East Rutherford ran away with its third Battle at the Border Shootout championship in the last five years with a 52-40 win on Wednesday night over Landrum.
The Lady Cardinals found themselves in foul trouble early, but none more crucial than star center Jordan Jenkins. The senior missed most of the first half with three fouls. The senior was held in check for seven points the entire game after getting her fourth foul early in the third quarter.
“I thought that was good that our girls were able to play with Jordan on the bench,” head coach Roy Parton said.
Various players stepped in and played well for the Lady Cardinals. Skylar Henderson played with her usual scrappiness on defense and on the offensive glass. Amber Whiteside had another good offensive game, scoring 16 points and being active away from the ball. Sophomore point guard Macy Atkins handled the pressure well.
The constant Lady Cavalier pressure caught up with the Lady Cardinals, however, and the foul trouble with Jenkins compounded.
“We were confused about where to go sometimes when they were pressuring us,” Parton said, adding that Jenkins is the usual destination with pressure on. “With J.J. (Jenkins) out, it was different for us.”
The Lady Cavaliers, however, did what they did the entire tourney. They pressured and trapped on defense and an offense, they fed the ball to freshman Rachel Camp over and over. Camp scored 27 on the night to lead all scorers.  The freshman scored ten of those points in the fourth quarter to ice the game for the Lady Cavaliers.
It was a strong tournament showing for the Lady Cardinals. Landrum dominated Spartanburg Christian Academy in the first round and beat a strong Chesnee team handily in the second round.
For the Cardinals, Parton hopes that their success in the tournament will be the springboard to a strong season, especially with the heart of the region schedule looming ahead.
“We played a great tournament,” Parton said. “Our overall effort was good.”