PEARCY — After leading most of the game, the Bryant White Lady Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Junior High fell victim to the defensive pressure of the Lake Hamilton Lady Wolves eighth graders, absorbing a tough 29-27 loss, just their second of the season.
The setback snapped a four-game winning streak.
In B game, Bryant White prevailed 18-11.
The Lady Hornets led 9-5 after a quarter and 15-11 at the half. They still held the advantage 23-18 going into the fourth quarter.
“Lake Hamilton has three girls who start for their ninth grade,” said Lady Hornets coach Ben Perry. “Since we didn’t have a ninth grade night they were able to play the whole game. It is good competition to be able to play their best against ours.
“We were up by as many as 10 points halfway through the third quarter, but their pressure broke us late in the fourth quarter,” he recalled. “They also shot a lot of free throws and made a lot of free throws. They shot 14 of 22 from the line compared to our 10 of 17 from the line.
“We just threw the ball away and did not protect the ball very well late in the game,” the coach emphasized. “This allowed Lake Hamilton to make a run quickly and we did not respond very well. We committed 22 turnovers and were outrebounded 19 to 13. They stole it from us 13 times and many of those times they just stripped the ball from us or we just passed it right to them.”
Brilynn Findley led the Lady Hornets with 10 points. Kristen Reese added 6 and Rihanna Ware 4. Arion Pegram pitched in with 3 while Locklan Berry and Emeril Jones scored 2 apiece.
“We were able to distribute the ball but we were not able to drive like I would have liked,” Perry said. “The first and fourth quarters have been a struggle this year.”
The Lady Hornets return to action tonight at Cabot North.
“It is good to play close games like that because you learn so much from those type of games as a player and as a coach,” Perry said of the Lake Hamilton game. “It was a learning experience for everyone, and we will gather ourselves and play a great Cabot North team.
“I believe if we had a chance to play Lake Hamilton again, the outcome could be much different,” he mentioned. “Our athletes our progressing every day and will continue to learn and progress as the season goes along. I’m very proud of our girls and the fight they had down the stretch.”
In the B game, Nia Swann had 8 points and Maddie Edwards 6. Camille Calhoun and A’Niyah Linvingston scored 2 apiece.
