FAIRLEA- if you came to Spartan gym to start your weekend on Friday night, Jan. 13 expecting to see a good, close, high powered basketball game, you may have been slightly disappointed.
However, how upset can you be when the Greenbrier East Lady Spartans are on the good end of a blowout win against the Woodrow Wilson Lady Flying Eagles?
East got 21 points from Kennedy Stewart in the first quarter and built a 35-5 lead and cruised to an all-important 74-33 victory over the Lady Flying Eagles in a sectional contest.
Considering the opponent, the first quarter may have been the best start of the season for the Spartans. Stewart put on a show and was the catalyst for the Spartans jumping out to a 9-2 lead about two minutes into the game. Then, she went wild. She finished the quarter with five made 3s and a couple of fancy reverse layups. Jada Waller added a trifecta as well and Mackenna McClure had a couple baskets, and the rout was indeed on.
Kala Waller and Sandy Banton fueled the second quarter for East. Both scored five points including a 3 for each and the Spartans defense was once again, solid. They held the Eagles to just seven points in the period and held a huge 48-12 lead at halftime.
Beckley came out of the locker room a little more poised and collected in the second half. Their head coach, Brian Nabors, was not happy for most of the night but he had to have been in a better mood in the third. The Eagles used Josie Cross to at least keep things interesting. East got off to a slow start in the half, but when they started picking it up, it was Ja. Waller that got it going. She scored 13 of her 18 points in that second half with help from Ava Workman.
At the end of the night, East had cruised to a victory.
The Spartans shot 42 percent for the game and 35 percent from 3-point distance. They held Woodrow to an ice cold 20 percent shooting and forced the Eagles into 23 turnovers. East had only 10 turnovers.
Interestingly enough, Stewart did not score a point after her 21-point first quarter. She added 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Ja. Waller had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Workman got 10 points and 3 steals. McClure, the scrappy player, had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Ja. Waller was named the Greenbrier Valley Channel player of the game.
The Spartans have now won six consecutive games and are 9-3 on the season.
The Flying Eagles dropped to 3-7.
East will look to avenge an earlier season loss to James Monroe when they host them at Spartan Gym this Monday night, Jan. 15.
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