East Bladen Dominates Northwest Halifax 74-19 in First Round of NCHSAA Playoffs

Photos by: Ken Arm Photo

Elizabethtown, NC - The #7 seeded East Bladen Lady Eagles showcased their chemistry with a commanding 74-19 victory over #26 Northwest Halifax in the first round of the NCHSAA Girl’s Basketball Playoffs.

Seniors NeNe Ward and Laila Smith combined for 39 points in the first half, highlighting their chemistry that is evident in how they play.

Coach Patty Evers acknowledged that the team started off slow, attributing the rust to the team's long layoff since their last game against West Bladen.

“It was a slow start. We haven’t played a game since West Bladen on February 13th. I’m thankful some of the young players got some experience in a playoff game; we brought up two of our JV players,” Coach Evers noted.

Photos by: Ken Arm Photo

Although it was a slow start offensively, the Lady Eagles wasted no time establishing control on the defensive end.

Laila Smith opened the scoring with a free throw, followed by an aggressive steal leading to a layup by Ariel Cromartie.

NeNe Ward made her presence felt early, knocking down a three-pointer and contributing with a layup off a steal.

The Lady Eagles ended the quarter with a dominant 19-4 lead.

The Lady Eagles amped up their pressure in the second quarter, creating turnovers and easy scoring opportunities.

NeNe Ward continued her stellar performance, hitting multiple three-pointers and converting steals into points.

Laila Smith added to the tally with fast-break layups, while Ariel Cromartie contributed with a layup and one.

East Bladen rollled into halftime with a 46-7 halftime lead.

Coach Evers gave her depth some significant playing time in the second half, and they delivered.

Taylor Dowless and Aliyah Monroe capitalized on their minutes, adding key buckets.

Photos by: Ken Arm Photo

Monroe’s three-pointer highlighted the quarter, and Ariel Cromartie continued her aggressive play under the basket as the Lady Eagles extended their lead to 66-17.

The depth of East Bladen continued to showcase in the final quarter.

Sana’a Singletary and Tyliah Freeman added to the scoreboard, while the defense held Northwest Halifax to minimal scoring opportunities.

With this victory, #7 East Bladen advances to the second round, where they will host the winner of the matchup between #10 Triangle Math & Science and #23 Columbia on Friday with the game time TBD.

The Lady Eagles look to continue their playoff run with momentum after this dominant performance.

East Bladen 19 29 18 8 - 74

Northwest Halifax 4 5 8 2 - 19

East Bladen (74) - Nene Ward 24, Nevaeh Brown 4, Aaliyah Monroe 5, Ariel Cromartie 12, Cabria Baldwin, Tyliah Freeman 2, Tatum Allen 6, Taylor Dowless 4, Laila Smith 15, Niyah Wooten.

Northwest Halifax (19) - Alyssia Patterson, Tatyanna McGee 2, Keyara Rook 5, Makhia Lee 3, Kamiyah Stalling, Kalasha Macon 9, Mariyah Powell, Breasia Gatling.