ELIZABETHTOWN – East Columbus closed the third quarter with a 17-2 spurt that propelled the Lady Gators to a 49-32 victory over East Bladen Tuesday night in the final game of the East Bladen Holiday Classic.
East Bladen sophmore Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson drove through the Lady Gator press for a lay-up to pull the Lady Eagles to within 25-23 with 4:06 left in the third period.
Mia Campbell and Charity Powell bombed in 3-point shots, and Tia Campbell banked in a runner to grow the East Columbus lead to 33-23. After Moore-Peterson popped in a 14-footer from the lane, she went to the bench with her fourth foul.
Powell delivered another 3-point shot and the East Columbus defense turned several East Bladen turnovers into 3 lay-ups and a 42-25 lead at the quarter break.
“It was a tale of two different halves,” said East Bladen Coach Patty Evers. “We got down on ourselves. When we got down 4 points, it was like the game was over. We just panicked and threw the ball right to them on some of those turnovers.”
Forty-six seconds into the final quarter Moore-Peterson, East Bladen’s primary ball-handler, fouled out. “We need Ja’Tyra to be our leader on the floor and not be on the bench with foul trouble,” said Coach Evers.
Junior Shardajah Brown sank 2 free throws, and freshman Patience Ward drove for a lay-up as the Lady Eagles pulled to within 42-29 with 4:10 on the clock.
Powell put back a rebound, and Tia Campbell hit 2 free throws to keep the East Columbus lead at 46-30. Sophmore Anna Kate White made 2 free throws with 6 seconds left for East Bladen, but the Lady Gators Hope Freeman hurled in a 33-footer at the buzzer for the final margin.
Moore-Peterson led the Lady Eagles with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Ward posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Emily Scott pulled down 9 rebounds and tallied 4 points. Brown and Hardin totaled 4 rebounds each.
Powell, a UNC-Wilmington commit, recorded a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Tia Campbell contributed 10 points, and Mia Campbell added 9 points. The Lady Gators held a 46-34 advantage on the boards.
Moore-Peterson drained a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Lady Eagles an early 3-2 lead. Ward pumped in a short jumper from the lane, and Moore-Peterson drove the baseline for a lay-up that kept East Bladen even 7-7 at the quarter break.
Moore-Peterson sank 2 free throws and threw in a 14-footer, and Ward scored on a pair of follow-shots to keep the Lady Eagles up 15-13. A pick-and-roll play produced a pair of lay-ups for Scott off of assists from Moore-Peterson.
Powell canned a pull-up from the lane, and Freeman buried a 3-pointer to keep East Columbus within 19-18 at halftime.
Ward started the second half with a short jumper, but Tia Campbell knocked down a 3-pointer and turned a steal into a lay-up. Mia Campbell’s transition lay-up put East Columbus ahead 25-21.
East Bladen takes an 8-3 record into the Christmas break. The Lady Eagles return to action on January 3rd at Pender.
EAST BLADEN (32) – Kaley Smith, Justyna Gargala, Shardajah Brown 2, Emily Scott 4, Anna Kate White 2, Patience Ward 10, Ashley Hardin 3, Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson 11, Yolanda Coston, Lorna Mendell.
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