CONWAY - Conway used pressure defense to force 22 turnovers , and the Lady Wampus Cats defeated Fayetteville 61-51 on Saturday in the Class 7A state tournament.
Fayetteville, the top seed from the 7A/6A-West, led by as many as nine points in the first half and led briefly in the third quarter before Conway’s trap took its toll. Conway, the No. 4 seed from 7A/6A-Central, won its ninth consecutive game to advance to Monday’s semifinals.
“We made that adjustment where when we make a basket, we’re going to stay up and press,” Conway Coach Ashley Nance said. “We went back to our roots, and it worked.Playing more up-tempo and getting out in transition and, of course, the press, that’s what our strength is.”
Conway (26-5) trailed 27-18 midway through the second quarter after a basket by Fayetteville’s Lauren Krissman, but Jordan Danberry scored the Lady Wampus Cats’ next eight points. Danberry made four consecutive free throws, with a steal and layup sandwiched in between. Hailey Estes passed to Danberry for a basket to make it 27-26, and Alexis Tolefree’s steal and layup put Conway back on top, 28-27.
Fayetteville (20-6) tied the game at halftime thanks to Jaylah Prude’s layup. Alexa Howard gave Fayetteville a 33-32 lead to open the second half, but Conway took the lead for good in the late third quarter, thanks largely to the efforts of Danberry. She got behind the defense for a basket to give Conway a 37-35 lead, but Fayetteville’s Sydney Crockett tied the score again with a 15-footer.
Estes scored on an inbound pass and converted the three-point play. Danberry followed with a steal on the inbound and a spin move for a layup that resulted in a Fayetteville timeout. Danberry finished with a game-high 23 points, and her twisting basket in the lane with 2:13 left all but sealed the victory for Conway.
“Jordan is just an unbelievable athlete,” Nance said. “She’s one of the top 50 guards in the nation, and that’s why. In the first game she got in foul trouble, so she was fresh. I could go on and on about her leadership.”
Kristin Rogers had 11 points for Conway, which made 20 of 27 free throws.
Crockett and Krissman led the way for Fayetteville with 13 points apiece, while Jones finished with 10. Lauren Schuldt had eight points and 10 rebounds.
WEST MEMPHIS 46, SPRINGDALE 44
Alexis Hamlet drove the length of the floor for the game-winning layup in the final seconds as West Memphis (20-7) edged Springdale (16-11) to advance to the semifinals.
West Memphis had led for the entire second half before Kierra Lang capped Springdale’s comeback with a basket with 10 seconds left to tie the score at 44-44. That left enough time for one last play. Hamlet had been able to penetrate to the basket all night, and she came through again on the final drive.
Hamlet scored a game-high 24 points for West Memphis.
“We had told them whoever gets the ball had to go to the basket,” West Memphis Coach Sheila Burns said. “She has a great jumper, but we were going to attack the basket. Alexis is a slasher. She’s going to go to the basket.”
Springdale trailed by eight points in the third quarter and by seven when West Memphis’ Keona Stinson scored with 5:30 left in the game. Ryann Goodsell made a free throw, and Desiree Mack scored on a put back to pull the Lady Bulldogs within four.
Jasmine Patterson made two free throws to extend West Memphis’ lead to 42-36, but Springdale’s Javonda Daniels drove for a basket. Kierra Lang’s steal and layup pulled Springdale to within 42-40. Danisha Turner scored off an offensive rebound for West Memphis, but Daniels made two free throws to get Springdale back within two points.
Both Keona Stinson and Hamlet missed front ends of one-and-one opportunities inside 30 seconds, giving Lang the opportunity for the tying basket.
Lang led Springdale with 15 points and Daniels had 11.
Sports, Pages 25 on 03/09/2014