The reigning 3A eastern regional champion will not return to the state championship game this season.

Western Alamance never trailed on Monday evening as it defeated Terry Sanford 64-48 in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A girls basketball eastern regional championship game at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem.

Western Alamance could not have asked for a better start. Allie Sykes and Tina Bowers combined for 24 of the Warriors’ 25 points in the first quarter as the team took at 25-14 lead.

The first quarter performance for Western Alamance included a pair of 3-pointers for Sykes and one triple for Bowers.

But things changed in the second quarter. Terry Sanford held Western Alamance to just five points in the second quarter, including holding Bowers scoreless.

Meanwhile, on offense, Jaidiah Blake scored six points in the second quarter to lead Terry Sanford’s comeback effort. By halftime, the Bulldogs were within single digits, trailing 30-23.

Western Alamance scored the first five points of the third quarter, but a basket by Blake and a 3-pointer from Zaniya Reddick cut the Western Alamance lead back to single digits at 35-27.

Terry Sanford kept chipping away in the third quarter, cutting the lead to three points multiple times in the last two minutes. Blake and Reddick each scored six points in the quarter, but Bowers, after being held scoreless since her 14-point first quarter, hit a lay-up with just four seconds remaining in the quarter to give the Warriors a 41-36 lead.

The late basket for Bowers carried momentum over to the fourth quarter for the Warriors. Bowers hit a 3-pointer and Moser finished a tough lay-up to extend the Western Alamance lead to nine points after holding Terry Sanford to just one point through almost six minutes in the fourth quarter.

Western Alamance’s defensive effort in the fourth quarter allowed it to pull away. A driving lay-up with a foul by Bowers lifted the Warriors’ lead back to double-digits at 49-37 midway through the quarter and time ran short for Terry Sanford.

Sykes finished the game with 27 points, while Bowers had 23 points for Western Alamance. Blake was the only player in double-figures for Terry Sanford with 22 points.

Western Alamance will face Stuart Cramer in the 3A girls basketball state championship on Friday. Cramer defeated North Lincoln 62-38 in the western regional championship earlier in the day.

This marks the second time in school history Western Alamance has advanced to a girls basketball state championship game. In 2000, the Warriors lost to Ledford in the 2A championship.

One season after a runner-up finish in the 3A championship, Terry Sanford’s season ends in the state semifinals. The Bulldogs’ record for the year is 27-4.