Hot shooting lifts Bryant in opener
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 continue posting 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
BRYANT TIMES
FAYETTEVILLE — In what figured to be the most evenly matched first round girls game at the Class AAAAA State Tournament, the Bryant Lady Hornets stunned the Fayetteville Lady Bulldogs by reeling off a 15-1 run to start the game.
Bryant was at its best during the run and, even though Fayetteville rallied and actually took a lead at the half, the Lady Hornets weren’t to be denied. They shot a scorching 73 percent from the field in the second half and hit 11-of-15 free throws in the fourth quarter to extract a convincing 57-46 win.
Fayetteville came into the game as the third seed from the AAAAA-West Conference but, in the last two weeks of the regular season, had knocked off then top-ranked Fort Smith Northside as well as previously top-ranked Fort Smith Southside. The Lady Bulldogs ended their season with an 18-9 record.
The Lady Hornets, seeded second from the South, improved to 24-5 on the season and advanced to a quarterfinal game against AAAAA-East champion West Memphis.
Ashley Wallis led the Lady Hornets with 21 points including 11 in the fourth quarter when they staved off a Fayetteville rally. Bekka Middleton added 17 points and 13 rebounds and Heather Atkins came in off the bench to toss in 10 points.
The opening blitz was a thing of beauty as the Lady Hornets sliced and diced Fayetteville’s man-to-man defense. They worked a pick-and-roll play for the first two baskets by Middleton and Kim Jacuzzi. Wallis made a steal that led to a basket inside by Middleton off a feed from Joanie Robideaux.
After a Fayetteville timeout, Jacuzzi hit a short baseline jumper, Wallis made another theft and Middleton cashed it in for a 10-0 lead.
Fayetteville’s Megan Edmonston hit a free throw but Wallis answered with a driving jumper before Robideaux capped the run with a 3-pointer.
Fayetteville’s first field goal came at the 3:29 mark of the first quarter, a short jumper by Jennifer Culp. But the Lady Hornets closed the quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 21-6 lead into the second period.
As hot as they were in that first quarter, however, the Lady Hornets were cold in the second. They missed all seven of their field-goal attempts and turned the ball over nine times. Fayetteville rallied behind junior forward Candice Brewer, daughter of former Arkansas Razorback and NBA star Ron Brewer (now a Fayetteville assistant coach), who scored 10 of her team-high 20 points during the quarter, mostly on drives to the basket.
The Lady Bulldogs pulled even at 23 on a 3-pointer by Mandy Blackwood with :45 left in the half.
A free throw by Atkins kept Bryant ahead until Laurie Stahle’s driving scoop shot at the buzzer gave Fayetteville a 25-24 halftime edge.
“We just went cold,” said Lady Hornets head coach Carla Crowder of the second-quarter slump. “I think we played so well in the first quarter then we just kind of woke up then couldn’t score. We talked about what we needed to do (at halftime). We tried to adjust to their penetration because we felt like that was hurting us — that, and us just not scoring.”
As it was the Lady Hornets wound up shooting 58 percent from the field in the game. Throw out the 0-for-7 in the second and they hit a mean 72 percent.
Still, when Edmonston hit the first basket of the second half, they were down by 3.
To get back on track, the Lady Hornets went inside to Middleton who hit a turnaround to cut it to 2. Moments later, Wallis hit a jump hook from the baseline then fed Middleton for another hoop as Bryant surged to a 30-27 lead.
Brewer and Wallis traded baskets then with 2:23 left in the quarter Brewer drove for a layup to cut the margin to 1.
Wallis missed and Fayetteville had a chance to regain the lead, but the Lady Hornets forced a turnover. Wallis fed Atkins down low for a bucket on consecutive trips then Middleton drove to the hoop to make it 38-31.
Fayetteville tried to get the last shot but Bryant’s senior forward Emily Hantz stepped in and took a charge on a drive by Stahle and the Lady Hornets’ seven-point lead held going into the fourth quarter.
A basket by Wallis to start the fourth quarter gave her team a nine-point edge.
Fayetteville cut it to 5 but Atkins came through with a three-point play. Again, Fayetteville surged and, when Brewer hit an eight-foot jumper at the 2:34 mark, had the lead down to 45-41.
But Jacuzzi hit a free throw and Blackwood missed on a 3-point try. Wallis converted two at the line and the lead was back up to seven. A free throw by Edmonston was matched by Wallis and the Lady Bulldogs could get no closer the rest of the way as Middleton, Robideaux and Wallis hit free throws to extend the lead.
