After a string of eight wins, the East Columbus Gators's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell just short of East Bladen by a score of 60-57. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat East Columbus has suffered yet this season.
East Columbus' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Malia J. graham, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds. J. graham is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Chynna Patrick, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and four blocks.
Even though they lost, East Columbus were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Laila Smith was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 25 points and ten rebounds for East Bladen. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. Ariel Cromartie was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with four steals.
East Columbus' loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 8-1. As for East Bladen, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season.
East Columbus will be playing in front of their home fans against South Columbus at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. South Columbus is hoping to put an end to a seven-game streak of away losses. As for East Bladen, they will head out on the road to square off against Pender at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Pender will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings (they are ranked 442nd, while East Bladen is ranked 81st).
