7A/6A GIRLS
GREENWOOD 60, ALMA 32
ALMA -- Greenwood showed no signs of letdown after its big victory over Conway last Friday.
The Lady Bulldogs forced 19 turnovers in the first half to build a commanding lead en route to a 60-32 drubbing of Alma in 7A/6A-Central girls action Tuesday at Airedale Arena.
"We came out with a lot of intensity, played really hard and shot the ball well," Greenwood Coach Clay Reeves said. "I was proud of the way we got after it. If we rebound well, play hard defensively and the shots fall, everything looks good."
With the victory, Greenwood (23-2, 10-1) wraps up the 6A-Central's top seed for next month's 6A State Tournament in Siloam Springs. The Lady Bulldogs earned a first-round bye and will play March 4 at 7 p.m. The loss eliminated Alma (10-14, 2-9) from postseason contention.
"I wasn't sure if we clinched tonight or not," Reeves said. "I just want to get prepared for the state tournament. Not so much focused on the next team as getting ready for Siloam Springs [the site for the 6A state tournament]."
Unlike the first game, Greenwood never let Alma into the game, leading 45-12 at halftime. Megan Hartness had 20 of her game-high 24 points in the first half as the Lady Bulldogs forced 19 turnovers while shooting 17 of 28 (61 percent) from the floor.
"Our girls are doing a great job of anticipating and moving on the pass," Reeves said. "When our kids are ready to play, they do a great job. The last time we played [Alma], it was 19-19 after the first quarter. They remember that. They know if we don't come out and play hard, things don't look as good for us. Our kids do a good job, but they have to play hard to look good."
Hartness scored Greenwood's first 10 points as the Lady Bulldogs opened an early 10-3 lead, then her teammates got involved offensively as the trapping zone forced turnover after turnover. Greenwood finished the quarter with an 11-0 run to lead 24-5 after a quarter.
Hartness finished off a 10-3 start to the second period with a three-point jumper for a 34-8 Lady Bulldog lead and then ended the half with another three-pointer at :02 for the 45-12 advantage.
GREENWOOD (60)
Clements 0 0-0 0, Henson 3 2-3 0, Branum 1 0-0 3, Goodner 2 0-0 4, Jewell, 1 0-0 3, Hartness 9 3-4 24, Elkins 4 1-1 9, Reeves 1 2-2 5, Summit 1 0-0 3. Totals 22 8-10 60.
ALMA (32)
Willhite 1 0-0 3, Jones 3 0-0 9, A. Ostrander 1 0-0 3, H. Ostrander 1 0-0 3, Wright 3 0-0 8, Rainwater 1 0-0 2, Dyer 1 0-0 2, Jackson 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 0-0 32.
Greenwood;24 21 7 8 -- 60
Alma;5 7 5 15 -- 32
Three-point goals -- Greenwood 8 (Hartness 3, Henson, Branum, Jewell, Reeves, Summit), Alma 8 (Jones 3, Wright 2, A. Ostrander, H. Ostrander, Willhite). Team fouls -- Greenwood 11, Alma 10.
GIRLS
ALMA 69, GREENWOOD 50
The Airedales (19-4, 8-3) clinched a playoff berth with the win over the Bulldogs (4-16, 1-10).
The Airedales, who travel to Bryant on Friday, can clinch the 6A-Central top seed with a victory Tuesday against Siloam Springs.
"That's always a goal -- getting that one seed," Airedale Coach Stan Flenor said. "We have a good nucleus. We need to get better in all phases to get ready for the state tournament."
Greenwood, on the other hand, has slim playoff hopes. The Bulldogs must beat Russellville by at least 2 points Friday and have Alma defeat Siloam Springs next week.
Alma built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never let Greenwood back into the game. The Airedales led 30-16 at halftime.
A three-point play by Austin Lee gave Alma its first lead of at least 20 points at 44-23 with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Greenwood, though, fought back within 54-42 with 5:35 left, but that would be as close as they could get.
Alma had three players with 14 or more points -- Austin Lee with a game-high 18, Braylon Parker scored 16 and Jake Folkerts with 14. Luke Hales paced the Bulldogs with 16 while Alec Armstrong added 11.
Sports on 02/18/2015