AHOSKIE – Hertford County’s Lady Bears kept pace in the Northeastern Coastal Conference here Tuesday night.

HCHS is tied for the league lead heading into the final game of the season with a 9-2 mark in conference after dispatching Currituck County High School 60-27. The Bears are tied with Pasquotank County High School and Northeastern High School for the league lead.

Brandi Burden led the Lady Bears in the game which was played to help raise funds and awareness for the Jimmy V Foundation. She scored 20 points to help the offensive cause.

Joining Burden in double digits were Camaryn Jones (15) and Sherniece Futrell (13).

Megan Sample led Currituck with 11 points while Kayla Powell had 10.

The game was not in doubt long as the Bears raced out to a 26-0 lead before Currituck scored for the first time with a minute to go in the first half.

Burden started the scoring with a free throw, but was followed by hoops from Desiree James, Jones and Futrell before scoring a field goal herself to make it 9-0.

Futrell then nailed two from the free throw line before Jones added a score. Kayla Everette closed out the first quarter with a three-pointer that made it 16-0.

Futrell and Jones started the second quarter with back-to-back hoops to make it 20-0 in favor of the Bears. Jones then hit 3-of-4 from the line and Futrell added a triple as the Bears got ahead 26-0.

Sample finally got Currituck on the board with a free throw at the one-minute mark, but a triple by Everette made it 29-1. Sample added the first bucket of the game for Currituck moments later, but HCHS led 29-3 at the intermission.

The two squads played more evenly in the third quarter as Currituck scored 18 points in the period while the Bears 13 and the Knights closed the gap to 42-21.

Sample got another bucket to start the fourth quarter, but the Bears exerted control again when Burden hit for four straight points followed by hoops from Futrell, Everette and Jones. That put the Bears ahead 52-23 and ended any comeback hopes for the visitors.

The Bears will travel to arch rival Bertie High School Friday where they will need a win over the Falcons to clinch a tie for the league title. Pasquotank and Northeastern will meet each other Friday night.