PEARCY — To say that Kristen Williams was the difference in Monday’s championship game at the annual Kameron Hale Invitational Tournament could be understating it.
The Central Arkansas Christian eighth grader poured in 32 points and gathered eight rebounds but the Lady Mustangs needed all of that to hold off the Bryant Lady Hornets freshman team, 41-34.
As tall as any player on the floor, Williams often played point guard, including down the stretch when she converted 7 of 8 free throws to hold off Bryant’s rally.
The Lady Hornets trailed by 12, 23-11, at the half but whittled the margin to 4 by the end of the third quarter.
But, while CAC converted 20 of 28 free throws, the Lady Hornets were just 10 of 18 including 6 of 11 in the fourth quarter when they were also 3 of 13 from the field.
“I was proud of the way we competed tonight,” stated Bryant coach Nathan Castaldi. “I think we got down 15-5 early in the game and against a good team like CAC, it would have been easy for us to fold and get beat 20, but we continued to battle all game long.”
Kendal Rogers finished with 10 points for Bryant. Destiny Martin added 8, Lania Ratliff 6, Sarah Kennedy 5, Alyssa Kubiako 3 and Riley Hill 2.
Despite Williams’ eight rebounds and 11 by Alexa Mashburn for CAC, the Lady Hornets finished with a 33-30 edge on the boards. Kennedy led the team with eight. Hill hauled down seven and Rogers five.
Williams’ stunning ability was evident from the start as she helped the Lady Mustings forge a 9-0 lead. He hit the offensive glass for a trip to the free-throw line and, moments later, drilled a 3-pointer. She was fouled on a drive to the basket and added two more free throws.
Bryant didn’t get on the board until Ratliff banked in a running jumper at the 1:12 mark. Williams answered with 12-foot jumper to make it 11-2. In the closing seconds of the quarter, Martin fed Ratliff for a basket as she was fouled. Though she missed the free throw, the margin was just 7 going into the second stanza.
The lead grew to 15-5 early in the second quarter but Rogers hit a jumper in the lane and, after a flurry of turnovers, Jadyn Lewis made a steal that led to a follow shot by Rogers that cut it to 16-9. Martin made a steal and drove for a layup and it was a 5-point game going into the final two minutes of the half.
Williams went on a spree after that including a three-point play as the Lady Mustangs built the margin to 12 at the half.
With Ratliff and Hill working defensively against Williams, the Lady Hornets kept the CAC star from scoring again until the 1:31 mark in the third quarter. And it was her lone basket of the period.
In the meantime, the Lady Hornets surged. Martin fed Kennedy for a basket and, after a free throw by Lauren Peoples, Ratliff hit a baseline jumper and Kennedy drilled a running jumper. When Rogers converted two free throws at the 2:46 mark of the period, the lead was just 24-19.
The Lady Hornets had three chances to get closer before Williams got her basket but, in the final minute, Martin hit a free throw, Kennedy made a steal and Martin drove for a layup to make it 26-22.
A key play occurred early in the final quarter when, Peoples drove the lane and ran over Hill, who tried to set up to take a charge. But the call when CAC’s way and Peoples hit two free throws. Hill would counter with a pair of the other end after grabbing a defensive rebound. It was 28-24 with 5:05 left.
Mashburn’s two free throws for CAC was followed by a pair of misses for the Lady Hornets, though between them Ratliff blocked a shot by Williams. With 3:32 left, however, Williams asserted herself again. She would score her team’s last 11 points from that point on.
But Bryant wouldn’t go away. A three-point play by Kubiako had the Lady Hornets within 5 with 2:56 left. But they were just 3 of 8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes and couldn’t get any closer than 5 as CAC closed out the win.
Now 6-7, the Lady Hornets are off until Thursday, Jan. 9, when they travel to Conway.
JUNIOR LADY MUSTANGS 41, JUNIOR LADY HORNETS 34
Score by quarters
BRYANT 4 7 11 12 — 34
CAC 11 12 3 15 — 41
JUNIOR LADY HORNETS 34
Jaramillo 0-1 0-0 0, Kennedy 2-6 1-4 5, Hill 0-2 2-2 2, Martin 3-16 2-4 8, Rogers 3-8 4-6 10, McCormick 0-0 0-0 0, Ratliff 3-3 0-1 6, Lewis 0-2 0-0 0, Kubiako 1-2 1-1 3. Totals 12-40 10-18 34.
JUNIOR LADY MUSTANGS 41
Miller 0-1 0-1 0, Williams 8-20 15-17 32, Peoples 0-10 3-8 3, Mashburn 1-3 2-2 4, Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Horton 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 10-39 20-28 41.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 0-1 (Jaramillo 0-1), CAC 1-8 (Williams 1-5, Peoples 0-2, Horton 0-1). Rebounds: Bryant 33 (Kennedy 8, Hill 7), CAC 30 (Mashburn 11). Turnovers: Bryant 23, CAC 17. Team fouls: Bryant 18, CAC 15. Technical foul: Bryant coach Castaldi.
