CLASS 5A GIRLS

Paragould breaks through in final


ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT GAZETTE/MELISSA SUE GERRITS 03/15/2014 -Paragould player celebrate at the bell after their win against Huntsville in the 5A Championship Game March 15, 2014 in Hot Springs.
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT GAZETTE/MELISSA SUE GERRITS 03/15/2014 -Paragould player celebrate at the bell after their win against Huntsville in the 5A Championship Game March 15, 2014 in Hot Springs.

HOT SPRINGS - Paragould didn’t let a third opportunity at a state title go to waste Saturday.

The Lady Rams used a pair of 9-0 runs in the first and second quarters to open up sizable leads, then got a crucial three-pointer from Abby Gibson to stop a late Huntsville rally as they pulled away for a 56-48 victory in the Class 5A championship at Summit Arena.

“We got it done,” Paragould Coach Jay Cook said. “We talked before the game about our approach, simply because the last two times we’ve been here it seemed like we were satisfied before we ever walked out there. We were very passive about it.

“Today, we talked about going out there and getting a win. They were determined to win it this time around, and they went out and did it.”

Paragould (23-5) lost in last year’s final to Jacksonville and to Greenwood in 2012, but the Lady Rams broke through in front of a large crowd thanks to the all-around performance of senior forward Sydney Layrock.

The Harding University signee scored 26 points and had six rebounds to lead the Lady Rams, who closed out the season on a 20-game winning streak en route to winning their first state championship since 1994. Gibson hit 3 three-pointers and finished with nine points, while Alexis Benson chipped in 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

Vanessa Burgess helped Huntsville (20-8) stay in contention for much of the game. The senior guard scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half while adding 5 rebounds, 4 steals and a block. Brittanie Gragg, who had to battle foul trouble for the majority of the game, scored nine of her 12 points in the second half.

Paragould led from the outset and held 13-point leads in the first and second halves, but Huntsville wouldn’t go away.

“That’s a very good team we just played,” Huntsville Coach Charles Berry said. “We fought back, but we made crucial turnovers at the wrong time. Give Paragould credit, they’ve got a really good team. They shot the ball well, especially from the perimeter.

“We just couldn’t get over the hump when we needed to.”

Paragould sprinted out to an 11-2 lead and answered a Huntsville rally with a ninepoint run over the closing two minutes of the second quarter to lead 30-19 at the half. Huntsville didn’t do itself any favors by shooting 30 percent (7 of 23) and turning over the ball at inopportune moments.

The Lady Rams led 35-23 with 3:32 left in the third following two free throws by Sydnie Walker, but a deep three-pointer from Miranda Campbell got Huntsville going. The Lady Eagles followed Campbell’s basket with seven consecutive points, including the final five by Burgess, to trim their deficit to 35-33 going into the final quarter.

Huntsville was in position to take the lead on its opening possession in the fourth but turned over the ball. Paragould capitalized on the mistake, with Gibson burying the last of her three-pointers on the same possession to put a stop to Huntsville’s charge.

“That was a big sequence,” Berry said. “We picked our intensity up and we felt like we had a great chance to come back all the way, but we couldn’t get that one basket that we needed.”

Paragould pushed its lead to 44-35 before Huntsville crawled to within 48-43 after Burgess’ three-pointer with 1:15 left in the game. But Layrock completed a crucial three-point play during an 8-0 run to effectively end any chances of a Huntsville comeback.

“It’s still surreal,” Cook said. “It’s very cliche to say the third time is the charm, but it’s true. We talked all the time about believing that we could make a run at a title.

“It didn’t always look that way, but there was so much improvement that we made from early in the season until now. That dedication, that determination, was what got these girls to this moment.”Quotebook

“It’s very cliche to say

the third time is the

charm, but it’s true.” Paragould Coach Jay Cook, whose team won a state title in its third attempt

Sports, Pages 25 on 03/16/2014

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