Purnell Swett pulled away with a 17-3 third quarter burst and went on to claim a 47-24 non-conference girls basketball victory at West Bladen Friday night.
Missed free throws and turnovers plagued the Lady Knights. West Bladen converted only 5 of 31 free throw opportunities. Swett connected on 14 of 24 foul shots.
The Lady Knights committed 29 turnovers compared to 21 by the Lady Rams. West Bladen did win the rebound battle 39-30.
Swett jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, before Lady Knight junior Laikyn Pait sank a free throw then canned a 17-footer to slice the lead to 5-3.
Freshman Erika McKoy banked in a driving 6-footer, and sophmore Elizabeth Allbright pumped in a 14-footer to keep West within 10-7. However Patience Epps lobbed in a baseline runner for a 12-7 Lady Ram lead at the quarter break.
Pait drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to cut the Swett lead to 15-10 at the 4:31 mark of the second quarter, but the Lady Rams closed the half with a 5-0 run for a 20-10 lead.
Junior Logan Autry started the third quarter with a free throw and later scored a back-door lay-up off of a McKoy assist. However the Lady Rams grew the lead to 37-13 at the third quarter break.
McKoy and junior Alanna Ludlum hit free throws, and junior Akira Grimes nailed a 17-footer from the corner to begin the final period.
Ludlum turned an Autry assist into a lay-up, then Ludlum and Allbright put back rebound baskets. Grimes added a free throw for the final West point.
Pait led the Knight scoring with 6 points and collected 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Ludlum collected 5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
Allbright pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds and added 4 points. Autry and Grimes grabbed 6 rebounds each, and junior Jenna Dove finished with 4 rebounds.
Paige Sweeney led the Lady Rams with 10 points, Nakyra Mitchell followed with 9 points, and Epps tallied 7 points.
The Lady Knights are now 1-3 and open Four County Conference play Tuesday at Union at 6 p.m.
West Bladen (24) – Alanna Ludlum 5, Josselin Perez, Kaylee Stevens, Erika McKoy 3, Patience Parker, Kassidy Anderson, Logan Autry 3, Laikyn Pait 6, Jenna Dove, Elizabeth Allbright 4, Akira Grimes 3, Jerena Purdie.
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