Streak Ends For Lady Purple’Dogs

— Bishop Lynch coach Andy Zihlman told his players the Fayetteville Lady Bulldogs were going to be good. He just did not know how good they had been up to Tuesday’s game between the two schools.

It was not until after Bishop Lynch topped the Purple’Dogs 57-56 in overtime at the 59th annual Sandra Meadows Classic in Duncanville, Texas, Zihlman learned his Lady Friars had just ended Fayetteville’s two-year, 42-game winning streak.

“That’s something else,” a surprised Zihlman said. “I knew they won this tournament (last year) and they won the Arkansas state championship last year. We’ve played them four or five times in this tournament and we know they’re tough.”

The Purple’Dogs’ win streak ended with Bishop Lynch’s 6-foot-4 forward Blair Bryce’s buzzer-beating shot off of an inbounds pass.

That’s not to say Bishop Lynch (15-3), a parochial school in Dallas, Texas, needed a miracle to thwart Fayetteville’s winning streak.

Fayetteville coach Bobby Smith said the Lady Friars weathered the Purple’Dogs’ best game of the season, and he was proud of his team’s fight.

“I thought we played very well today,” Smith said. “Both ends of the floor. That’s the best team we’ve played all year. I hate the way that it ended, but it certainly is a chance for us to grow.”

Bishop Lynch led at halftime 29-25 and stayed with Fayetteville (11-1) through three second half lead changes and four ties.

Fayetteville seemed like it had gotten itself out of the jam when it took a six-point lead with 3:16 left in the fourth quarter, 48-42. However, the Lady Friars battled back, cutting Fayetteville’s lead to just one with 1:09 left in regulation.

Fayetteville’s Sierra Shipley gave Fayetteville a three-point lead with 1:07 left in the game after hitting both free throws in a double-bonus situation, but Bishop Lynch’s Alexa Hardick hit a game-tying three with 14 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.

Fayetteville’s Calli Berna led the Purple’Dogs in scoring with 23 points, followed by Shipley with 19.

The loss knocked the Purple’Dogs out of the Sandra Meadows Classic’s championship bracket and the team was relegated to the tournament’s silver consolation bracket for teams that advanced one game in the championship bracket before elimination.

Bishop Lynch lost to Mesquite (Texas) Horn High later Tuesday evening 55-45.

Fayetteville 58

Converse (Texas) Judson 40

Fayetteville returned to its winning ways, defeating Judson High on Tuesday evening.

The Purple’Dogs trailed Judson 7-1 midway through the first quarter, but went on a 16-0 run to end the quarter up 17-7. By halftime, the lead had expanded to 40-15.

Seemingly every Fayetteville player played in the game as the Purple’Dogs added 18 points in the second half, and the defense by committee allowed 25 second-half points.

Tenille Briney led the Purple’Dogs with 15 points followed by Shipley with 10 and Calli Berna and Sydney Conley scored nine and eight points, respectively.

Fayetteville will play DeSoto (Texas) High (15-5) at noon today as Silver Bracket play continues. If the Purple’Dogs defeat DeSoto, they will play again at 4:30 p.m.

While Tuesday will be remembered for the day the Purple’Dogs winning streak died, Smith said there is a lot of basketball yet to be played this season.

“I hate to lose,” Smith said after the Bishop Lynch game. “I’ve lost over 150 in 20 years and every one of them hurts. But we haven’t got time to mourn that loss.”

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