Senior Lacey Suggs racked up a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds Tuesday night to lead East Bladen’s Lady Eagles to a 64-36 victory at Midway in the Four County Conference opener for both teams.
Suggs just missed a triple-double as she totaled 8 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. Freshman Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson posted a career-high of 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Senior Christiana Cromartie tossed in 10 points for the Lady Eagles and collected 4 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 3 steals. Senior guard Abby Ward pumped in 9 points, dished out 10 assists and had 3 steals.
Junior Emily Scott pulled down 8 rebounds and blocked 2 shots, and freshman Ashley Hardin finished with 6 rebounds.
“We had a great effort from everybody,” said East Bladen Coach Patty Evers. “I don’t know when I have seen us shoot the ball as well as we did in the second half.”
Suggs flipped in a baseline runner and put back a rebound to start the game. Another Suggs runner upped the count to 6-2.
Moore-Peterson scored on a follow shot and drained a pair of 17-foot jumpers. Ward buried a 17-footer, but Midway’s Taylor Faircloth answered with a 3-ball. Guard Leah Williams tallied 8 points in the first period that kept the Lady Raiders within 14-13 at the quarter break.
“We had some defensive lapses in the first quarter,” said Coach Evers. “We shorter this year and more inexperienced after graduating two 4-year post players. We are still trying to figure it out defensively.”
The Lady Eagle defense improved drastically in the second period as they limited the Lady Raiders to only a pair of free throws. Ward started the period with a basket, before Suggs drove for a pair of transition baskets and also scored on a follow shot.
A pair of Faircloth foul shots kept Midway within 20-15, but Cromartie hit 2 foul shots then passed to Suggs for a lay-up. Suggs made another free throw then turned a lay-up into a 3-point play that capped the 16-2 run and produced a 30-15 halftime lead.
Cromartie canned a corner jumper, and Suggs buried a 3-point shot and added a foul shot for a 36-15 lead. A Ward pass set up a Cromartie lay-up, and Moore-Peterson and Cromartie knocked down 17-foot jumpers.
Suggs turned a rebound into a 3-point play, Moore-Peterson dropped in a transition lay-up and Ward drilled a 16-footer that pushed the East lead to 49-22 at the quarter break.
Moore-Peterson connected on a corner jumper, Suggs converted a Ward pass into a lay-up then sent a pass into Shardajah Brown for another lay-up and a 55-24 lead with 6:07 remaining.
Ward bombed in a 3-pointer and assisted on a Moore-Peterson lay-up. Moore-Peterson drove for another lay-up, and Cromartie threw in another 17-footer to round out the East scoring.
Williams and Faircloth shared Midway scoring honors with 12 points each.
East Bladen, now 8-0 overall, gears up for a Four County showdown Thursday night when they entertain unbeaten Clinton.
East Bladen (64) – Abby Ward 9, Lexie Mendell, Michelle Page, Shardajah Brown 2. Emily Scott, Lacey Suggs 27, Miller Heustess, Danielle McDowell, Christiana Cromartie 10, Ashley Hardin, Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson 16.
About Author
