The Jonesboro Lady Cardinals basketball team sprinted to a 19-6 first-quarter lead and didn’t look back, hammering the homestanding Spalding Lady Jaguars 64-35 Tuesday evening in Region 4-AAAA Division B action at Spalding High.

Spalding — in fifth place in the subregion standings — dropped its second straight region game to fall to 8-6 overall and 2-4 in region play while second-place Jonesboro improves to 11-4, 5-2.

This game was over from the onset. Jonesboro ran out to a 6-0 lead before Shaquoria Reid’s layup made it 6-2. The iron was unkind to the Lady Jags after that and Jonesboro stayed hot, racing to a 19-4 lead before making it 19-6 at the end of the first.

Spalding committed several turnovers in the contest, many due to just simple errors and not many from Jonesboro pressure. The Lady Cards started the second quarter on a 10-0 run to lead 29-6 and the rout was on. Spalding missed 9 shots in the first quarter and missed 6 free throws in the second and trailed 39-12 at the half.

Spalding finally scored in double figures in the third quarter, but the Lady Jags could do nothing to stop the Lady Cardinals juggernaut, especially Jonesboro forward Michelle Smith. Smith dominated against Spalding, snagging every rebound in sight and scoring almost at will inside the paint.

Jonesboro led 51-22 at the end of the third and basically coasted in the fourth to the final 64-35 margin.

Grenishia Daniel led Spalding with 9 points and Reid chipped in 8. Smith led Jonesboro with 27 points and 12 rebounds while Victoria Florence added 11 for the Lady Cards.

Spalding gets back in action Friday with a big subregion game against crosstown rival Griffin High at 7 p.m. at GHS.