Rhodes’ drive wins out in end

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Amanda Rhodes weaved through a hazardous path on her way to the rim, but the destination was worth the trip for Jessieville’s senior guard.

Hounded by defenders the entire way, Rhodes drove the length of the court and hit a layup with eight seconds left to give the Lady Lions a 47-45 victory over 3A-5 Conference champion eStem in Friday’s district tournament championship game at Episcopal Collegiate in Little Rock.

“Amanda handled the ball through all that pressure,” Jessieville Coach Matt Carter said. “She was getting bumped around, but she hit that last shot. That was a big win for these kids.”

A 35-footer by eStem sophomore Gia Hayes hit the back of the iron but rimmed out as the final horn sounded.

Freshman Kellie Lampo led Jessieville with 15points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks. Rhodes and Madison Hair added 11 points. Olivia McWilliams scored 16, grabbed 11 rebounds and made 6 steals to lead eStem. Hayes followed with 15 points, and Jasmine Williams grabbed 12 rebounds.

Jessieville (18-7) will take the top seed for next week’s regional tournament at Benton Harmony Grove and will play at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Lady Mets (24-5) will play at 4 p.m. Thursday in the regional.

The Lady Lions fell behind 9-0 in the game’s first four minutes, but Jessieville managed to rally behind a 44-33 rebounding advantage and held a seven-point lead with 3:47 to play.

Olivia McWilliams, eStem’s senior guard who has signed with Central Arkansas, picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter and was almost no factor until the game’s waning moments.

McWilliams sparked a late rally with an assist on a three-pointer by Hayesand then added a steal and a layup to close the score to within 45-43 with 2:37 to play.

Neither team scored for more than two minutes, but that drought ended when McWilliams grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed free throw, drove the length of the court and hit a five-footer while being fouled. The 5-8 guard, however, missed the free throw, setting up the heroics by Rhodes, who helped the Lady Lions’ win Thursday’s semifinals game against Fountain Lake by hitting six consecutive free throws in the final minute of that game.

“I was definitely getting roughed up a bit,” Rhodes said of her game-winning drive. “But I saw a path and I knew I had to take it to the hole.”

Sports, Pages 23 on 02/22/2014