HARRISON — Never fear when Martha Robinson is near.
That was the game plan for Huntsville on Wednesday night — it’s been the game plan all season — as the Lady Eagles constantly fed Robinson the ball underneath the basket on nearly every offensive possession.
Robinson delivered in a big way with a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds as Huntsville beat Fort Smith Southside 41-33 to claim its third straight championship in the Lendel Thomas Classic.
In the three-day tournament, Robinson totaled 61 points and played well enough on both sides of the court to guide the Lady Eagles (12-4) to victories over Paragould, Heber Springs and Southside.
“In high school basketball, there’s no better player in the state of Arkansas,” Huntsville coach Charles Berry said. “She’s not a great player because of how many points she scores, she’s a great player because of what she does defensively. She’s one of the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some good players.”
Despite jumping out to a 9-4 lead, Huntsville had trouble getting Robinson the ball early in the game. But with about 13 minutes left in the first half, everything changed.
While being double-teamed, Robinson took several passes and managed to score easy layups to give the Lady Eagles a 21-10 halftime lead.
Southside, which totaled only 10 points by halftime, shot 25 percent (4 of 16) from the floor in the first half and committed 12 turnovers.
“We couldn’t hit any shots,” Southside coach Sherry White said. “We were getting some good looks and then we were taking shots when we shouldn’t have. Huntsville is a very good team, and Martha Robinson is a great player. I think we were a little intimidated by them and in the long run, that hurt us.”
Despite a combined four 3-pointers from Southside’s Kacy Kimbrough and Kaley Moore in the second half, including three from Moore, the Lady Rebels (5-6) never got the offensive run they needed to take a lead.
Meanwhile, Huntsville totaled 13 rebounds in the second half and got good production sophomore guard Taylor Griff to never let up.
“We played very well,” Robinson said. “I credit my teammates for getting me the ball, which isn’t always easy because of how I’m guarded. I don’t get frustrated by physical play, I just work harder and it usually works out in my favor.”
Leading Southside on offense was Emillie Gray with 11 points while Huntsville’s Lacey Jones scored five.
Springdale High 57, Harrison 39
BOYS — Springdale High jumped out to a big first-half lead and never looked back in claiming its first championship in the Lendel Thomas Classic.
Springdale senior forward T.J. Andrews scored 21 points while Curtis Evans added 14 for the Red’Dogs, who start 7A-West Conference play against Rogers Heritage on Jan. 8.
“This championship can do a lot for us,” Springdale coach Brad Stamps said. “It gives us some momentum going into the break. We needed this, we needed to play well and win three games and we did that.”
In the first half, Harrison (6-4) had trouble on offense, shooting only 12 percent (3 of 25) from the floor. Overall, the Goblins finished 1 of 14 from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, Springdale guards Tony Dennis and Evan Johnson combined for 18 points and gave the Red’Dogs good production on defense in forcing Harrison into 11 second-half turnovers.
Harrison’s John Colliver scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the second half.
Huntsville 72, Mena 34
BOYS — Huntsville hit 13 3-pointers to easily put away Mena in the consolation finals.
Leading offensively for the Eagles (12-2) were Tucker Trumbo with 18 points and Bailey Counts with 13.
Huntsville jumped out to a big lead in the first 10 minutes and held the Bearcats (8-6) to only 12 first-half points. In the second half, the Eagles never looked back in outscoring Mena 34-22.