Lady Wildcats make it two in a row
ELLERBE – Coming off of its first win of the season on Monday – a 19-15 overtime thriller against Spring Hill Middle – the Ellerbe Middle School girls’ basketball team decided to turn its victory into a streak on Thursday when it hosted in-county rival Cordova Middle.
Unlike their Monday game, there were no late-game heroics necessary as the Lady Wildcats controlled the game from start to finish in a 33-4 victory.
In the first quarter, Ellerbe’s Tanaja Harrison, Kenley Smith, Leslie Santiago and Kaylee Conner all contributed to a 10-0 run to start the game. Smith led the way with 4 in the opening quarter and went on to score 10 first-half points helping her team carry a 22-2 advantage into the locker room.
After the break, Harrison took over for the Lady Wildcats. Harrison, who scored a game-high 11 points, netted 7 of Ellerbe’s 11 second-half points – Conner accounted for the other 4.
Smith finished with 10, Conner added 7, and Santiago and Mariana Gonzalez each had 2.
Ellerbe improved to 2-5 on the season and will next host West Hoke Middle on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 4 p.m. Cordova drops to 0-7 and will host Hamlet Middle on Monday at 4 p.m.
Ellerbe boys get their first win
ELLERBE – Landon Legrand gave a valiant effort for Ellerbe with a game-high 15 points in a hard-fought 38-29 loss to Spring Hill on Monday. On Thursday, Legrand was once again atop of the scoring stats in the Wildcat’s home game against Cordova Middle, but this time Ellerbe claimed a 27-20 victory – its first win of the season.
Four Wildcats scored in the opening quarter with Legrand netting four points, while Jeffery McCauley, Jaiden Abney and Benjamin Sibley each added two points to a 10-2 run to start the game.
Cordova became a little more aggressive on defense in the second quarter leading to multiple Ellerbe turnovers. Those miscues combined with five points from the Cavaliers (a 3-pointer from Javeion LittleJohn and a short jump shot from Ikema Smith) helped to keep the visitors close, but the Wildcats took a 14-7 lead into the break.
LittleJohn connected on another three-pointer in the third quarter, but five points from Legrand and three from Jaden Ingram increased the Ellerbe advantage to double-digits as the Wildcats led 22-12 after three complete.
Cordova had four scorers in the final period with Latavion Watkins, Maurice Lemon, Ikema Smith and Julian Ingram all finding the net, but Ellerbe managed to hold on for the 27-20 victory.
Legrand finished with 11 on the afternoon for the Wildcats, Jaden Ingram netted 5, McCauley scored 4, Abney, Sibley, and Trystin Rogers each had 2, and J.D. Leak added 1.
For Cordova, LittleJohn finished with 8, Smith scored 4, and Watkins, Lemon, Julian Ingram and Jeremy Lindsey netted 2 apiece.
Ellerbe improved to 1-6 on the season and will next host West Hoke Middle on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. Cordova dropped to 0-7 and will host Hamlet Middle on Monday at 5 p.m.
Grover McDonald contributed stats and information to this article.
