FAIRLEA- On a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Spartan Gym in Fairlea, the Greenbrier East Lady Spartans hosted the Logan Lady Wildcats in a highly anticipated matinee basketball game.
The game lived up to its hype and even made some Spartan fans nervous, but Greenbrier East held on for a convincing 58-51 victory.
Logan entered the game with a 14-5 record and proved that it was no fluke by posing one of East’s most difficult challenges this season.
East (18-1) scored first, when Ava Workman capitalized on a Wildcat turnover and went in for an uncontested layup. Hannah Fuller scored on the Spartans’ next possession, and East led 4-2 early. Logan took a 7-4 lead about halfway through after Jaycee Blair made a layup and Addyson Amick hit a long three.
The Wildcats then settled in and went on an 8-0 run over the next few minutes, but Kennedy Stewart helped East counter with a 7-0 run capped by a buzzer-beating three from Workman to end the first quarter, leaving East trailing only 15-14.
Liz Wooding had arguably her best few minutes of basketball this season in the second half.
She made a short jumper early in the quarter and gave the Spartans a 22-20 lead a few minutes later with a drop step spin move for a traditional three-point play. Halle Crouse, the senior shooting guard, kept the Wildcats close, scoring 10 points in the second quarter as Logan led 30-28 at halftime.
After Workman’s acrobatic finish to tie it up and Logan’s Amick three, Jada Waller scored two consecutive baskets to give East a 34-33 lead early in the third.
Amick responded with another triple a few trips down the floor, but she also received a technical for a charge foul on her teammate Bam Mosby. Stewart calmly made the two technical free throws, and East led 38-36 heading into the fourth.
Amick did her best to keep Logan (14-6) in the game, and her three-pointer with five minutes remaining put the Wildcats up 44-42. With just over two minutes remaining, Workman hit a clutch three from the right wing, extending the lead to two possessions. Eventually, Stewart made four consecutive free throws to seal the victory for East.
Stewart finished the day with 18 points and was 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Waller scored 15 points, and Workman added 12.
Logan was led by Amick (18 points), while Crouse had 15.
Individual Scoring:
L: Amick 18, Crouse 15, Blair 8, Bam Mosby 6, Payton Butcher 4
GE: Workman 12, Stewart 18, Waller 15, Wooding 7, Fuller 6
