Lady Gators
from playoffs
By DAN BISER
Sports Editor
BURGAW - Having suffered three losses to Pender this season, the East Columbus Lady Gator basketball team had high hopes Saturday that it could upend the Lady Patriots when it really counted -- in the 1A sectional finals.
It was not to be, however, as the host Pender squad jumped to a quick lead and never trailed, coming away with a 60-41 victory.
Pender, the Waccamaw Conference Tournament champion and regular-season runnerup, will take a 25-5 record into the Eastern N.C. 1A Regional Tournament, were it will go against Plymouth (19-2) in Thursday’s regional semi-final in Greenville.
Pender, coached by former ECHS boys coach Gary Battle, dominated the first half behind the play of Janetta Robinson and Muriel Seabrooks for a 31-11 advantage at the midway point.
East Columbus, which had fallen to Pender by four points in the Waccamaw Conference Tournament semi-finals a week earlier, put together a spirited comeback in the third quarter when it rode the hot hand of Jasmine Young to outscore the Lady Patriots 19-9 in the period and trim the Pender lead to six.
Pender regrouped in the final quarter, going on a quick 10-2 run to once again put its lead back to 20.
Seabrooks and Robinson each had 21 points for Pender, which connected on 20 of 26 attempts from the foul line.
Young scored a game-high 25 points for Coach Karlyn Stephens’ East Columbus team. T.T. Bennett added 11 for the Lady Gators, who closed their season with a 16-12 record, including a third-place finish in the Waccamaw Conference.
East Columbus had opened the playoffs with a 61-59 home victory over Midway last Tuesday and went on the road Thursday to knock off Carolina Conference champion North Johnson 58-34.
| E. Columbus |
6
|
5
|
19
|
11
|
-
|
41
|
| Pender |
13
|
18
|
9
|
20
|
-
|
60
|
EAST COLUMBUS (41): Bennett 10, Lennon 2, Young 25, Moore 2, Bracey 2 .
PENDER (60): Holmes 9, Seabrooks 21, Robinson 21, Roper 2, Gresham 7.