ELIZABETHTOWN — Laila Smith scored 11 of her game-high 16 points in the second quarter as East Bladen outscored Clinton by 20 points in the period en route to a 59-20 Southeastern Athletic Conference girls basketball victory Tuesday night.
The Eagles built a 57-17 lead with less than a minute left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Zoe Smith. The remainder of the game was played with a running clock because of the 40-point rule.
East Bladen improved to 2-0 in the conference and 9-2 overall. The Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak that came with losses to Wilmington Ashley and Wilmington Laney last week in the Hoggard Holiday Classic.
Smith, a sophomore, was 7-for-12 from the field and had three assists for the game. NeNe Ward, also a sophomore, added 10 points and had seven steals for the Eagles.
A pair of 3-pointers by Karli Priest in the opening two minutes of the second quarter helped East Bladen turn a 10-4 advantage at the end of the first quarter into a commanding 21-4 lead.
Smith worked inside for her points in the second quarter. Freshman Ariel Cromartie and senior AnnaGrey Heustess each had a pair of baskets as East Bladen built a 39-13 halftime lead.
East Bladen highlights in the second half included a 4-point play by Ward and a bucket inside by Brianna Phillips to close out the Eagles’ scoring.
East Bladen had 20 steals for the game. Along with Ward’s seven, Heustess had four while Priest and Maegan Burney each had three. Heustess also had three blocked shots. Burney led the Eagles with four of their 17 assists.
East Bladen will host county rival West Bladen on Friday. The game will follow the junior varsity boys game and should start about 6 p.m.
Clinton 4 9 4 3 — 20
East Bladen 10 29 18 2 — 59
CLINTON (20) — Tara Joyner 4, KaMyah Smith 2, Janiya Mosely 2, Brittany Blackburn 9, Giana Smith 1, Daniyah Coxum, Anna Perry Sinclair 2, Avery Evans, JaDai Wilson.
EAST BLADEN (59) — NeNe Ward 10, Martha Simmons 2, Ariel Cromartie 8, Cabria Baldwin, AnnaGrey Heustess 7, Karli Priest 8, Zoe Smith 3, Maegan Burney 3, Laila Smith 16, Nia McKoy, Brianna Phillips 2.
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