Lady Hornets capture rare lopsided victory at Mount St. Mary’s
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 continueposting 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
LITTLE ROCK — This sort of thing doesn’t happen very often:In the McCauley Center, the Mount St. Mary’s freshman basketball team nearly had to withstand having the Arkansas Activities Association’s Sportstmanship Rule (aka, “mercy rule”) levied against them on Monday night.
The Bryant Lady Hornets, who improved to 9-0 overall and 3-0 in the South Division of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference, put the Mounties in that unfamiliar territory. Early in the fourth quarter, the Lady Hornets held a 43-14 lead, just a point shy of having the rule invoked.
Bryant coach Eric Andrews cleared his bench late in the game and Mount St. Mary’s was able to double its score in the final 5:06. But the Lady Hornets still left the McCauley gym with a 45-27 triumph.
Bryant will host Lake Hamilton on Thursday in another league game then conclude its pre-Christmas schedule at home against Conway White on Monday, Dec. 14.
The Lady Hornets took control of Monday’s game at the Mount by holding the Mounties without a field goal from the 3:05 mark of the third quarter all the way to the final two seconds of the half.
Bryant’s lead went from 7-4 to 16-5 by the end of the first quarter, to 31-7 before the Mounties’ Emma Kauffman beat the buzzer with a short jumper to make it a 22-point game at the half.
McKenzie Adams, who led all scorers with 17 points started the run with a steal that led to a layup by Courtney Davidson. Adams forced a held ball that created another MSM turnover. At the other end, Logan Davis hit a free throw to make it 10-4.
Kiara Moore followed with a theft and fed Davis for a layup.
Mount’s Emily Hudson hit a free throw to briefly interrupt the spree, but Davidson knocked down two from the line before Moore knocked down a short jumper to end the first-quarter scoring.
Adams got the first bucket of the second quarter then McKenzie Rice scored. Moore forced a turnover that resulted in a layup for Adams. Moments later, Adams took an inbounds pass and knocked down an 8-footer to make it 24-5.
Mallory Kleine, who led her team with 11 points, hit a free throw with 3:33 left in the half only to have Moore connect on one in response then come up with a steal and layup as the lead ballooned to 21.
Emily Hudson’s free throw cut into the margin and the Mounties had a chance to get closer when Sara Upton grabbed the rebound off the missed second shot but Moore made yet another steal and, eventually, Davis cashed in with a layup.
In the final :15, Adams hit the offensive glass for a bucket before Kauffman beat the buzzer, making it 31-9 at the break.
Kauffman added a free throw with 4:14 left in the third quarter before Bryant went on a spree, forcing turnovers and taking advantage of them. Moore scored off a drive then Adams cashed in on a pair of turnovers to build the lead to 37-10.
Finally, Kleine managed a pair of back-to-back hoops before Bryant went on a 6-0 run that had them within a point of the mercy rule. Lauren Buck’s two free throws at end the third quarter and 15-foot jumper to start the fourth put the Lady Hornets in position to provide the 30-point margin in the fourth quarter that would’ve set the clock rolling in accordance with the rule.
But, with Andrews eventually subbing in everybody, the Mounties closed the game with a 15-2 run interrupted only by a bucket inside from Kristen Scarlett.
BRYANT 45, MOUNT ST. MARY’S 27
Score by quarters
BRYANT 16 15 10 4 — 45
MSM 5 4 5 13 — 27
LADY HORNETS 45
Moore 4-5 2-4 10, Adams 7-9 3-3 17, Davis 2-7 1-2 5, Davidson 1-6 3-4 5, Myer 0-0 0-0 0, Buck 1-2 2-2 4, Rice 1-2 0-0 2, Murphy 0-3 0-0 0, Yazza 0-2 0-0 0, McPherson 0-0 0-0 0, Scarlett 1-1 0-0 2, Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Combs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-37 11-15 45.
MOUNTIES 27
Sloan 0-2 0-2 0, Stuff 0-0 0-0 0, Hudson 0-3 2-4 2, Upton 0-2 0-1 0, Kleine 5-7 1-4 11, Iriana 0-2 0-0 0, Forst 0-0 0-2 0, Seachris 1-2 0-0 2, Iriana 0-2 0-0 0, Gardner 0-1 0-0 0, Bradley 0-2 0-0 0, Kauffman 2-4 2-3 6, Harmon 0-0 0-0 0, Zwied 1-2 0-0 2, Widmer 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 11-30 5-16 27.
Third-point field goals: Bryant 0-1 (Davis 0-1). Turnovers Bryant 15, Mount St. Mary’s 22. Rebounds: Bryant 12-15 27. Team fouls: Bryant 15, Mount St. Mary’s 12.
