Elite Girls Teams Battle

Greenwood Too Much For Prairie Grove In Matchup

Justyne Huber, second from right, Prairie Grove, blocks out Alyssa Crase, Greenwood, on Saturday as the Lady Bulldogs’ Megan Hartness pulls down a rebound in front of the Lady Tigers’ Callie Robinson in the Farmington High School gymnasium. Greenwood, the reigning 5A girls basketball state champions, beat Prairie Grove, the current 4A girls basketball state champions, 81-47.

Justyne Huber, second from right, Prairie Grove, blocks out Alyssa Crase, Greenwood, on Saturday as the Lady Bulldogs’ Megan Hartness pulls down a rebound in front of the Lady Tigers’ Callie Robinson in the Farmington High School gymnasium. Greenwood, the reigning 5A girls basketball state champions, beat Prairie Grove, the current 4A girls basketball state champions, 81-47.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

— Greenwood rained down 3-point shots to take the lead Saturday morning, but the Lady Bulldogs also reined in the Prairie Grove offense to take control in a battle of elite girls teams.

The defending Class 5A state champions drilled 16 3-pointers, including 10 in the first half, but Greenwood also forced 10 second-quarter turnovers to turn a close game into an 81-47 blowout victory at the Farmington Thanksgiving Classic.

Prairie Grove, the 2011 Class 4A state champs, trailed only 20-18 after a quarter, but Greenwood turned up the defensive pressure and went on a 16-3 run to take command.

Junior guard Lundon Williams poured in a game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and keyed the big second-quarter run with five points and two assists and a steal in the big run to turn a 23-19 lead into a 39-22 advantage.

Greenwood girls basketball coach Clay Reeves said he wants to play at a fast pace because of the Lady Bulldogs’ depth, but it’s still a work in progress in the season opener.

“We’re fortunate to have good shooters and we want to play uptempo since we’ve got a lot of kids who can play,” Reeves said. “We’re working on defense because that’s what has to carry us when it gets late in the season.”

Junior Haleigh Henson chipped in 19 points, including five 3-pointers, for Greenwood, which had seven different players make 3-point shots.

Justyne Huber led Prairie Grove (2-2) with 17 points.

Lady Tigers coach Kevin Froud said his team struggled to match up against the Lady Bulldogs.

“They hit a lot of deep threes,” Froud said. “They were very physical. I was pleased with the girls’ effort, but we just had too many mistakes. They got that run and we could never overcome that.”

GREENWOOD 81, PRAIRIE GROVE 47

Greenwood 18 10 14 11 — 81

Prairie Grove 20 27 23 5 — 47

Greenwood (1-0): Williams 22, H. Henson 19, Hartness 9, Atkins 9, Branum 5, McCraney 3, Mahon 3, Barnes 3, Elkins 2, S. Henson 2, Crase 2, Roberts 2,

Prairie Grove (2-2): Huber 17, Fitts 12, Kultgen 11, Beeks 6, Robinson 1

Shiloh Christian 49, Greenland 47

The Lady Saints didn’t make a field goal in the fourth quarter, but managed to hold on for the victory.

Richelle Cooper poured in a game-high 18 points for Shiloh Christian, but the 6-foot-3 sophomore also blocked a potential game-tying shot in the final 30 seconds.

Greenland (1-2) trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half and 46-31 entering the fourth quarter. But the Lady Pirates turned up the full-court pressure to force numerous turnovers and pull into a 47-47 tie with Jenny Riggles’ 3-pointer with just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Shiloh’s Callie Harris hit two free throws with 1 minute, 54 seconds left in the fourth quarter to set the final margin.

Greenland forced a turnover with 18 seconds to get a chance at the tie or the victory, but never got off a final shot as time ran out.

Alexis Jones also finished in double figures with 12 for Shiloh Christian.

Anna Rogers led Greenland, which trailed 32-20 at halftime, with 15 points and Riggles added 12 on four 3-pointers.

Farmington 60, Clarksville 44

Haley Maxwell keyed an 11-4 spurt all by herself to start the second half as the Lady Cardinals broke open a tight game and went on to the victory.

Maxwell, a 5-8 junior, scored all 11 Farmington points to open the second quarter to turn a two-point advantage into a 41-32 lead after Maxwell’s driving layup. Maxwell chased down a long rebound off a missed 3-pointer by Clarksville and drove the length of the court for the layup.

Maxwell finished with a game-high 18 points for Farmington (3-0), including 13 in the second half. Rene Scheyder added 12.

Clara Graham tied for game honors with 18 for Clarksville, but 14 came in the first half.