RALEIGH - East Wake coach Toni Vick had little doubt her Lady Warriors would defeat Leesville Road after her team jumped out to a 17-0 lead through the first quarter of Monday’s game, but she didn’t overlook the possibility of a comeback.

Even though East Wake (7-2, 3-0 Greater Neuse 4A) went on to blow out the Pride 61-29, Vick had one valid concern.

After building the gracious cushion in the first frame the Warriors progressively let off the gas throughout the rest of the game.

East Wake outscored Leesville (0-8, 0-4 Cap 8 4A) in each of the final three quarters, but the amount of points by which they overshadowed the Pride dwindled each quarter — from 8 points in the second quarter to 6 in the third and a mere 1 point in the fourth quarter.

“They shouldn’t let off just because they’re up,” Vick said. “I’m concerned about them being complacent. Teams can fight back. I wanted my girls to continue to play hard.”

She admitted, however, she was a little more casual than normal getting that message across to her players considering the lead they built and the opponent they faced. She said her team has an uncanny ability to play to the level of its opponents.

“I don’t have any fears about it,” Vick said. “When we play against greater competition we continue to step up and not take it as lightly. When we played against Riverside and Hillside we continued to play hard even though we were down.”

Tianna Knuckles, who shared the scoring spotlight with 17 points alongside teammate Kianna Wynn, said her team shouldn’t have taken its foot off the pedal.

“The whole team kind of punched out. We need to keep our beat,” Knuckles said. “We shouldn’t have let them score as many as we did.”

Wynn’s 8 first-quarter points helped establish the Warriors’ beat Monday night.

She said teamwork and good cuts to the basket paved the way for East Wake’s 34-9 halftime lead.

“I just kept moving around and getting open and they couldn’t keep up,” Wynn said.

Vick said she feels good about her team’s start this season — one that precisely mirrors the start to last year’s season when the Warriors made it to the second round of the state playoffs.

She also knows the solid start makes her squad the team to beat.

“We’ll probably be a target,” Vick said. “I just want us to be competitive whoever we’re playing and continue to keep it together.”

Jasmyn Hitchcock led Leesville in Monday’s game with 7 points, followed by Emily Putnam and Kendall Kelley with 5 points each, and Alex Woods, Danielle Smith and Claire Collins with 4 points each.

Tianna Knuckles and Kianna Wynn led the Warriors with 17 points each, followed by Shakerrya Morrison with 11, Ciera Williams with 6, Daisha Thorpe with 5, Shayla Tanner and Breanna Archibald with 2 points each, and Shamara Richardson with 1 point.