For more photos of this event by Kevin Nagle, go here
Kristyne Weng (12) tries to hang on to the ball against pressure defense. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
CONWAY — There’s a reason the Conway Blue Lady Cats are undefeated through 13 Central Arkansas Junior High Conference games.
They’re very good.
They’ve got size, quickness, shooters, rebounds and they do defend, whether it’s in a half-court trap, full-court zone or half-court man.
So, they don’t really need any help. Despite all of the above, the Lady Cats, on the way to a convincing 43-21 victory over the Bryant Lady Hornets freshmen, were only cited for seven fouls.
The Lady Hornets competed hard and they might’ve been a little closer at the end but, as it was, they fell behind 16-2 in the first quarter and never led.
They were led by Addison Funk with 6 and Rachel Buck with 5, both off the bench.
Addison Funk led the Lady Hornets with 6 points. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Though still a loss, the Lady Hornets played much better this time, at Conway’s Buzz Bolding Arena, then they did in a 53-10 loss to the Lady Cats at home on Dec. 4.
The game marked the end of a three-game stint in which Bryant played the CAJHC’s top three teams. They’ll finish up the regular season in advance of the conference tournament, at Mount St. Mary Academy on Monday, Jan. 29, followed by three home games.
At Conway, the Lady Hornets’ lone basket of the first quarter was a 12-foot jumper by Abbey Inman that made it 6-2 at the time. The Lady Cats closed out the quarter with a 10-0 rush.
Buck hit her 3-pointer to start the second stanza. The Lady Hornets traded baskets after than with Buck adding a 15-footer and Funk getting her first hoop from 12 feet out, which had them down just 19-9.
But it was 25-9 by the end of the half, 32-9 before the Lady Hornets scored again. A free throw by Abbey Inman interrupted the Lady Cats’ run but they resumed after that, with a 6-0 push that made it 38-10.
Lauryn Taylor (44) launches a shot over a pair of Conway Blue defenders. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Ashton Inman and Funk scored back-to-back hoops but Conway Blue added the final three points of the quarter, which ended with the Lady Cats up 41-14.
Reserves played most of the fourth quarter for both teams. Funk’s basket off the offensive boards at the 4:07 mark made it 41-16. Megan Brown scored inside off the offensive glass and Kristyn Weng scored just inside the 3-point line before Conway Blue scored again.
A free throw by Bryant’s Jordyn Feagin set the final score.
LADY CATS 43, LADY HORNETS 21
Score by quarters
BRYANT 2 7 5 7 — 21
Conway Blue 16 9 16 2 — 43
LADY HORNETS 21
Ka.Weng 0-3 0-0 0, Kr.Weng 1-1 0-0 2, Ab.Inman 1-1 1-2 3, As.Inman 1-5 0-0 2, Laughlin 0-3 0-0 0, Buck 2-3 0-0 5, Funk 3-4 0-1 6, Taylor 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson 0-2 0-0 0, Schaefer 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Grice 0-0 0-0 0, Feagin 0-0 1-2 1, Edmonson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 9-26 (35%) 2-5 (40%) 21
LADY CATS 43
Sargent 1-1 1-2 4, Thomas 4-8 5-5 13, McMillan 0-6 0-0 0, Malcum 3-5 0-0 6, Turner 4-7 2-5 10, Smith 1-2 3-4 5, Hill 0-1 0-0 0, Garcia 2-5 0-0 5, Roach 0-1 0-1 0, McCray 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 0-1 0-0 0, Tyus 0-0 0-0 0, Waters 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-37 (41%) 11-17 (65%) 43.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 1-4 (Buck 1-1, Ka.Weng 0-3), Conway Blue 2-12 (Garcia 1-2, Sargent 1-1, Thomas 0-3, McMillan 0-3, Turner 0-1, Roach 0-1, Hall 0-1). Turnovers: Bryant 22, Conway Blue 11. Rebounds: Bryant 9-16 25 (Funk 3-3 6, Ab.Inman 2-2 4, Jackson 0-3 3, Feagin 0-2 2, Buck 1-1 2, Kr.Weng 0-1 1, As.Inman 0-1 1, Laughlin 1-0 1, Brown 1-0 1, Johnson 1-0 1, team 1-2 3), Conway Blue 10-11 21 (Malcum 3-3 6, Hill 2-2 4, Turner 2-1 3, Sargent 0-2 2, Thomas 1-1 2, McMillan 2-0 2, Smith 1-0 1, team 0-1 1). Team fouls: Bryant 11, Conway Blue 7.
