By Rob Patrick
CABOT — It got more than a little physical Thursday night in the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference game between the Bryant Lady Hornets freshmen and the Cabot South Lady Panthers. They were letting them play, as they say, and when that has happened this season, it has been particularly tough on the Lady Hornets, who are just not as brawny as some other teams.
Playing tight, trapping defense, the Lady Panthers were downright grabby at times and they forced 20 turnovers in three quarters on the way to a 40-14 win. Eleven of the 12 Cabot South players that got into the game added to the scoring led by Allie Stalnaker’s 9 points. Jayla Anderson led Bryant with 7 and Destiny Huffman had 3.
For most of the first half, the Lady Hornets played pretty stingy defense as well. Cabot South was only able to build a 6-1 lead in the first quarter. Bryant’s lone point came on a free throw by Kierra Solinger in the final minute of the period. The Lady Panthers’ Maddie Willhite got loose inside for a basket to start the second quarter then Anderson answered with a drive to the basket.
But that turned out to be Bryant’s lone field goal of the half. Nikki Clay would add a pair of free throws that had the Lady Hornets within 14-5 with 1:34 left in the half.
Cabot South, however, closed out the period with a 6-0 run that made it 20-5 at the half.
The Lady Hornets were unable to get the margin under double figures after that. When Cabot South opened the second half with a three-point play by Stalnaker and an offensive-rebound bucket by Alyssa Hamilton, the margin grew to 20.
Huffman scored all 3 of her points in the third quarter but it wasn’t enough to keep Cabot South from extending the margin to 31-8 going into the final period. And when Courtney Lewis added the first basket of the fourth quarter for the Lady Panthers, they had their largest lead at 33-8.
Anderson finished strong with 5 of her points down the stretch. She hit a jumper in the lane and, after a free throw by Cabot South’s Kirstin Jones, Anderson grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. She followed up with a steal and a free throw but that only cut the lead to 34-13.
Anna Blair would add a free throw for the Lady Hornets before Cabot South closed out the win with the final couple of baskets.
The Lady Hornets return home on Monday, Jan. 30, to play North Little Rock. After a visit to Mount St. Mary on Thursday, Feb. 2, they close out the regular season on Monday, Feb. 6, against Conway Blue.
JUNIOR LADY PANTHERS 40, JUNIOR LADY HORNETS 14
Score by quarters
BRYANT1436 — 14
Cabot South614119 — 40
JUNIOR LADY HORNETS 14
Anderson 3-6 1-2 7, Clay 0-3 2-3 2, Davidson 0-0 0-0 0, Lindberg 0-0 0-0 0, Curry 0-1 0-2 0, Huffman 1-5 1-2 3, Solinger 0-1 1-2 1, Powers 0-3 0-0 0, Gray 0-1 0-0 0, Earls 0-1 0-0 0, Blair 0-0 1-2 1, Jamison 0-2 0-0 0, Barber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 4-23 6-13 14.
JUNIOR LADY PANTHERS 40
McWilliams 1-5 0-2 2, Stalnaker 4-6 1-2 9, Loter 0-2 00-0 0, Hamilton 2-4 0-1 4, Patterson 1-5 0-0 2, Johnson 1-4 0-2 2, Harmon 1-2 0-0 2, Willhite 4-7 0-0 8, Williams 0-0 2-2 2, Sampson 2-3 0-0 4, Leiws 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 1-2 1-2 3. Total 18-42 4-11 40.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 0-3 (Anderson 0-1, Clay 0-1, Powers 0-1), Cabot South 0-7 (Loter 0-2, Johnson 0-2, McWilliams 0-1, Stalnaker 0-1, Harmon 0-1). Rebounds: Bryant 24 (Anderson, Solinger 4), Cabot South 26 (Patterson 4). Turnovers: Bryant 23, Cabot South 9. Total fouls: Bryant 11, Cabot South 14.
