PINETOWN — Ball security let East Carteret build an early lead in a 63-36 win over Northside on Wednesday. The Lady Panthers turned the ball over in the first half, and the visiting Lady Mariners cashed in on the plentiful opportunities.

After about a half dozen turnovers early in the first, coach Michelle Leathers made a full line change. She sent out five new players after Nychyel Godette transition layup gave East Carteret a 4-1 edge with 5:40 left in the opening period.

She sent her starters back out about a minute later. Rachel Lang knocked down a jumper from around the field goal line right away, giving Northside its first field goal 3:15 into the game.

Freshman Ke’Shayla Arthur got a slick dish from Kyiesia Spencer, and two free throws on a pair of trips to the line brought Northside within four, 11-7. Sophomore Monica Dixon knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to help East Carteret take a 20-7 lead after eight minutes.

The Lady Mariners opened the second with a trey from Alyssa Garner. The Lady Panthers were able to heat up a bit in the quarter, but struggled to cut down on the turnovers. It made it tough to stop East Carteret, which got four baskets in transition in the second.

The visitors built on their already sizeable lead after halftime. Northside, trailing 42-23 with 3:02, called a timeout, but couldn’t put a dent in the deficit. The Lady Mariners got to the charity stripe often to claim double down on their hosts, 50-25, heading into the fourth.

Brooklyn Hudnell nailed a 3 to open the final quarter, but Northside only got two more shots to fall after that.