1A Championship: East Bladen vs. Cherokee

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following the earlier 1A boys contest of the day which saw Corvian Community prevail over Southern Wake, it was time for the 1A girls to have their turn at the mic.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of those teams featured was Cherokee – a team looking to defend its 1A crown from last season. The Braves scored a rout against East Columbus in last season's 1A state game and returned to state following victories over Bradford Prep, Carver, Christ the King, Albemarle and Bishop McGuinness.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the bench on the other side of the Braves' was another team with “East” in its name – East Bladen that is. The Eagles' path to Friday's championship game in Winston-Salem would see them go through Northwest Halifax, Columbia, Wilson Prep, North Duplin and Perquimans.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Would Cherokee repeat? Or would East Bladen dethrone the Braves from the top of their 1A perch? The answer would be the former as the Braves dispatched the Eagles with the final score being an emphatic 84-48.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Records</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024-25 campaign comes to a close for Cherokee after posting a 28-2 record, a conference mark of 10-0 and a second consecutive state championship. As for East Bladen, it finishes this season after a mark of 26-4 and going 12-0 in its conference.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first two points of the contest were scored by East Bladen before Cherokee responded with an extended scoring run. The Eagles would answer that with one of their own. At the end of one, the Braves would lead the Eagles by a margin of 18-15.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the second quarter told us anything, it foretold that this would be a high-scoring get-together between Eagles and Braves. At the half, Cherokee would assume a 35-31 advantage over East Bladen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What was only a four-point advantage for the Braves at the break would grow to 14 as the third quarter came to a close. The large contingent of Cherokee backers that were on hand in Winston-Salem could feel the repeat happening as their Braves went into the fourth quarter with a 53-39 edge.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cherokee's crowd could really feel it as the Braves' lead grew to the thirties. What appeared to be a competitive contest was becoming eerily reminiscent of last season's rout of East Columbus. When all was said and done, the Braves repeated in emphatic fashion by a margin of 36 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216493,"width":"512px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_4879-crop-2108x1384-1742031117.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1216493" style="width:512px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='413356' first='Whitney' last='Rogers']</strong> made sure to save her best for last. The senior paved the way to another Cherokee championship victory after scoring 33 points. Out of the 33 she scored, 21 occurred in the first half. Rogers also brought down seven rebounds and collected five steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216495,"width":"513px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_4929-crop-2108x1384-1742031242.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1216495" style="width:513px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rogers could not have done it by herself. The 15 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='621988' first='Cecily' last='Swimmer'] </strong>also played a massive role. Swimmer finished with a double-double as she also grabbed 10 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216497,"width":"517px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_4927-crop-3554x2334-1742031491.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1216497" style="width:517px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 10 points that were scored courtesy of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1222734' first='Madison' last='Rogers']</strong> also aided the Braves' efforts. She would also grab five rebounds. Rogers was part of the starting five and logged 16 minutes of court time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216500,"width":"520px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_4852-crop-2271x1491-1742031677.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1216500" style="width:520px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cherokee's rebounding efforts were also bolstered because of the performance of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='890685' first='Joscelyn' last='Stamper']</strong>. In addition to the eight points she scored, she also grabbed a game-high 11 boards in nearly 15 minutes of court time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216430,"width":"524px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/Laila-Smith-rotated-crop-3024x1986-1742008657.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1216430" style="width:524px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fittingly enough in their final game sporting East Bladen's signature blue, the seniors were the centerpiece of the Eagles' offensive attack. Included in that was <strong>Laila Smith</strong> who finished her high school career with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1216503,"width":"526px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_4909-crop-3972x2608-1742032022.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1216503" style="width:526px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The playmaking of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='285950' first='Iveonna' last='Ward']</strong> also caused problems for the victorious Braves. Ward would add 12 points to the Eagles' efforts. The 5-foot-4 guard would be on the court for 30 of the contest's 32 minutes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='285950' first='Iveonna' last='Ward'] and Laila Smith are the lone seniors calling it a time at East Bladen. [player_tooltip player_id='413356' first='Whitney' last='Rogers'], Hailee “tsuli” Lossiah and Kyla Moore will soon depart from Cherokee.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Reclassification</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both East Bladen and Cherokee will move up from 1A to the 2A ranks beginning with the 2025-26 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->