By BILL LINDAU: Special to The Pilot

Leondra Smith scored 19 points to lead a balanced attack as Pinecrest High School knocked Overhills into the consolation game of the Holiday in the Pines girls’ basketball tournament Wednesday evening.

Pinecrest won the second game of a first-round doubleheader by a lopsided score of 79-26.

The win put Pinecrest into the championship game against Union Pines, which thumped Richmond Senior 56-34 earlier in the evening.

The two Moore County neighbors were scheduled to tangle late Thursday evening at Pinecrest, following the consolation game between Overhills and Richmond.

Overhills, a new 3-A school still seeking a win, used all its players in a decent effort Wednesday evening, but the Jaguars were no match for their 4-A hosts. Pinecrest jumped out to a 15-8 lead, held Overhills to two baskets in the second quarter, 20-4, for a 35-12 advantage and ran the score to 60-19 at the close of three.

Thursday’s game, the results of which will appear in Sunday’s edition, will be the third encounter between Pinecrest and Union Pines. Union Pines won the first two games.

“I was very happy with the way our girls played — real well,” Pinecrest coach Dennis Foster said. “Our press was pretty effective in the first half, then we let up the press in the second half.”

Overhills’ (0-10) biggest threat came from Jada Thomas, who scored three baskets from three-point range for a total of nine points.

Smith scored three baskets from three-point range to pace the Patriots (4-5). Portia Brown, Kerry Gregorio and Latonya Cain hit treys, too.

Abril Stroman, Brittany Williams, Brown and Cain ended up in double figures as well, with 13, 12, 10 and 10 points, respectively.

Overhills 8 4 7 7 — 26

Pinecrest 15 20 25 19 — 79

Overhills — Jada Thomas 3 0-0 9, Tara Grubbs 2 2-2 6, Adrianna Ingram 0 3-4 3, Lateshia Evans 1 0-0 2, Markesha James 1 0-0 2, Anna Stephenson 1 0-3 2, Brittney Johnson 0 1-2 1, Brittany Myers 0 1-2 1, Olivia Elliott 0 0-2 0, Whitney Williams 0 0-2 0. Totals — 8 7-17 26.

Pinecrest — Leandra Smith 6 4-4 19, Abril Stroman 6 1-3 13, Brittney Willliams 5 2-2 12, Portia Brown 4 1-1 10, Latonya Cain 4 1-2 10, Tiffany Harris 2 0-2 4, Monique Jones 0 4-6 4, Kerri Gregorio 1 0-0 3, Hannah Humphrey 1 0-0 2, Ebony Smith 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Leach 0 0-2 0. Totals — 30 13-22 79.