FAIRLEA, WV- Basketball becomes a much easier sport to win when a team can knock down shots. It becomes even easier when those shots are from beyond the 3-point line.
Enter, the Greenbrier East Lady Spartans, who made 13 threes in their 73-53 win over the Bridgeport Lady Indians on Saturday, Dec. 2.
East started off scorching hot in the opening quarter and it was sophomore Kennedy Stewart who led the way. The Spartans (3-0) hit seven 3-pointers in the first quarter and Stewart had five of them herself. Mackenna McClure and Jada Waller had the other two and the Lady Spartans held a commanding 28-13 lead after one.
However, the Indians battled back in the second. They went on a 10-0 run fueled by Reese Pierce who was also hot early from behind the arc. Jaylin Dodd got an offensive rebound and put it in for the Indians as they trimmed the deficit down to just five points at 33-28.
With the Spartan fans feeling a bit uneasy after the hot start to the period from Bridgeport (0-1), they breathed sighs of relief shortly thereafter when Stewart hit her seventh 3 of the game and McClure put in a buzzer beater and the Spartans took a solid 40-29 lead into halftime.
Kala Waller hit a downtown shot early in the second half to get East going and just a few possessions later, Ja. Waller drained another one. Stewart then connected on a deep ball and the Spartans held a 49-35 lead with just under two minutes left in the third quarter. Ava Workman got a steal, scored, and connected on her foul shot to end the quarter as East had regained all the momentum with a 52-37 lead after three.
The Spartans continued to build their lead in the fourth when Stewart hit her ninth and final 3-pointer. Workman, who was a defensive stalwart all evening, also added a steal and score early in the quarter to put the game on ice in the Spartans favor.
East shot 41 percent overall and held the Indians to just 33 percent, but the Spartans did get outrebounded 44-33. The East defense forced 20 Bridgeport turnovers.
Stewart went 9-of-15 from 3-point range and finished with a game-high 29 points. Workman added 16 points and 7 steals. McClure contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds.
East has a big game with George Washington Monday night, Dec. 4 at home.
Scoring by Quarter:
1 2 3 4 Total
B 13 16 8 16 53
GE 28 12 12 21 73
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