PEKIN, Ind. – Junior forward Taylor Drury scored 19 points – including a field goal and three-point play to stave off a comeback attempt – as Eastern Pekin pulled away in the final minutes to post a 59-39 win over visiting Charlestown in a girls’ Mid-Southern Conference basketball game Tuesday night.

It was closer than the final score indicated as the Lady Pirates (9-8, 1-6), down 20 to start the fourth quarter, mounted a comeback attempt.

With her team down 44-24, Lexi Logsdon sparked Charlestown with a three-pointer and another basket in the opening 45 seconds of the fourth quarter. Moments later, Charlestown’s Samantha Matthews completed a three-point play and an additional bucket to make it 47-34 with 6:10 left in the game.

“Charlestown got a little more aggressive,” Eastern coach Michael McBride said of the fourth quarter. “I thought we relaxed a little bit, but give Charlestown credit, they hung around.”

A free throw by Logsdon cut the deficit to single digits (47-38) with 3:42 left in the game – and that’s when Drury took over. Her five points and a steal over the next two minutes helped the Lady Musketeers to a 53-39 lead with 1:41 left.

“Taylor is the one we want to go to,” said McBride.

Sparked by Drury’s basket at the 3:26 mark, the Lady Musketeers (13-4, 5-2) closed out the game on a 12-1 run.

“We were fighting for our lives in the fourth quarter,” said Charlestown coach Michael Prichard. “Our kids tried to battle back, but it was too little, too late. It’s hard to come back against a good team.”

Charlestown, paced by Bri Harvey, got the better of it in a closely contested first quarter.

Harvey opened the game with a 3-pointer and her second long range basket of the quarter put the Lady Pirates on top 10-5 with 2:55 remaining.

Harvey closed out the quarter with another three just prior to the buzzer as Charlestown led 14-10 going into the second.

“We got out to a good start in the first quarter,” said Prichard.

And for Eastern Pekin, it was a matter of shutting Harvey down – and the Lady Musketeers did just that. Harvey was held scoreless after notching 11 points in the opening frame.

“They attacked our pressure well, we had to make an adjustment on ball pressure,” said McBride.

With Rachel Stewart and Drury leading the way, Eastern surged in the second quarter led the rest of the way.

Stewart and Drury combined for five points as Eastern Pekin got the lead for good (15-14) with 6:19 left in the second quarter. By the time Charlestown scored its first points of the quarter, at the 1:40 mark, Eastern had already put together a 15-0 run.

On top 25-16, Eastern Pekin closed out the first half on a 7-3 run to lead 32-19 at the break.

The Lady Musketeers continued to pull away in the third quarter, leading 42-21 after a Drury field goal with 1:30 left.

For the game, Stewart scored 17 points and Bailey England added 13 for Eastern Pekin.

Charlestown was paced by Logsdon’s 13 points.

Charl
Charlestown (9-8): Harvey 11, Hall 3, Logsdon 13, Matthews 6, Gagnon 4, Kimbrell 2.

Eastern Pekin (13-4): England 13, Drury 19, Martin 7, Stewart 17, Purlee 3.

3-point goals: Harvey 3, Martin 1, Purlee 1, Hall 1, Logsdon 1, England 3.