The North Moore girls’ basketball team took a cue from its mascot, the Mustang, as the girls used a ball-hawking defense and fast breaks to rout East Montgomery 65-43 Tuesday in Robbins.

The Lady Mustangs had three players in double figures, with senior Jalisa Davis scoring 27 points and fellow senior Mone’ Little and sophomore Casey Turner adding 10 points each.

Senior Jessie Sheffield got the North Moore stampede started in the final seconds of the first quarter when she connected on a three-pointer from the left elbow, giving her team a 17-10 lead going into the second quarter. Sheffield’s trey ignited an 11-0 run that carried over into the second frame for a 25-10 lead with 5:35 left in the half.

With the Mustangs coming up with steals and Eagle turnovers, North Moore was constantly running the fast break as it exploded for 26 second-quarter points while holding East to only six points. The Mustangs went into the locker room with a 43-16 lead.

“We started out well in the first quarter, but then hit a dry spell,” said North Moore coach Sammy McNeil. “We made some adjustments in the second quarter and stepped up our pressure on defense, and it paid off. We got some good play from Heather (Dunmyer) and Casey on defense, and they ran the fast break well.

“We got some good minutes from our bench and Mone’ did a good job rebounding for us, coming off the bench.”

Davis scored 17 of her 27 points during the first half, with 14 of them coming in the second quarter, including a pair of three-pointers. Senior Tyisha Horn added nine first-half points, mostly on putbacks as she dominated the boards during the half.

The Mustangs’ got their largest lead to start the second half on their first possession when Turner pushed her team’s lead to 29 points on a putback of a missed shot. The pace slowed down in the second half as the Mustangs abandoned their tenacious pressure defense and pulled back into a zone.

“We had a good lead, so we went into the zone to rest some girls and not get anyone injured, which has hampered us some this year,” said McNeil. “Anytime you get a conference win, it’s a good win.”

With the Mustangs back into a tight zone, the Eagles cut into the Mustangs’ lead, outscoring them 13-9 in the third period. Senior Maddie Crisco led the Eagles with seven of her 17 second-half points.

The two teams swapped buckets in the fourth period with the Eagles holding a 14-13 advantage during the period. East did manage to cut the Mustangs’ lead to 16 points (59-43) when Crisco hit on one of her three treys with 3:11 left in the contest.

The Mustangs scored the final six points of the game for their final 22-point margin.

The Mustangs evened their Yadkin Valley Conference record at 3-3 and 8-5 overall, while the Eagles fall to 1-6 in league play and 1-10 overall.

Following Davis, Turner and Little in the Mustangs’ scoring column was Horn with nine points, Kasi Martin with four points, Sheffield three and Andrea Brower two.

Crisco finished with 23 points for the Eagles, followed by Brynn Hinson with 10 points, Hannah Watts six, Kiana Harris two and Payton Harrell two.

The Mustangs host Gray Stone in a conference contest Friday while the Eagles take a 10-day break for exams. Friday’s game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. followed by the boys’ contest.

E. Montgomery 10 6 13 14 — 43

North Moore 17 26 9 13 — 65

East Montgomery: Crisco 8 4-10 23, Hinson 4 2-2 10, Watts 2 2-2 6, Harrell 1 0-0 2, Harris 1 0-2 2. Totals 16 8-16 43.

North Moore: Davis 12 1-2 27, Little 3 4-8 10, Turner 4 2-2 10, Horn 4 1-2 9, Martin 2 0-0 4, Sheffield 1 0-0 3, Brower 1 0-2 2. Totals 27 8-16 65.

Three-point goals: EM 3 (Crisco 3); NM 3 (Davis 2, Sheffield).