ELIZABETHTOWN – Duke commitment Mikayla Boykin rang up 50 points Friday night to lead Clinton to a 76-32 Four County Conference victory over East Bladen.
Boykin who missed the last two seasons due to knee injuries took charge early scoring 20 first period points as the Lady Dark Horses took a 22-6 lead.
East Bladen junior Shardajah Brown drained a pair of 16-foot jumpers to keep the Lady Eagles within 6-4, before Boykin drove for 4 lay-ups and bombed in a pair of 3-point shots during a 16-2 spurt.
Boykin and junior Alex Canady opened the second period with 3-point goals, before East Bladen sophmore Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson made a trio of foul shots.
Boykin canned another 3-point shot and finished the half with 29 points as the Clinton lead grew to 41-14.
Sophmore Ashley Hardin buried a 3-point shot from the right corner, and Brown pumped in a 12-footer for East in the second quarter.
Brown drilled in another 3-point shot to start the second half, but Boykin hit another 3-ball and tallied 6 more points in the quarter as the lead grew to 63-26.
Moore-Peterson nailed a 3-point shot, a runner from the lane and a free throw for East in the third period. Senior Emily Scott sank an 8-footer and a free throw.
Boykin padded her point total with 13 more points in the final quarter as she played all 32 minutes.
“I talked with the girls in the locker room about values, character, morals and how you treat people,” said East Bladen Coach Patty Evers about the Clinton decision to keep Boykin on the floor and pile on the points. “We don’t do that and that is all I am going to say about it.”
Brown delivered another 3-point basket in the final quarter and led the East Bladen scoring with 12 points and also contributed 6 rebounds. Moore-Peterson finished with 9 points and 4 assists.
Scott totaled 4 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, and freshman Lorna Mendell worked the paint for a basket and a free throw in the final quarter and finished with 4 rebounds in the game.
Sophmore Ashlyn Williams scored 13 points for Clinton, and Canady followed with 11.
It was the first Four County Conference loss for East Bladen since Feb. 1, 2014 when Boykin was a freshman and led Clinton to a 58-47 win.
East Bladen, now 7-2 overall and 1-1 in league play, will host Whiteville Monday in their own Holiday Classic.
EB (32) – Kaley Smith, Justyna Gargala, Shardajah Brown 12, Emily Scott 4, Anna Kate White, Patience Ward 1, Ashley Hardin 3, Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson 9, Yolanda Coston, Lorna Mendell 3.
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