On Thursday, East Clinton was defeated by Bethel-Tate 49-44 in SBAAC American Division girls basketball action.

Paige Lilly had 18 points, three steals and four assists for EC. She connected on a trio of three-point baskets.

Lacy Peterman had 12 of her 15 points in the first half. Peterman also made three three-pointers and came up with four steals.

Kaitlyn Durbin had six of East Clinton’s 17 rebounds.

The game went back and forth, EC coach Jeff Craycraft said, until the final minutes of the game.

“They had a spurt and we didn’t,” he said.

East Clinton led 28-22 at halftime then scored just 16 points in the final two quarters.

“We just need to be more consistent on defense, closing out and boxing,” said Craycraft. “On the offensive end, we need to understand time and score plus proper shot selection. We will continue to address these issues when we get back to a normal practice schedule. We are in a stretch of six games in eight days. We are trying to adjust on the fly.”

Craycraft said Bethel-Tate is a “really nice team. The are 17-2, both losses to (unbeaten) Williamsburg.”