WHITEVILLE — Juniors Iveonna “NeNe” Ward and Laila Smith poured in 54 points Friday night to lead East Bladen to a 72-47 Waccamaw Conference girls’ basketball victory over Whiteville.
Ward repeatedly beat the Lady Wolfpack defense down the floor for lay-ups and finished with 30 points, 3 steals, 2 assists and 3 rebounds. She also connected on a trio of 3-point shots. Laila Smith fired in 24 points including a pair of ‘circus’ shots through contact and grabbed 7 rebounds.
“NeNe and Laila really took over for this team (25 points in the 1st half),” said Lady Eagle Coach Patty Evers. “The whole team played well. The players that came in off the bench played well.”
Ward drained a 3-point shot then turned an assist from sophomore Niyah Wooten into a lay-up and a 5-0 lead. Laila Smith put back a rebound then converted a Ward assist into a lay-up. Ward popped in a 13-footer then buried a 3-point shot. Sophomore Ariel Cromartie delivered an assist to Wooten for a lay-up and a 16-4 East lead at the break.
Ward sent an assist to Laila Smith for a lay-up then turned a steal into a lay-up. Laila Smith dropped in a lay-up, and sophomore Cabria Baldwin netted a lay-up off an assist from Wooten. Baldwin hit a free throw then delivered an assist to Laila Smith for a lay-up and a 27-14 lead.
Laila Smith followed up her own miss for a basket, and Ward added a free throw. However 3-point bombs by Whiteville’s Demeria Phillips and Elayzia Dawson closed the gap to 30-20 at halftime.
Cromartie’s lay-up started the 2nd half for East, but a pair of rebound baskets by Serenity Harvey and a Dawson lay-up sliced the Lady Eagle lead to 32-26 at the 5:34 mark.
Wooten banked in a 6-footer to ignite a 19-6 East spurt. Laila Smith sank 2 free throws, drove for a lay-up, scooped in a one-hand shot while falling then added another lay-up. Ward and Cromartie drove for transition lay-ups, Ward nailed a 3-point shot then put back a rebound as the lead grew to 51-32.
Wooten tossed in a 15-footer to begin the final period. Ward worked her way behind the Lady Wolfpack defense for 5 lay-ups in the quarter. Laila Smith flipped in 2 more lay-ups. Freshman Taylor Dowless followed up her own miss with a 6-footer, and freshman Aaliyah Monroe nailed a 3-point shot.
“We gave up a couple of 3-pointers while we were in our press,” noted Evers. “But we had to keep the pressure on and not let them set up in the halfcourt with their size.”
Wooten racked up 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists for East. Cromartie tallied 4 points.
Dawson topped the Whiteville scoring with 16 points, and Harvey followed with 14 points. Tall Ceonna Dennis finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
The Lady Eagles remained unbeaten in league play at 5-0 and are 13-2 overall. East Bladen will travel to South Columbus Thursday night. Whiteville, now 2-2 and 4-9 overall, will visit South Columbus Tuesday night.
East Bladen 16 14 21 21 — 72
Whiteville 4 16 15 12 — 47
East Bladen (72) — Iveonna “NeNe” Ward 30, Nevaeh Brown, Aaliyah Monroe 3, Ariel Cromartie 4, Cabria Baldwin 3, Tyliah Freeman, Tatum Allen, Zoe Smith, Taylor Dowless 2, Laila Smith 24, Niyah Wooten 6.
Whiteville (47) — Idonia McCullom 2, Gabby Inman, Erianna Green, Ladasia Riddy, Martasia Smith, Elayzia Dawson 16, Serenity Harvey 14, Demeria Phillips 3, Lashai Logan 2, Ceonna Dennis 10.
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