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Staff Report

CALYPSO — The East Bladen girls basketball team is in the final four of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A playoffs.

NeNe Ward and Laila Smith combined for 43 points Friday night as the Eagles rolled to a 68-45 win against North Duplin in the fourth round of the 64-team state tournament.

East Bladen (25-3) will play Perquimans (28-2) for the region championship Tuesday at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem for a berth in the state championship game. Perquimans, the East’s top seed, beat Wake Prep Academy 59-20 on Friday. Game time has not been announced. The state championship game will be Friday, March 14.

Ward scored 25 and Smith added 18 for East Bladen, which, again, jumped to an early lead and never looked back. Cabria Baldwin scored all of her five points in the first quarter as the Eagles raced to a 20-10 lead.

Niyah Wooten scored five, including a 3-point field goal, in the second quarter and Ward added nine points that helped East Bladen hold a 40-21 halftime lead.

Smith made five baskets in the third quarter as the Eagles built their lead to 56-33.

EAST BLADEN (68) — NeNe Ward 25, Nevaeh Brown, Aaliyah Monroe 3, Ariel Cromartie 8, Cabria Baldwin 5, Tyliah Freeman, Tatum Allen 1, Taylor Dowless, Laila Smith 18, Niyah Wooten 8.

NORTH DUPLIN (45) — Addy Higginbotham 4, Abby Rose 9, Lilly Fulghum 2, Maggie Brown 11, Tateyawna Faison 17, Abigeal Norris, Eva Quintanilla 2, M’Chelle Jaco, Tristyn Blust, Deniyah Pearsall, Camden Cox, Sophia Davis, Natalie Carreon.