The Union Pines girls’ basketball team shook of the remnants of a loss to cross-county rival North Moore by earning a 60-21 blowout victory Friday evening over East Montgomery in Cameron.

A young and eager 3-A Lady Viking squad took to the court at Bob Ward Gymnasium against the visiting 1-A Eagles ready to defend tough and run.

Through one quarter of action the Vikings led 14-6 and by halftime the home team enjoyed a 29-11 working margin. Leading the charge for Union Pines was senior guard Bethany Daley, who sank four long jumpers in the first two quarters, including a trey, to rack up nine first-half points.

“My stroke felt good out there tonight,” said Daley, who finished the tilt with 11 points and four rebounds. “I have been trying to be more confident about my shot so I can help my team get more points and just get us going.”

As the action moved into the fourth period Union Pines held a 39-18 edge as head coach John Lewkowicz had already started liberally rotating in all eight of his reserves into the contest.

By night’s end 10 players had scored for Union Pines. Leading the way was junior shooting guard Lexie Coxe with 12 points, followed by freshman center Stephanie Johnson who tallied 11 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three assists in a rock-solid performance.

“Here in the early going I have been working together with the team to determine my strengths and weaknesses at this level,” said the 6-foot freshman. “As a result my teammates are starting to feel better about passing it down low to me where I can help with scoring along with getting rebounds.

“My main goal is to do whatever I can to help the team as I work my way into a defined role up at the varsity level.”

Johnson is one of three Viking freshmen on the roster that consists of six underclassmen. MaRisa Smith and Samantha Ring, the other two Union Pines freshmen, also made major contributions. As the starting point guard Smith tallied four assists, seven rebounds, five steals, two blocks and scored six points. Ring came off the bench to score three points and dole out four assists.

The victory was the second for Union Pines (2-2) over East Montgomery (0-3) on the season, with the first win coming by a 44-36 margin in Biscoe.

Madison Crisco had a standout showing for the Eagles. The point guard finished the game with 11 points and five rebounds. Hannah Watts led East Montgomery’s effort on the glass with 12 rebounds

Union Pines returns to action Tuesday in a rematch against the 4-A Terry Sanford Bulldogs at 6 p.m. in Fayetteville. Terry Sanford defeated the Vikings 58-25 in the season opener on Nov. 19 in Cameron.

E. Montgomery 6 5 7 3 — 21

Union Pines 14 15 10 21 — 60

East Montgomery: Crisco 4 2-6 11, K. Harris 2 0-0 4, Watts 0 3-4 3, R. Harrell 0 2-6 2, M. Hassell 0 1-2 1, Z. Thomas 0 0-4 0, A. Greene 0 0-2 0. Totals - 6 8-24 21

Union Pines: Coxe 5 2-2 12, Daley 5 0-0 11, Johnson 4 3-5 11, Smith 1 3-4 6, C. Evans 2 1-2 5, R. Molek 2 0-0 4, A. Jackson 2 0-0 4, Ring 1 1-2 3, C. Hobgood 1 0-0 2, D. McCrimmon 1 0-0 2. Totals - 24 10-15 60.

Three-point goals: East Montgomery 1 (Crisco); Union Pines 2 (Daley, Smith).