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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
ELIZABETHTOWN – Sophmore Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson and freshman Patience Ward combined to score 28 of their 38 points in the second half as East Bladen’s Lady Eagles rallied for a 49-45 Four County Conference girls basketball victory over West Bladen.
In a game that featured 9 lead-changes in the second half, the Lady Knights built a 43-37 lead with 4:26 left to play when junior Elizabeth Allbright turned a pass from senior Jenna Dove into a lay-up.
Sophmore Ashley Hardin sank a free throw for East, and Moore-Peterson drove for a lay-up then hit 2 free throws to trim the margin to 43-42. Ward made 2 free throws with 2:25 on the clock that edged the Lady Eagles in front 44-43.
Senior Jerena Purdie dropped in a lay-up off of a pass from senior Logan Autry that gave the Lady Knights their final lead of the night at 45-44 with 1:47 remaining.
The Lady Eagles then cleared out the left side and Moore-Peterson drove for the go-ahead lay-up with 1:29 left. Both teams missed chances at the line as East Bladen missed a 2-shot foul, and West Bladen missed the front end of two one-and-one opportunities.
After Ward pulled down a big defensive rebound, Moore-Peterson canned a foul shot to pad the lead to 47-45 with 10 seconds left. The Eagle defense kept West in the back-court, and senior Justyna Gargala stole the ball and banked in a clinching lay-up with 2 seconds on the clock.
Gargala came off the bench to score 6 points, make 3 steals and grab 3 rebounds. “Justyna gives us speed and athleticism,” said East Bladen Coach Patty Evers. “She is a hard worker and a good encourager and teammate.”
Moore-Peterson scored 16 of her game-high 22 points in the second half. “We had to get Ja’Tyra driving the ball to get her going,” continued Coach Evers. “That number 21 (Patience Parker) and number 2 (Conner Brisson) really did an outstanding job defensively on her.”
Ward tallied 12 of her 16 points for East after halftime, and senior Yolanda Coston came up with 5 key steals. “Patience did a good job for us tonight,” added Coach Evers. “And Yolanda super hustled. Both her and Justyna are defensive players who really gave us a lift.”
Moore-Peterson and Hardin drove for early lay-ups, and Ward turned a steal into a lay-up. Moore-Peterson posted up and spun to the basket for another lay-up and an 8-2 Lady Eagle lead at the first quarter break.
Senior Laikyn Pait banked in a 14-footer from the elbow, and Autry hit 2 free throws then hurled in a runner from the baseline that closed the gap to 10-8. Moore-Peterson answered with a driving lay-up, before Autry trimmed the margin to 12-10 with a pair of free throws.
Parker took charge for West by racing for a transition lay-up, adding a free throw and following up her own miss with a 6-footer that vaulted the Lady Knights ahead 15-12. Sophmore Anna Kate White popped in a baseline jumper for East, but Parker flipped in a runner from the baseline for a 17-14 West lead at the half.
Pait turned an Autry assist into a lay-up, and Purdie banked in a free throw to begin the second half. Another Autry pass found Parker for a lay-up and a 22-14 Lady Knight lead.
Moore-Peterson stopped the run with a lay-up, and Gargala put back a rebound then knocked a steal away to Moore-Peterson who dashed ahead for another lay-up. Moore-Peterson connected from 16 feet and made a free throw as East went up 23-22.
Parker tossed in a 6-footer for a 24-23 West lead, but Ward drove for a pair of lay-ups and tacked on a free throw for a 28-24 East lead. Pait knocked in a trio of foul shots, and Autry pulled up for a 12-footer that edged West ahead 29-28.
Moore-Peterson followed up her own miss, and Gargala banked in a 6-footer for a 32-29 East lead, but Pait turned a feed from senior Akira Grimes into a basket that brought the Lady Knights to within 32-31 at the quarter break.
Pait banked in a 6-footer to begin the final period. Purdie put back her own rebound, and sophmore Erica McKoy drove for a lay-up and a 37-33 lead. Ward sank 3 free throws for East, but Brisson threw in a 4-footer, and McKoy drove for a lay-up and a 41-36 West lead.
Parker and Pait led the Lady Knights with 11 points each, and Autry finished with 9 points. Pait grabbed 12 rebounds to post a double-double. Purdie snared 9 rebounds, Autry pulled down 6, and Parker had 4 as the Lady Knights held a 43-31 advantage on the boards.
“I thought we should have won,” said West Bladen Coach Rick Rhoda. “We had a couple of unfortunate turnovers that hurt us. We have got to protect the ball. However, you can’t be upset with this one as hard as the girls played.”
“It was a good win for us,” said Coach Evers. “We got down against our rivals and came back in a hard fought game by both teams.”
Moore-Peterson and Ward led East Bladen on the boards with 6 rebounds each, and Hardin and White finished with 5 rebounds each. Ward, Moore-Peterson and Coston had 5 steals each, and White and Scott had 3 each.
East Bladen, now 4-1 in league play and 11-3 overall, will host Cape Fear Wednesday night. West Bladen, now 3-1 in the league and 7-6 overall, will entertain Wallace-Rose Hill in another Four County game.
WEST BLADEN (45) – Conner Brisson 2, Erica McKoy 4, Patience Parker 11, Logan Autry 9, Indiyah Williams, Laikyn Pait 11, Jenna Dove, Elizabeth Allbright 3, Akira Grimes, Jerena Purdie 5.
EAST BLADEN (49) – Kaley Smith, Justyna Gargala 6, Shardajah Brown, Emily Scott, Anna Kate White 2, Patience Ward 16, Ashley Hardin 3, Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson 22, Yolanda Coston, Lorna Mendell.
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