BECKLEY- In what was being tabbed as a ‘showdown’ early season game, the Greenbrier East Lady Spartans (Class AAA #2) had no trouble with their biggest rivals, the Woodrow Wilson Flying Eagles, as East won 77-57 in a contest, they controlled from start to finish.
Ava Workman had a big night for East and led the way with 23 points.
The Spartans set the tone of the night from the literal get-go with Kennedy Stewart hitting a long two right off the opening tip. On their next possession, Stewart drained a long 3 then ava Workman stole the inbounds pass and converted a 15-foot jumper, and East led 7-0 and forced Beckley coach Brian Nabors into a quick timeout.
The Eagles settled down after that and got a couple baskets from their best player, Josie Cross, a Frostburg State signee, but a breakaway layup from Workman made it 13-8 at the four-minute mark of the opening quarter.
After one quarter, the Spartans led 22-14.
East extended that lead to 12 just a minute into the second after a Stewart left-handed score in traffic made it 27-15. A couple minutes later, Workman knocked in a left-wing 3 to increase the East lead to 30-17.
After Alauna Ellis hit a mid-range jumper to bring the Eagles within eight at 30-22, the game changed for good in the Spartans favor at that point. It started with a Mackenna McClure layup, then a Stewart triple, two McClure free throws, and a Jada Waller trifecta capped a 10-0 Spartan run and a 40-22 lead with just over three minutes remaining until halftime.
A Workman 3 brought the lead to 43-26 and the halftime score was 43-29.
East hit five 3-pointers in the second quarter alone.
The Spartans continued to keep their foot on the gas right out of the locker room.
They started the third quarter on a 16-5 run which gave them a 59-34 lead. Beckley attempted to make a run as the quarter went on, but East never allowed it.
The fourth quarter was much of the same as the Spartans (6-0) cruised to their sixth win of the season in impressive fashion.
Aside from Workman’s team-leading 23 points, Waller poured in 19 and Stewart had 17. McClure also got in double figures with 10.
Cross led Woodrow (3-1) with 14 points and Abby Dillon had 12.
East is back in action tonight, Friday, Dec. 20 at Pikeview. East defeated Pikeview at home just a couple nights ago.
