ALMA — West Fork’s players weren’t bothered by the morning bus ride along a foggy stretch of road or the 9:30 a.m. tipoff inside an empty gymnasium.
Gravette’s players, on the other hand, didn’t adjust as well to the less-than-ideal conditions on Wednesday.
The Lady Tigers got off to a fast start in the opening round of the Airedale Classic, outscoring the Lady Lions 14-3 in the first quarter and then getting enough defense down the stretch to hold on for a 48-40 win. West Fork scored the first six points and never relinquished the lead.
“Maybe we were just a little bit (more) ready to play than they were. It was an early morning game; it could have easily happened to us,” West Fork coach Nathan Wells said. “(But) we kind of made some bad decisions to let them back in it.”
Sarah Sagely scored a game-high 19 points, and fellow junior Ragen Franklin added 12 for the Lady Tigers (6-9), who’ll face either Alma or Booneville at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the winner’s bracket.
Despite trailing by 11 points after the first quarter, Gravette (6-6) managed to rally before halftime and get to the free-throw line on a day when its shots weren’t always falling.
The Lady Lions made 18 of 26 free-throws attempts, including 6 of 8 during a 10-3 run that allowed them to cut West Fork’s lead to 45-40 with 27.1 seconds remaining.
“They gave us every opportunity. We just aren’t good enough to take advantage of those opportunities,” Gravette coach Duane Thomas said. “We were a little sluggish starting out. But when the bell rings, you got to be ready to play.”
Julia Himsl scored 16 points for Gravette, which will face either Alma or Booneville at 12:30 p.m. today in the loser’s bracket.
After watching their 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter dwindle to five, Sagely and West Fork junior Christy Fraley combined to make three free throws over the final 19 seconds. They also helped prevent Gravette from scoring down the stretch.
“Our defense was much better in the second half, and we made it hard for them to score,” Wells said. “And then we started getting a few better shots and better looks, but I thought our defense was pretty good.”
Farmington 55, Union Christian 23
GIRLS — Farmington took advantage of its size in the paint and cruised to the lopsided victory despite playing without two of its starters.
The Lady Cardinals (6-6) broke open a close game by outscoring Union Christian 15-2 in the second quarter, and they held a large enough lead for the mercy rule to go into effect in the fourth quarter.
Farmington center Lexie Lewis scored a game-high 20 points, and guard Kala Crisp added nine points. The Lady Cardinals, who’ll face Ozark at 3:30 p.m. today, played without forward Hanna Qedan (shoulder injury) and guard/forward Sara Shackelford (surgery).
Ozark 49, Greenland 45
GIRLS — Greenland overcame a dismal start and made a late run by attacking the basket. Still, it wasn’t enough down the stretch.
Caitlyn Johnson scored a team-high 12 points, and the Lady Pirates rallied to cut Ozark’s lead to 41-37 with 4:35 remaining. But they couldn’t get any closer, and as a result will face Union Christian at 9:30 a.m. in the loser’s bracket.
Greenland struggled early on, committing careless turnovers and not blocking out for rebounds. After watching his team quickly fall behind 9-0, Greenland coach Alan Barton pulled all five starters.
West Fork 64, Union Christian 23
BOYS — West Fork outscored Union Christian 42-6 in the first half, and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around the Tigers led by 40 points.
Jared Johnson, Timmy Seaman and Logan Genz each scored 10 points for the Tigers, who’ll face Ozark at 5 p.m. today.
West Fork had no difficulty advancing to the winner’s bracket against an undersized Union Christian team that managed only 18 points through the first three quarters.
Mansfield 67, Gravette 58
BOYS — Gravette had little success slowing down Mansfield senior guard Kent Elmore, who scored 29 points to propel the Tigers into the winner’s bracket with the nine-point win.
With the score tied at 16-16 heading into the second quarter, Mansfield outscored Gravette 26-14 to take a 12-point lead into halftime.
Tanner Daniels led the Lions with 16 points, and Nick Hendren added 13. Gravette will face either Alma or Booneville at 2 p.m. today in the loser’s bracket.
Ozark 55, Greenland 49
BOYS — Senior Elijah Wolfe scored 17 points, but Greenland failed to hold on for the win after leading 29-22 at halftime.
Robert Smith added 11 points for the Pirates, who dropped into the loser’s bracket. They’ll face Union Christian at 11 a.m. today.