FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WECT) - The East Columbus Lady Gators bid for a first-ever final four appearance came up short Tuesday night.
State number one Lejeune (26-0) shook off a slow start to knock off East Columbus (20-6) 56-47 at the Crown Arena.
Lejeune will head to the Class 1A East Regional Final to face River Mill Academy (27-3) at noon on Saturday.
DeMaya Berry led the Lady Gators with 19 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Lauren Jenkins added 13 points and 12 rebounds for East Columbus who was making just its second appearance in the Regional Semifinals.
Chatori Major paced Lejeune with 36 points.
After leading by two ay the end of the opening stanza, Lejeune's defense held the Lady Gators to just seven points in the second period to lead 25-18 at the half. Lejeune's 55% second-half shooting was too much for the Lady Gators to overcome.
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