East Columbus had to travel to play their first game of the season, but the final result was worth the trip. Everything went their way against the West Bladen Knights on Wednesday as the East Columbus Gators made off with a 49-25 win. This was payback for the Gators, who suffered a 67-66 loss the last time these two teams met.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead East Columbus to victory, but perhaps none more so than Malia Graham, who went 8 for 9 en route to 17 points plus five rebounds and two steals. The dominant performance also gave Graham a new career-high in field goal percentage (89%). Malayah Hines was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 14 points and nine steals.
East Columbus smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 29 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
When it comes to explaining why West Bladen lost, don't look at Natalee Sykes. Despite the final result, she scored five points in addition to seven rebounds and two steals.
West Bladen's defeat was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-1.
East Columbus wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 70-13 victory against Jones on the 22nd. West Bladen has also already played their next match, a 63-13 loss against Hoggard on the 26th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
