East girls rally and hold off West 85-82

The East All-Stars erased an early deficit and held off a furious fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the West All-Stars 85-82 in an entertaining North Carolina East-West All-Star Game at Novant Health Fieldhouse on Monday evening.

The West came out firing, shooting 64.7 percent in the opening quarter to build a 25-22 lead. The East responded in the second period, outscoring the West 27-10 as the West’s offense went cold, connecting on just 3-of-15 field goal attempts. The East took a 49-35 halftime advantage and never relinquished the lead.

The West made its push after halftime, exploding for 28 third-quarter points to cut into the deficit. The East answered every run and carried a 76-63 lead into the final quarter before the West mounted one last charge. The West outscored the East 19-9 in the fourth period and had chances down the stretch, but the East made enough plays to secure the three-point victory.

The East led for over 27 minutes of the game and built its largest advantage at 20 points late in the third quarter. The West’s biggest lead was eight points early in the opening period.

Balanced scoring paced the West as Tiara Thompson and Ma-Kaela Gidney scored 15 points each. Khiara Culliver added 13 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting performance. Morgan Odom contributed 10 points. The West finished the night shooting 47.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded the East 54-45.

The East countered with a balanced offensive attack despite shooting just 36.5 percent from the field. Ameya Brown led all scorers with 17 points, including three three-pointers. Kira Jones added 10 points, while Claire Barber added 11 points. The East also forced timely turnovers and converted 15 free throws, compared to 10 by the West, a key difference in the contest. Brook Evans had a game-high 16 rebounds.

Although the West controlled the glass and shot a higher percentage from the field, the East’s second-quarter surge and ability to capitalize at the free-throw line proved to be the difference in an exciting all-star showcase.