BURGAW – Junior Laila Smith worked the paint for 8 of her game-high 23 points in the final period and ignited a 10-0 East Bladen spurt that propelled the Lady Eagles to a 58-51 Waccamaw Conference victory over Pender Friday night.
Senior Jamiah Johnson who topped the Lady Patriot scoring with 20 points made a free throw to put Pender up 43-41 with 6:37 left to play. Laila Smith answered with a turn-around from the lane and a follow shot for a 45-43 Lady Eagle lead.
Pender senior Grace Bordeaux tied the score with a lay-up. Laila Smith and Jamiah Johnson traded lay-ups to knot the score a final time at 47-47, before Laila Smith dropped in a lay-up off an in-bounds pass for a 49-47 East lead with 3:45 on the clock.
Sophomore Ariel Cromartie followed up her own miss in transition, sophomore Niyah Wooten turned a Zoe Smith assist into a lay-up, and junior Iveonna “NeNe” Ward sank 2 free throws then added a lay-up for a 57-47 Lady Eagle lead with 40 seconds remaining. Sophomore Cabria Baldwin tacked on a free throw.
Laila Smith pulled down 10 rebounds to record a double-double and added 7 steals and 3 assists. Ward finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 assists. Cromartie contributed 10 points and 3 rebounds. Baldwin grabbed 6 rebounds. Wooten added 5 rebounds and 4 steals, and Zoe Smith had 4 rebounds.
Ward scored a lay-up off the opening tap then stole the ball and dashed for another lay-up. Laila Smith sent a feed to Cromartie for a lay-up then turned 2 steals into a 10-foot jumper and a lay-up off a give-and-go with Ward for a 10-0 lead.
Laila Smith put back a rebound, and after Bordeaux rallied Pender to within 12-8, Ward drained a 3-point shot, and Laila Smith turned a steal into a lay-up. Baldwin popped in a free throw for an 18-11 East lead at the break.
Laila Smith opened the 2nd period with a 16-footer, Cromartie flipped in a lay-up, and Laila Smith delivered a feed to Ward for a lay-up and a 24-13 Lady Eagle lead. However a Ward 3-ball accounted for the only East points in the final 5 minutes of the half as 9 points from Jamiah Johnson and 6 more from Bordeaux sparked a 17-3 run that vaulted Pender in front 30-27 at halftime.
A 9-0 East run began the 2nd half. Laila Smith canned 2 free throws, and turned a Ward assist into a 3-point play. Cromartie converted a Wooten assist into a lay-up then banged in a follow shot for a 36-30 lead.
Ward drove for a lay-up and netted a free throw for a 39-34 Lady Eagle lead at the 3:48 mark. Ward banked in an 8-footer for the only East basket during an 8-2 run that pushed Pender in front 42-41 at the break.
Bordeaux totaled 15 points to follow Jamiah Johnson on the Lady Patriot scoring list.
Coach Patty Evers’ Lady Eagles remained unbeaten in Waccamaw action with a 3-0 record and are 11-2 overall. East Bladen will visit Rocky Point Trask Tuesday night. Pender dropped to 0-3 in the league and 1-7 overall.
East Bladen 18 9 14 17 — 58
Pender 11 19 12 9 — 51
East Bladen (58) — Iveonna “NeNe” Ward 21, Ariel Cromartie 10, Cabria Baldwin 2, Tatum Allen, Zoe Smith, Taylor Dowless, Laila Smith 23, Nia McKoy, Niyah Wooten 2.
Pender (51) — Olivia White 2, Jamiah Johnson 20, Shamiah Johnson 2, Kimora McAllister 2, Grace Bordeaux 15, Charlie Rivenbark 4, Linde Cline 6.
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