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EJ girls pull out late win over Bald Eagle Area

WINGATE – Two teams with contrasting styles met Monday night when the slow tempo of the Bald Eagles’ girls basketball team battled the high, up tempo transition game of East Juniata.

After a very close first half, the inside game and fast breaking offense of the Tigers were too much for the hard battling Eagles, 44-26.

Alyssa Hibbs, who was strong inside and in transition, finished with a 15-point effort. Hibbs also finished with seven hard earned rebounds.

Carla Beaver was the beneficiary of numerous East Juniata steals, finished with 10.

Alyssa Robinson finished one point shy of double-figures with nine and six boards.

Bald Eagle Area was led by Lacee Barnhart’s 10-point effort.

In the first quarter, the Eagles slow down offensive plan worked well as the two finished in a low scoring period.

Barnhart got the scoring started when she hit a soft jumper.

East Juniata tied the game on the next possession as she went inside for the lay up.

Robinson hit a long two, taking the lead for the first time at 3:50.

The next two offensive possessions for the Eagles ended up as steals by East Juniata and ended up as points for Beaver as she scored lay ups for four more points and a 8-2 advantage.

Bald Eagle’s Sarah Holler scores inside with a minute left.

But Beaver got the last laugh scoring off the break to give her team a 10-4 advantage after one.

The momentum slightly shifted in the second as the Eagles were able to hit some long distance buckets to cut things to a 4-point deficit as the halftime arose.

Holler started the scoring when she got alone underneath for a baseline bucket.

Hibbs took her turn scoring on the run, hitting a lay up after an Eagles’ turnover. 

Maddie Perry brought her team to within three when she hit one from beyond the three point line, making it 12-9 with 4:36 left.

Clayre Guyer added back to the East Juniata lead to five on a jumper. 

Hibbs helped add two more to the Tigers’ advantage on an offensive board and basket.

But Barnhart would end the half on a positive note for the Eagles, hitting the second triple of the half, making it 16-12 at the intermission.

Coming out of the halftime, East Juniata was fired up and ready to go as they opened up going on a 6-2 run. In the run, Robinson had four while Beaver had another lay up. 

The Eagles’ lone bucket came from Holler, underneath.

Trailing 27-16, the Eagles called a time out.

Coming out of the time out, Lexi Skripek scored on a lay up, cutting it to a single-digit deficit, with 1:15 left in the quarter.

But Hibbs put it back to an 11-point game as she drove the middle with only 25 ticks left on the third quarter clock.

In the final stanza, the high energy defense of the Tigers were too much for the up and coming Eagles as they outscored BEA 15-8 en route to the 44-26 victory.

East Juniata also won the JV contest 28-15.

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