a Hunter 3-pointer, that tied it at 34-all. The Pirates built a 41-35 lead midway through the period following an Aryah Brown lay-up off an East Bladen turnover.

East Bladen scored 18 of the last 20 points in the third quarter that opened a 53-43 lead. Smith had 11 points, including 9 of 12 from the free throw line as a result of drawing seven fouls against Perquimans players in the quarter.

The Pirates cut the deficit to nine twice in the fourth quarter, the final time with 3:31 remaining on a Crishya Sellers jumper that made it 65-56. Ward and Smith combined for 16 points in the final period that sealed it for the Eagles.

East Bladen shot 50.9% (29 of 57) from the field. Ward was 6 of 11 from 3-point range and made 12 of her 19 field goal attempts. Smith was 13 of 18 from the free throw line and drew 12 fouls.

The teams combined for 41 steals and 56 turnovers. East Bladen scored 31 points off 29 Perquimans turnovers. The Eagles had 20 steals, led by Niyah Wooten with six.

EAST BLADEN (77) — NeNe Ward 30, Ariel Cromartie 14, Cabrian Baldwin, Lalia Smith 27, Niyah Wooten 2, Aaliyah Monroe 4, Taylor Dowless, Tatum Allen, Neveah Brown, Tyliah Freeman, Sana’a Singletary, Nia McKoy, Julia Flowers.

PERQUIMANS (63) — Lailana Marie Harris 12, Indya Long, Kaydee Hunter 21, Crishya Sellers 12, Krista Linton, Aryah Brown 11, Heather Smith 5, Lovely Hunter, Terahji Lee, Asia Fletcher 2.

Here is the schedule for regional championships (seeding in parenthesis):

Monday, March 10
3A West girls: (1) Stuart Cramer 62, (3) North Lincoln 38
3A East boys: (2) Southern SES 78, (1) Swansboro 65
3A East girls: (2) Western Alamance 64, (1) Terry Sanford 48
3A West boys: (11) Ben L. Smith 69, (12) Hunter Huss 57

Tuesday, March 11
1A West boys: (5) Corvian Community 75, (3) Queens Grant 44
1A East girls: (7) East Bladen 77, (1) Perquimans 63
1A East boys: (2) Southern Wake 70, (1) Washington County 56
1A West girls: (2) Cherokee 65, (1) Bishop McGuinness 61

Wednesday, March 12
4A West boys: (3) North Mecklenburg vs. (13) Chambers, 2 p.m.
4A East boys: (1) New Hanover vs. (3) Sanderson, 4 p.m.
4A East girls: (1) Hoggard vs. (2) Wakefield, 6 p.m.
4A West girls: (1) McDowell vs. (2) Lake Norman, 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 13
2A East girls: (2) Seaforth vs. (12) Southeast Alamance, 2 p.m.
2A East boys: (3) Northwood vs. (4) West Bladen, 4 p.m.
2A West girls: (1) North Wilkes vs. (2) East Burke, 6 p.m.
2A West boys: (1) Reidsville vs. (15) Bandys, 8 p.m.

Friday, March 14
1A boys championship: (2) Southern Wake vs. (5) Corvian Community, 1:05 p.m.
1A girls championship: (7) East Bladen vs. (2) Cherokee, 3:35 p.m.
3A girls championship: (1) Stuart Cramer vs. (2) Western Alamance, 6:05 p.m.
3A boys championship: (2) Southern SES vs. (11) Ben L. Smith, 8:35 p.m.

Saturday, March 15
2A boys championship, TBD
2A girls championship: TBD
4A girls championship: TBD
4A boys championship: TBD