Lady Hornets finish on a winning note
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
Though it might not have been head coach Blake Condley’s primary intention, the 2007-08 basketball season got an early start during the fourth quarter of the final game of the 2006-07 campaign on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
And a sophomore, Anna Simpson, wound up scoring 6 of her 8 points in overtime including a decisive free throw with :05.4 left as the Lady Hornets finished up with a 46-45 victory over the Little Rock Central Lady Tigers.
Actually, Condley could’ve gone to the younger players earlier in the season after the team was eliminated from post-season play but he continued to work in his trio of seniors and, in their final game, started all three, Brittany Grant, Caitlin Cato and Sydney Simpson.
“I’ve got so much respect for those three girls,” he said. “They’ve stuck with it, they’ve hung in there through tough times and I told them after the game, they’re always going to have a special place here with the Lady Hornets and they’re always welcome back here anytime. I love all three of them and wish them the best.
“We made our big run with those underclassmen in,” he acknowledged. “I was looking for a spot where I could try to get the seniors in but I felt like we were playing so well after we made that run — we were playing to try to win the game.
“We got some good experience late, got some girls on the free-throw line that need to be there to figure out how to do that late,” added the coach, who concluded his first year as Lady Hornets coach after serving as the Bryant Junior High girls coach for two years. “We made a turnover or two that hopefully we can learn from but this has got to be a springboard into the off-season to help us get better for next year.”
The Lady Hornets were led by junior Jasmine Carter who has led the team all season in scoring and lately with defenses paying special attention to her. Carter had 12 points and seven rebounds before fouling out early in the extra period. Sophomore forward Courtney Mosley added 10 points, continuing her late-season development. She too fouled out, late in regulation, after contributing to the Bryant rally with a pair of third-quarter 3’s. Anna Simpson then took over the scoring and helped send out her older sister, Sydney, along with Cato and Grant, on a winning note.
The game was close most of the way. Central led 10-8 after the first quarter, holding Bryant without a point after Carter hit a 3 with 4:21 left in the period. But a jumper from the corner by Mosley off a nice feed from sophomore point guard Taylor Hughes, tied it at 10 at the start of the second period.
Central, however, surged to a 19-12 lead by the half and led 21-14 early in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Sydney Simpson got the Lady Hornets back on track with 4:56 left in the period. After Central’s Taylor Smith and Carter traded free throws, Mosley got the rebound off of Carter’s missed second shot. Sydney Simpson missed on a 3 but Carter forced a held ball on the rebound and Bryant retained possession. That led to Mosley’s first 3 which cut the lead to 22-21.
Jalisa Montgomery, who led the Lady Tigers with 15 points and 11 rebounds, hit two free throws but Anna Simpson drove for a layup that kept it a 1-point game. Central scored again but Anna Simpson was fouled with 1:39 left in the quarter. She missed her free throws but Mosley tapped the carom off the missed second shot to Carter who scored to make it 26-25. And when Central failed to answer, Mosley popped her second trey to give Bryant the lead.
Montgomery hit a two more free throws to tie it but Carter found Amber Westbrook who hit a short jumper just before the buzzer ending the period, giving Bryant a 30-28 lead.
Central didn’t lead again during regulation but tied it at 33 and 39, the latter on a basket with :41 left. The Lady Hornets had a couple of chances to regain the lead and Central had one opportunity but the game remained deadlocked and went to overtime.
A free throw put the Lady Tigers ahead initially but, after missing a pair of free throws near the end of regulation that would’ve snapped the 39-39 tie, Anna Simpson stepped up to connect on a pair to put Bryant back up, 41-40. She hit another only to have Montgomery tie it again at 42 going into the final two minutes of the extra period.
Anna Simpson’s stickback with 1:44 left snapped the tie and it stayed 44-42 as both teams scrambled over the next minute. With :41.7 showing, Hughes was fouled. She missed both shots but her second was rebounded by Westbrook who was fouled immediately. She made one to make it a 3-point game.
But Smith nailed a 3 to tie it at 45 with 16 second left. Moments later, Simpson was fouled and, though she missed the first, she stepped up to knock down the second to snap the tie.
Central rushed to the other end and got an off-balance shot in the lane from Rakara Debrow but it came off the rim at the buzzer.
The Lady Hornets finish the season 9-17 overall, 3-11 in the 7A-Central Conference.
