CONWAY — The Fort Smith Northside Lady Bears made their final 10 free throws of the game to come away with a ragged 66-60 victory over the Conway Lady Wampus Cats on Friday.
Conway’s hectic pace worked well for a half, but ultimately the Lady Bears (16-1, 3-0 7A/6A-Central) cashed in from the free-throw line. The teams combined for 45 fouls and 64 free throws.
“We didn’t play very well, and they didn’t either,” Northside Coach Rickey Smith said. “It was ugly, a lot of missed shots and silly fouls. You don’t have time to run an offense. You don’t have time to make two passes. Really, that’s our style also.”
Conway (11-4, 1-2) led by as many as eight points in the first half and 33-28 at halftime. Northside roared back early in the third quarter and took the lead for good early in the fourth.
Conway’s Kianna Speight broke a 25-25 tie with two free throws at the 3:28 mark of the second quarter. Enjonae Chambers added a free throw and a basket in transition. Asia Willard followed with a 17-footer and a free throw for a 33-25 lead.
Northside point guard Jill Myers opened the second half with a steal and layup. Kilah Cummings scored on a putback to get the Lady Bears within a point. After two free throws by Conway, Myers scored twice in 30 seconds, the latter a three-pointer for a 37-35 lead. Conway battled back to pull even at 44-44 on Jordan Danberry’s basket, but Cummings grabbed an offensive rebound and scored at the end of the quarter.
Willard’s three-pointer gave Conway a brief lead in the fourth quarter as Northside missed four consecutive free throws, but Myers scored two quick baskets to give the Lady Bears a 50-47 edge. Bria Caldwell made six consecutive free throws in the final 2:18 as Conway went cold from the floor.
Sports, Pages 23 on 01/12/2013