ELKINS — March Madness came early in the Class 3A Region 1 Tournament.
Kaylie Pyles scored 18 points as the fourth-seeded Mansfield girls stunned two-time defending state champion and top-seed Greenland 41-39 Wednesday in the opening game of the regional tournament at the Elks gym. Greenland (18-10) is done for the year while Mansfield (17-13) earned a berth to the state tournament after finishing sixth in conference play during the regular season.
CLASS 3A
REGION 1 AT ELKINS
GIRLS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
Mansfield 41, Greenland 39
West Fork 71, Lamar 59
TODAY’S GAMES
4 p.m. — Paris (2nd 4) vs. Elkins (3rd 1W)
7 p.m. — Cedarville (2nd 1W) vs. Danville (3rd 4)
BOYS
Cedarville 66, Paris 65
Charleston 69, Green Forest 11
TODAY’S GAMES
5:30 p.m. — No. 2 Lamar vs. No. 3 West Fork
8:30 p.m. — No. 2 Elkins vs. No. 3 Two Rivers
How they scored
Girls
MANSFIELD 41, GREENLAND 39
Mansfield^17^2^14^8^—^41
Greenland^13^6^10^10^—^39
Mansfield (17-13): Pyles 18, Ward 7, Farrish 7, McKay 5, Reano 4.
Greenland (18-10): Rogers 9, Riggle 8, Vaughn 8, Wright 6, Clark 3, Crown 2, Bohannan 2, Stolz 1.
Mansfield won the game despite being held to a single field goal in the second quarter. Pyles and Erica McKay hit free throws in the final 16 seconds to break a tie and Greenland missed badly on a last-second 3-pointer to end the game.
"I couldn't be more proud of these girls," Mansfield coach Keith Dake said. "We worked together as a team and was intense from start to finish."
Greenland played nearly the final six minutes without all-state guard Anna Rogers, who was ejected from the game for throwing a punch. The sequence started when Rogers and Pyles hit the floor for a loose ball and got tangled up. Rogers, who finished with nine points, was called for throwing a punch and had to leave the game while Mansfield added three points to take a 36-31 lead.
"(Rogers) lost her cool, but ejection? I don't think so," Greenland coach Alan Barton said. "If you're going to eject one, eject the other. But the bottom line is we didn't make shots."
Greenland made mistakes down the stretch with Rogers, a senior, out of the lineup. The Lady Pirates fouled unnecessarily and put Mansfield on the line with the game tied and 16 seconds left in the game. Greenland also lost scoring chances with a turnover and a shot that hit the bottom of the backboard with 2.7 seconds left to play.
"When you've got one of the best point guards in the state ejected, you've got to go find somebody else," Barton said. "It just wasn't meant to be."
Mansfield jumped to a 17-13 lead in a fast-paced opening quarter when the teams combined for eight 3-pointers. But Greenland managed a 19-19 tie at halftime after holding the Lady Tigers to one field goal in the second quarter on a drive by Rhianna Farrish. Mansfield regrouped in the third quarter and led 33-29.
"We never felt sorry for ourselves when things were going bad," Dake said. "They've made it to state in every sport besides basketball and this is something they were determined to do."
WEST FORK 71, LAMAR 59
Katie Griffin and Olivia Karnes combined for 44 points to lead West Fork past Lamar.
Griffin scored 23 and Karnes 21 for West Fork, which led 36-23 at halftime. Kaden Selph added 11 points for the Lady Tigers.
Kylee Thomas scored 19 and Linsey Frost 18 for the Lady Warriors, who were the top seed from the 3A-4 Conference.
BOYS
CEDARVILLE 66, PARIS 65 (OT)
Alex Cantrell drove the lane and made a layup at the buzzer in overtime to give Cedarville a victory over Paris.
Cedarville took advantage after Ryan Hatcher missed two free throws for Paris with 14 seconds left. Cantrell had a chance to win in regulation but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Cantrell had 24 points and Garrett Parson 19 to lead Cedarville. Matthew Fitzurls finished with 21 to lead Paris.
CHARLESTON 69, GREEN FOREST 27
Charleston grabbed a 30-point lead in the first half and rolled to an easy victory over Green Forest.
Matthew Ward scored 17 points to lead Charleston. Green Forest trailed 39-10 at halftime and 48-11 after three quarters. Green Forest didn't reach 10 points until Clayton Watson made a free throw with five seconds left before the half.
Sports on 02/27/2014