LASKER – In her first start since suffering a preseason injury, point guard Betty Edwards scored 19 points to lead Northeast Academy over Lawrence 53-37 here Friday night.

Lawrence center Kendall Street scored a putback on the first basket of the night.

LeAnn Barnes hit the front end of a pair of free throws to cut the Warriors lead to one.

Sarah Gillam’s bucket was answered by Edwards, who brought the ball up court and pulled up at the top of the arc for three to tie the score at four-all.

After exchanging baskets, Edwards found a wide open London Harrell under the basket.

Harrell’s go-ahead layup pushed the Eagles ahead 8-6 and a three-point play by Edwards extended the lead to five (11-6).

Lawrence junior Jessie Harden’s bucket cut the lead to three, but Harrell’s third basket of the quarter gave the Eagles a five-point lead (13-8) at the end of the first.

Street again started off the quarter with a Lawrence bucket.

After Barnes stole the ball in the backcourt, Edwards sank the ball for two and followed it with a trey to extend the Eagles lead, 18-10.

A Leanne Eubanks basket and two Street foul shots pulled the Warriors within four, 18-14.

Following a Jeanie Hargrave bucket, Harden grabbed an offensive rebound, spun and got the basket.

Edwards bucket with under a minute left gave Northeast a 21-16 lead at the half.

After an Eagles steal in the backcourt, Edwards scored a hoop at the top of the third quarter.

Street scored on a putback and Eubanks scored from just inside the three-point line.

After trading scores the Eagles posted nine unanswered points, including two Hargrave baskets, to take a 34-22 lead.

A Harden basket broke the Northeast scoring run.

Street stole the ball as Lawrence attacked the basket.

Courney Mizell finished the play after grabbing the offensive rebound and netting it for the deuce.

Barnes bucket gave the Eagles a 10-point advantage (36-26).

A visibly tired Lawrence team took the floor to start the fourth.

With only seven players on the bench, Charlie Harden’s team struggled after the Eagles ran the floor the first three quarters.

Callie Burgess put back her own miss to extend the Northeast lead to 12.

Eubanks scored a bucket to keep the Warriors within 10, but the Eagles scored three straight baskets to extend their lead to 16 (44-28).

Eubanks hit the back end of a pair of free throws to break the Northeast scoring run.

Hargrave stepped to the line and sank two, then followed it with a basket as the Eagles extended their lead to 19 (48-29).

Harden and Gillam hit back-to-back buckets for the Warriors.

Hargrave sank a free throw, Barnes hit two and Edwards took the ball coast-to-coast as the Eagles took a 20-point lead (53-33).

A putback by Eubanks and basket from Taylor Davis closed out the quarter as Northeast took the 53-37 win.

&uot;I knew they were going to run the floor.

I don’t have a lot of players and we’ve got to get better conditioned,&uot; Harden said.&uot;We had plenty of shots and played a good three quarters, but we’ve got to be able to play four quarters.&uot;

One key to the Eagles victory was limiting Street’s look at the basket.

The junior was held to two points in the second half.

&uot;We’ve got to find a way to win when teams stop Kendall,&uot; Harden emphasized.

On the other side of the ball Northeast coach Joella Brown was pleased with her teams’ performance.

&uot;We knew that we needed to keep Kendall’s scoring down and I think we did that,&uot; Brown said.

&uot;The kids stuck to a strategy and moved the ball well.

We’re playing better team ball and seem to be more in sync.&uot;

Edwards led all scorers with 19, followed by Hargrave with 15.

Street had a double-double for the Warriors with 10 points and 15 boards.

Harden also scored 10.

In junior varsity action, Kelly Sykes poured in 11 points and Molly Hargrave added eight as the Eagles won, 27-21.

Kendra Spruill led Lawrence with eight points.

Lady Eagles (53):

Betty Edwards – 19, Jeanie Hargrave – 15, C. Burgess – 8, L. Harrell – 6, L. Barnes – 5

Lady Warriors (37):

Kendall Street – 10, Jessie Harden – 10, L. Eubanks – 9, S. Gillam – 4, C. Mizell – 2, T. Davis – 2