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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
East Bladen was never on the verge of losing the lead, but the top-seeded Eagles couldn’t shake pesky SouthWest Edgecombe in the first half.
It was a different story in the third quarter. East Bladen’s fullcourt pressure defense keyed a run of 22 unanswered points Thursday night as the Eagles coasted to a 71-43 win in the second round of the 2-A state playoffs.
Lacey Suggs finished with 33 points, including 19 of 20 from the free throw line, as East Bladen improved to 29-0. Christiana Cromartie scored 10 points as did Abby Ward, who missed the playoff opener because of illness.
East Bladen will host Reidsville on Saturday in a third-round game. Reidsville defeated Red Springs 40-24 on Thursday.
Shayla Ellis had 13 points for SouthWest Edgecombe, which ends its season at 12-12.
“I’m glad we got the win, but I’m not happy with our mindset before the game, our focus,” East Bladen coach Patty Evers said. “I don’t think we were focused enough to even start the game. I don’t know if it’s being anxious. But what they don’t understand, the further it goes along, the more competitive it’s going to be. Your focus has to be straight up on this game of basketball when you step foot through those doors.”
Whether focused or not, East Bladen was in control from the start, taking a 7-2 lead after two minutes. The Eagles jumped to a 15-3 advantage with 3:12 left in the first quarter with Suggs scoring nine, including sinking a pair of 3-pointers.
SouthWest Edgcombe cut it to 17-13 by scoring the first six points of the second quarter, but East Bladen countered with 10 straight points for a 27-13 lead with 3:20 left in the half. The rally began with a pair of free throws each by Cromartie, Ward and Suggs. Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson made a layup off an assist from Ward. Ward then connected on a 15-foot jumper.
However, SouthWest Edgecombe wouldn’t go away without a battle. A pair of free throws by Ellis cut East Bladen’s lead to 35-27 with 5:03 left in the third quarter. However, the next time the Cougars scored, which came on a layup by Sydney Gould in the closing seconds of the period, East Bladen had reeled off 22 consecutive points.
“At halftime, I told them we were just standing around,” Evers said. “We weren’t moving our feet. We were slow. When we started pressing, we started being more active. I know SouthWest Edgecombe tried to slow the game down, but we just weren’t moving. The press helped us get back in our game. How we like to run and get out and score quick layups.”
Ward started the 22-point run with a 15-foot jumper and Suggs capped it with a layup that gave East Bladen a 57-27 lead. Ward and Moore-Peterson each had three baskets during the 4 1/2 minute stretch. Suggs had a basket and six free throws and Ashley Hardin made a layup.
SouthWest Edgecombe never got closer than 23 points in the fourth quarter.
For the game, East Bladen was 25 of 32 from the free throw line while SouthWest Edgecombe was 12 of 21.
EAST BLADEN (71) – Abby Ward 10, Lacey Suggs 33, Miller Heustess 2, Danielle McDowell 2, Christiana Cromartie 10, Ashley Hardin 6, Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson 8.
SOUTHWEST EDGECOMBE (43) – Sydney Gould 5, Teliyah Owens 6, Shayla Ellis 13, Calisa Barnes 3, Tia Farmer 12, Keychonia Williams 4.
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