For more photos from this event by Kevin Nagle, go here
Kendal Rogers drives around Cabot’s Kenzie Wagner. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Trying to bounce back from a bitter defeat at Fort Smith Southside earlier in the week, the Bryant Lady Hornets needed something positive to happen for them early in Friday night’s 7A-Central Conference game against the Cabot Lady Panthers.
But it didn’t happen.
The Lady Panthers knocked down their first three shots in just over a minute and the Lady Hornets suffered turnovers against the Cabot press on their first six possessions. The result was a 12-0 hole out of which Bryant could never dig.
It turned into a tough first half for the disheartened Lady Hornets but, to their credit, they played with more fire in the second half. Cabot, however, wound up winning going away, 57-30.
Josie Vanoss led the Lady Panthers with 14 points. Holley Allen finished with 10.
Lania Ratliff (3) strains to get a shot off over Cabot’s Lesley Roberts. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Kalia Walker hit a layup after Allison Steen made a steal to get Bryant on the board after Cabot’s hot start. But those were the only points the Lady Hornets managed in the opening quarter. By hitting 5 of 9 shots from the field including 3’s by Kenzie Wagner, Vanoss and Allen, the Lady Panthers produced a 17-2 lead going into the second period.
Kendal Rogers fed Steen for the first bucket of the second quarter. The lead grew to 22-4 before Kelly Williams, who led the Lady Hornets with 8 points, hit two free throws as did Walker. Allen countered with a jumper in the final minute to make it 24-8 at the break.
Bryant had suffered 18 turnovers in the first half.
An 8-2 run to start the third quarter included 3’s from Lesley Roberts and Vanoss as the lead ballooned to 32-10.
Bryant’s first basket of the second half was a 3 by Riley Hill. Vanoss scored on an inbounds play under the Cabot basket but Raven Loveless, back after being out for several weeks with an injured ankle, scored inside as she was fouled, trimming the lead to 34-15.
Riley Hill hit two 3-pointers for the Lady Hornets. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Another successful inbounds play for the Lady Panthers produced a basket for Haley Sobczak and it was a 21-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Rogers scored, following her own miss, to make it 36-17 but the Lady Panthers answered with a 10-0 run.
Even though the Lady Hornets more than doubles their score in the fourth quarter, they were unable to whittle the lead under 20.
Steen scored inside and Walker hit a pair of free throws. Rogers fed Hill for a 3 and it was 48-24.
Sobczak converted two free throws but Loveless hit the offensive glass to score and Williams canned a pull-up jumper then converted twice at the line to trim it to 50-30 with 1:50 left.
Bryant will travel to North Little Rock on Tuesday as they continue league play. Conway visits Bryant on Friday.
LADY PANTHERS 57, LADY HORNETS 32
Score by quarters
Cabot 17 7 12 21 — 57
BRYANT 2 6 7 17 — 32
LADY PANTHERS (12-5, 1-3) 57
Wagner 3-4 0-0 7, Vanoss 4-6 4-4 14, Roberts 4-5 0-3 9, Allen 4-9 1-2 10, Sobczak 1-5 2-2 4, Melder 1-3 2-4 4, Harmon 0-3 0-0 0, Bush 0-1 3-4 3, Thompson 0-3 2-4 2, Stracener 1-2 0-0 2, Grisham 1-2 0-0 2, Chandler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-43 14-23 57.
LADY HORNETS (3-14, 0-4)
Ratliff 0-2 0-2 0, Steen 2-7 0-0 4, Williams 1-6 6-6 8, Hill 2-9 0-0 6, Rogers 1-3 0-0 2, Loveless 3-5 0-1 6, Walker 1-8 4-4 6. Totals 10-40 10-13 32.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 2-17 (Hill 2-8, Williams 0-4, Walker 0-3, Rogers 0-2), Cabot 5-12 (Vanoss 2-3, Allen 1-3, Roberts 1-2, Wagner 1-1, Harmon 0-2, Bush 0-1). Turnovers: Bryant 26, Cabot 21. Rebounds: Bryant 9-16 25 (Steen 0-5 5, Ratliff 3-1 4, Loveless 2-2 4, Hill 0-3 3, Walker 1-2 3, Rogers 1-1 2, Williams 0-2 2, team 2-0 2), Cabot 12-22 34 (Roberts 2-4 6, Vanoss 2-3 5, Melder 1-3 4, Sobczak 1-2 3, Stracener 2-1 3, Allen 1-1 2, Bush 1-1 2, Thompson 1-1 2, Grisham 0-2 2, Chandler 0-1 1, team 1-3 4). Team fouls: Bryant 13, Cabot 15.
