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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
The amazing four-year basketball careers of four East Bladen seniors came to an end when the Lady Eagles were eliminated in the NCHSAA Class 2A Girls Eastern Regional Championship game by North Pitt.
“I am really proud of this team,” said Coach Patty Evers. “31-1 is good for anybody. Not many teams can say that. These girls played hard. They never quit.”
“We had that group that went to 3 straight state championship games that graduated in 2011,” noted Coach Evers. “This group came in a year later and they figured it out. They caught on to what we were trying to do.”
The four seniors – Lacey Suggs, Abby Ward, Christiana Cromartie and Miller Heustess – were 102-11 during their career and 87-4 over their last 3 years with two Eastern Regional appearances and one Eastern Final.
After rolling past Southwest Onslow in their season opener, the Lady Eagles won a pair of games over Class 4A foes Jack Britt 46-42 and Hoke County 47-26 in the Big Shots Hoops Feast at Wilmington Laney.
Suggs was named the Big Shots Most Valuable Player in both games with 27 points against Hoke and 20 points and 12 rebounds versus Britt. Ward sank 4 key free throws in the final 29 seconds to seal the win over Britt, and freshman Ashley Hardin grabbed 8 big rebounds.
A 55-23 blow-out over Three Rivers champ East Columbus followed as Suggs scored 24, and Ward just missed a triple-double with 10 points, 11 steals and 8 assists. “I don’t know when I have seen Abby play like that,” said Coach Evers. “She was really focused.”
Ward and Suggs combined for 15 fourth-quarter points as the Lady Eagles pulled away for a 52-39 win at Class 4A Wilmington Ashley. Suggs finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Ward added 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists.
Suggs filled the stat sheet with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in the Four County Conference opener – a 64-36 win at Midway. Ward added 9 points and 10 assists, and junior Emily Scott pulled down 8 rebounds.
In their first meeting with league runner-up Clinton, Heustess popped in a pair of 12-foot jumpers in the first minute of the second half to break the game open. “They had changed defenses and gone to a triangle-and-two,” noted Coach Evers. “Miller kept us alive in the third quarter.” East Bladen pulled away for a 58-30 win.
Suggs rallied the Lady Eagles to a 50-44 victory in the rematch at East Columbus scoring 16 of her 23 in the second half. Heustess chipped in with 6 points, 3 assists and 3 steals.
The Lady Eagles cruised through their own Holiday Classic beating Whiteville 59-23 and North Brunswick 69-37. “Chris had the best game of her career tonight,” said Coach Evers about Cromartie’s 10 blocks against North Brunswick. Suggs racked up 28 points, Hardin tallied 12 points and Ward had 10 points and 9 assists.
East Bladen’s closest calls in league play were a 48-37 win at Wallace-Rose Hill, and a 42-38 win in the rematch at Clinton.
Suggs posted a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds in the win at Wallace. Moore-Peteson added 12 points, and Hardin grabbed 12 rebounds.
In the 42-38 win at Clinton, Suggs threw in 9 of her 17 points in the final quarter as East Bladen overcame a 29-28 Clinton lead.
Suggs became the third girls basketball player in East Bladen history to score 2,000 points in the first half of the Lady Eagles 61-25 victory over West Bladen in the Four County Tournament semi-finals.
Clinton stayed within 23-20 in the first half of the championship game, but the Lady Eagles blitzed the Lady Dark Horses with a 43-9 second half explosion and won 76-37.
Suggs led the double-double parade with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Moore-Peterson nailed four 3-point shots and to finish with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Scott added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
After blowing away St. Pauls 56-27, the Lady Eagles pounded Southwest Edgecombe 71-43 in the second round of the NCHSAA play-offs as Suggs poured in 33 points.
Reidsville built an early 18-4 lead in East Bladen’s third round game, but Suggs and Ward keyed a 27-1 blitz as the Lady Eagles fought back to claim a 59-38 victory.
For the game Suggs posted a double-double of 31 points and 13 rebounds, and Ward fired in 21 points and had 8 steals. “Strong play again from Lacey and Abby,” said Coach Evers. “What can you say about those two.”
In the Eastern Regional Semi-final, East Bladen pulled away from Jacksonville Northside with a 20-4 second-half spurt that produced a 48-31 victory. Suggs recorded another double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. Ward followed with 11 points, and Moore-Peterson scored 9 of her 10 points during the winning run.
Suggs finished her career with 2,139 points, and for the season averaged 22.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4.4 assists. Ward contributed 9.1 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.5 steals per game.
Cromartie anchored the inside game with 6.2 points, 6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. Heustess hit some key shots and tallied 3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Heading the list of returnees for next year are: Moore-Peterson who averaged 9 points and 4 rebounds per game, Scott (5.5 rebounds), and Hardin (5.1 rebounds).
“Tradition never graduates,” said Coach Evers. “You set a standard and the ones who come through know what I stand for and what our goals are. We rebuild some years, but so does every team.”
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