LITTLE ROCK — The Mount St. Mary Academy Belles junior varsity team scored 4 points in the final 30 seconds to eke out a 47-43 win over the Bryant Lady Hornets JV at McAuley Center Friday night.
The game was tied at 43 after a free throw by London Abernathy for the Lady Hornets with :35 left. She was fouled after the Lady Hornets forced a turnover on the heels of Abernathy’s eight-foot jumper that cut into a 43-40 deficit.[more]
But Ellen Hain got free for a layup with :27 left to snap the tie and, after a Bryant miss, Annie Stafford converted two free throws to seal the victory.
For Bryant, Abernathy finished with 10 points. Brittany Ball scored 9 points, Abbi Stearns 8, Callie Hogancamp 7 and Taylor Neal 5. Casey Lee and Kayla Sory each had 2 points.
The Belles led 17-11 after the first half — the teams played two 12 minute halves. When Brady Escovedo hit two free throws to start the second half, the lead was up to 8.
It was 21-13 before the Lady Hornets surged into the lead with a 15-2 run. Stearns contributed a three-point play along the way. Neal drove for a hoop and Abernathy knocked down a 3 to put the Bryant on top 24-23.
After a pair of free throws by Abernathy, after she’d made a steal, another Mount turnover led to a basket by Hogancamp off a nice feed from Sory to make it 28-23.
Later, Hogancamp hit a 3 to make it 35-30 but that proved to be Bryant’s last field goal for a while. It came with 6:18 left and until Abernathy’s bucket in the final minute, all the Lady Hornets could muster were free throws by Ball and Stearns.
The Belles put together their own surge, pulling even at 36, 38 and 40 before Hain hit a 3 to give them a 43-40 lead with 1:01 left.
