CLASS 4A NORTH GIRLS

Huber puts charge in team

P rairie Grove senior Justyne Huber knows how to take charge and take a charge.

Huber scored 15 points Monday afternoon but when she allowed a Gentry ballhandler to plow over her with 1:35 remaining, it all but sealed the Lady Tigers’ 60-52 victory in the Class 4A North Region championship game at Maumelle High School.

“I was ready for it,” Huber said. “I wasn’t going to get a blocking [call] against me because that would get me in trouble.”

“That was a big play,” Prairie Grove Coach Kevin Froud said. “[Justyne] has a rule that she doesn’t try that until the fourth quarter. ... She leads our team in taking charges. She’s played enough that she knows how to move her body to get in position to take the charge.”

Prairie Grove (27-4) earned its fourth consecutive regional title and it was the Lady Tigers’ fifth regional championship in Froud’s nine years as the head coach. Prairie Grove will play either Bauxite or Brookland in the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals Thursday in Cave City.

Gentry (13-18) lost 62-27 to Prairie Grove in their previous meeting Feb. 1, but since postseason play began, the Lady Pioneers have been no pushovers. Gentry connected on four three-pointers in the first half and trailed by only 29-26 at halftime.

Senior guard Destiny Thomas led Gentry with 14 points while Tara Arnold added 13.

Junior forward Lacey Beeks scored a game-high 16 points for Prairie Grove while junior Macie Kultgen matched Huber’s total of 15.

Prairie Grove led 46-39 entering the final quarter, but the gap quickly closed to four points when Thomas opened the quarter by hitting all threefree throws after being fouled shooting a three-pointer. The Lady Pioneers, however, never got any closer.

Arnold connected on a three-pointer with 2:15 to play that pulled Gentry within 53-49 and the Lady Pioneers had possession with a chance to cut into that lead, but Huber took the charge with 1:35 to play and hit two free throws nine seconds later.

“That was a big play, for sure,” Gentry Coach Tim Rippy said. “We were trying to be aggressive and go to the basket. We probably should have kicked that out but we didn’t see the shooter open in the corner and then we went ahead ran over Huber.She did a good job of taking the charge.”

Prairie Grove was 12 of 17 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to help keep Gentry from drawing any closer. The Lady Tigers were 20 of 25 from the line for the game.

Gentry was 17 of 22 from the line.

Sports, Pages 18 on 02/26/2013

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