For more photos of this event by Kevin Nagle, go here
For more photos of this event by Rick Nation, go here
Kelly Williams unleashes a driving jumper in front of Benton’s Caitlin Ginther (32). (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
BENTON — None of the Benton Lady Panthers that took the floor Tuesday night had ever won a Saline County Shootout. The Bryant Lady Hornets had earned the trophy the last three years.
So, it was with considerable determination that the Lady Panthers denied Bryant a fourth straight win in the series. Benton’s collapsing zone held the Lady Hornets to 4 of 24 shooting from the field in the second half on the way to the 41-28 victory.
Bryant’s only lead was 1-0 on a free throw from junior forward Raven Loveless. Benton’s Italie Gray drove for a layup off a Bryant turnover to make it 2-1.
After another Bryant miscue, Loveless blocked a shot but, moments later, she had to come out of the game with a knee injury. She didn’t return. So the Lady Hornets were without one of their mainstays.
They kept battling, however. Kelly Williams who would lead Bryant with 10 points, drove for a basket and, later, with her team trailing 8-3, she drained a 3 to cut the margin to 2.
But baskets by Gray and Tamia Halk kept the Lady Panthers ahead. It was 12-7 going into the second quarter.
Bryant head coach Brad Matthews instructs his team during a timeout in Tuesday’s game. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Benton extended that little surge with the first 5 points of the new period. When Lenzie Newman hit a 3 at the 5:13 mark, the lead was 17-7.
The Lady Hornets rallied. Lania Ratliff scored inside off a nice feed from Williams. Newman knocked down another 3 but Mary Catherine Selig fed Kendal Rogers for a layup. Williams made a steal and layup then Riley Hill knocked down a baseline jumper off a dish from Rogers.
Kendal Rogers tries to get a shot away in traffic over Benton’s Anna Davis (5). (Photo by Rick Nation)
The lead was down to 20-15 and the Lady Hornets got a chance to get closer when they forced a turnover. But Benton got it back and pushed the lead to 23-15 at the half.
The Lady Hornets only mustered one basket in the first five minutes of the third quarter, a 12-foot jumper by Rogers. Benton took advantage to extend the lead to 30-17 before Hill hit a layup off a feed from Ratliff.
Bryant appeared to be gathering momentum again as Ratliff took a charge to get the ball back. She then followed her own miss on the other end to trim the margin to 30-21.
The Lady Hornets worked to try to prevent Benton from getting the last shot of the quarter and continue that momentum but Gray beat the buzzer with a 3 and the lead was 33-21 going into the final eight minutes.
It was a frustrating quarter for Bryant. They hit the boards to keep possessions alive but only converted 1 of 9 shots from the field during the period. Four free throws by Selig was the lone scoring for the Lady Hornets as Benton’s lead grew to 38-25 going into the final minute.
Williams hit a 3 with :48 showing but it was too little too late. Gray broke free for a layup and with :19.6 to go, converted a free throw to set the final score.
The game was the Lady Hornets’ last contest before Christmas. They’ll compete in a holiday tournament in Beebe starting Dec. 28.
LADY PANTHERS 41, LADY HORNETS 28
Score by quarters
BRYANT 7 8 6 7 — 28
Benton 12 11 10 8 — 41
LADY HORNETS 28
Loveless 0-0 1-2 1, Williams 4-10 0-2 10, Hill 2-7 0-0 4, Ratliff 2-5 0-0 4, Rogers 2-5 0-1 4, Selig 0-5 5-6 5, Walker 0-5 0-0 0, Rayford 0-1 0-0 0, Gordon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 10-38 6-11 28.
LADY PANTHERS 41
Arnold 1-1 1-2 3, Morrow 0-0 1-2 1, Gray 5-6 4-8 15, Halk 5-10 0-0 10, Newman 4-9 2-6 12, Davidson 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Ginther 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-28 8-18 41.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 2-7 (Williams 2-4, Hill 0-2, Walker 0-1), Benton 3-8 (Newman 2-6, Gray 1-1, Davis 0-1). Turnovers: Bryant 20, Benton 14. Rebounds: Bryant 14-17 31 (Selig 5-5 10, Ratliff 2-4 6, Williams 2-1 3, Rogers 0-3 3, Loveless 0-2 2, Hill 0-2 2, Walker 2-0 2, team 3-0 3), Benton 3-17 20 (Arnold 0-6 6, Halk 2-3 5, Gray 0-3 3, Morrow 0-1 1, Newman 0-1 1, team 1-3 4). Team fouls: Bryant 17, Benton 13. Fouled out: Bryant, Walker.
