By Sonny Jones
ELIZABETHTOWN — The outcome was never in doubt. The result kept East Bladen’s hopes alive of at least sharing the Waccamaw Conference regular season title.
NeNe Ward scored 22 points as the Eagles rolled past Heide Trask 67-26 in a girls high school basketball game played on Patty Evers Court.
East Bladen scored the first 21 points in the opening nine minutes in notching its four straight win since its Jan. 30 conference loss at East Columbus 58-53.
The Eagles are 10-1 in Waccamaw Conference games, 18-3 overall and are scheduled to end their regular season Tuesday at home against Whiteville.
East Bladen leads East Columbus (9-1 Waccamaw, 17-1 overall) by ½ game going into the final week of the regular season. East Columbus plays Trask and winless West Columbus next week.
East Bladen defeated East Columbus 60-57 on Jan. 3.
If the teams finish as conference co-champions, the tournament could decide who earns the league’s No. 1 seed for the state 1-A playoffs that begin in three weeks.
As for Friday’s rout of Trask (2-7 Waccamaw, 3-18 overall), a pair of baskets by Ward, lay-up by Ariel Cromartie off Ward’s pas and a 3-point field goal by Laila Smith staked East Bladen to a 9-0 lead before Trask called a time out.
The break didn’t stop the Eagles. East Bladen finished the first quarter with 3-pointers by Ward, Tatum Allen and Laila Smith.
Zoe Smith’s bucket midway through the second quarter gave East Blaen a 25-3 lead.
Ward added 12 points in the third quarter as East Bladen opened a 52-18 advantage.
The final three minutes were playing with a running clock after East Bladen opened a 40-point lead at 65-25 on a basket by Nevaeh Brown.
Heide Trask 0 10 8 8 — 26
East Bladen 18 10 24 15 — 67
Heide Trask (26) — Danyla Moore 4, Alanah Watkins 2, Zion Jinwright, Keyerra Moore 5, Carly Davis 2, Kenya Lewis 4, Toni Bojorques-Hicks 1, Layna Nixon 8.
East Bladen (67) — NeNe Ward 22, Nevaeh Brown 2, Aaliyah Monroe, Ariel Cromartie 14, Cabria Baldwin 6, Tyliah Freeman, Tatum Allen 3, Zoe Smith 4, Taylor Dowless, Laila Smith 10, Niyah Wooten 6.
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