Varsity Girls Basketball: East Columbus 59, West Bladen 39

BLADENBORO, NC — West Bladen seniors Kali Allen and Natalee Sykes combined for 29 points Tuesday night as the Lady Knights shocked East Columbus early before the Lady Gators rallied for a 59-39 non-conference girls’ basketball victory. 

West Bladen, now 1-3, will visit East Bladen Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Allen banked in a 3-point shot to start the game, and Sykes drained a pair of 3-pointers from the left wing as the Lady Knights grabbed a 9-0 lead. Allen buried another 3-ball from the right wing to push the margin to 12-2 at the 4:09 mark. 

Sophomore Amiya McCarty banked in a 12-footer, and Sykes nailed a 3-ball from the right corner then raced for a lay-up and a 19-10 West lead at the quarter break. 

Malia Graham who scored 10 of her 21 points for East Columbus in the 1st half led a charge that trimmed the margin to 19-17. Free throws by McCarty and Sykes kept West up 21-19, before McKenzie Spivey’s 3-ball put East ahead 22-21.

Lady Knight senior Tah’lela Bethea banged in a lay-up off an assist from Saniya Martin to keep West within 26-23 at halftime. 

Graham and Spivey combined for 16 points as East pulled away in the 3rd period. Allen bombed in a 3-ball, and Bethea netted a free throw but the margin swelled to 49-27.

A McCarty assist resulted in a Bethea lay-up to begin the final quarter, and Allen fired in 3-pointers from the right wing and the top of the key. Allen and McCarty both converted steals into lay-ups in the final minutes. 

Allen connected on five 3-point shots and topped the Lady Knights with 17 points. She also had 2 steals. Sykes finished with 12 points and had a trio of 3-pointer baskets. 

Bethea and McCarty both totaled 5 points and 3 steals each. Bethea also grabbed 8 rebounds. Martin had 3 rebounds. 

Spivey finished with 15 points for East. 

East Columbus (59) –Cheyanne Freeman, Aleigh Godwin 4, Skylah Collins 6, Neveah Brown 4, McKenzie Spivey 15, Jaliyah Brown, Malia Graham 21, Malaya Webb 2, Angel Webb 3, Ryleigh Owens 4.

West Bladen (39) –Hadley Dove, Amiya McCarty 5, Haley Taylor, Abigail Dew, Saniya Martin, Harmony Richardson, Kali Allen 17, Natalee Sykes 12, Tah’lela Bethea 5.

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Varsity Girls Basketball: East Columbus 59, West Bladen 39