Lady Hornets earn much-needed win over Wynne
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BENTONVILLE — The Bryant Lady Hornets needed a win and they got a Wynne on Saturday morning in their final game at the Crabtree Invitational Classic at Bentonville High School.
Behind 19 points from junior Kelly Williams and 15 from sophomore Mary Catherine Selig, the Lady Hornets rolled to a 74-25 victory over the Wynne Lady Yellowjackets.
“We needed that,” stated Bryant head coach Brad Matthews. “It was good. We were able to get out in transition a little bit. They pressed us a little bit and we handled the pressure well. We were able to finish on the backside.
“We moved the ball well on offense,” he continued. “We got the ball close to the bucket a lot and we were able to make some shots. Once we started making shots, I thought that relaxed our kids. It just kind of built from there.”
The Lady Hornets erupted for 25 points in the first quarter, taking a 12-point lead into the second stanza. They scored 23 more in the second period to pile up a 48-22 advantage.
“We’ve been working hard,” Matthews said. “Both (previous) days at Bentonville, we had sections against Bentonville and Clarksville where we played well. Even though our offense was struggling, we were competing, fighting, and playing well. It was just, at some point, we needed some offensive flow. I thought, both days, when we didn’t get that, it kind of put us in a lull on both ends.
“So there was some positive even though there were two losses,” he noted. “There are some things to build on. I think our kids are starting to understand what we need to do to have success.
“And that was the whole purpose of going up there, to get three games in a row,” the coach continued. “So many of our kids played more varsity minutes the last three days than they had their entire career before this. That can only help as we move forward.
“That’s really why we scheduled going up there. We kind of knew we were going to be inexperienced. It’s one thing to practice day after day after day. It’s another thing to try to take that over the game situations.
Eleven different Bryant players contributed to the scoring, Senior Kendal Rogers had 8 points. Riley Hill, Robin Gordon and Kalia Walker each added 5 while Raven Loveless, Lania Ratliff and Allison Steen scored 4 apiece. Paige Adams had 3 and Tenise Robinson 2.
The Lady Hornets’ lead grew to 65-25 by the end of the third quarter so the fourth quarter was played under the sportsmanship rule. Wynne was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
“There were some positives and there were some negatives on the trip but definitely some things to build on as we go back to the play on Monday against Russellville in the Morrilton Tournament,” Matthews mentioned.
The Lady Hornets play the former conference rival Lady Cyclones to open the tourney at 4 p.m., on Monday.
