SPRINGDALE -- Taylor Doss' name was nowhere to be found on the final score sheet of Saturday's 4A-1 District Tournament championship game.
Prairie Grove's 5-foot-5 junior didn't make a single field goal and didn't attempt a single free throw, let alone make any.
4A-1 District Tournament
At Shiloh Christian
Girls
Prairie Grove 42, Huntsville 39
Prairie Grove^11^14^6^11^—^42
Huntsville^9^8^13^9^—^39
Prairie Grove (18-10): Lopez 13, M. Hartin 13, T. Hartin 6, Bartholomew 4, Cox 4, Stone 2.
Huntsville (23-6): McCartney 15, Creek 7, Sone 6, Campbell 4, Tipton 4, Phillips 3.
Boys
Huntsville 67, Pea Ridge 62
Pea Ridge^13^22^9^18^—^62
Huntsville^16^14^16^21^—^67
Pea Ridge (20-9): Hall 18, Church 15, Caudill 9, Hardy 7, Trundle 5, Davis 4, Wright 2, Sheppard 2.
Huntsville (28-2): Gosvener 26, Kirk 24, Aguilar 8, Eaton 7, Cain 2.
Her impact on the game was dominant in the one statistic that doesn't show up in the points column -- playing lock-down defense. Doss came off the bench and attached herself to every Huntsville player she guarded, helping her team to a 42-29 win at Shiloh Christian's Champions Gymnasium.
"When she came in, she turned up the intensity on their point guard and that kind of got them off kilter," Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud said. "I have to give her a lot of credit. She kind of broke their rhythm."
Saturday's game was a carbon copy of the previous two games played between the top teams in the 4A-1. In the first meeting this season, Prairie Grove (18-10) won by a single point. In the rematch, Huntsville (23-6) scored five points in the final 38 seconds to win by two.
Although Prairie Grove dominated early, building an 11-point lead at 22-11 on two Mattie Hartin free throws, Huntsville never seemed rattled. A team loaded with seniors from a state runner-up in Class 5A last season showed its experience in the second half.
Prairie Grove's press was effective in the first half, helping the Lady Tigers take command.
"Oh, it hurt us some," said Huntsville coach Charles Berry. "One time we had the wrong girl throw it in, and other time we just threw it to them."
Lady Tiger sophomore Parker Lopez, who matched Hartin for game-high scoring honors with 13, hit buzzer-beating drives to end the first quarter and second quarter. Her layup at the halftime horn gave Prairie Grove a 25-17 lead.
Huntsville came roaring out of the halftime on a 9-2 run. Chandler Sone's 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 13 seconds left in the third quarter pulled the Lady Eagles within 27-26. Huntsville had a chance to take the lead, but Sone missed a pair of free throws.
"Those were big," Berry said. "We missed that two-shot foul at a very critical time."
Prairie Grove, which has won eight straight games since the two-point loss to Huntsville, had an answer every time the lead shrunk to a single point by hitting clutch shots and free throws.
"We missed some layups, but we made some great backside passes to Ashley (Cox) for layups," Froud said.
Cox hit back-to-back inside shots and Taylor Hartin hit two late free throws to seal the win, giving Prairie Grove, a team with no seniors, the No. 1 seed heading into next week's 4A-North Regional Tournament in Pottsville.
"We're just a bunch of small girls who have overachieved," Froud said. "They deserve all the credit."
Boys
Huntsville 67, Pea Ridge 62
River Gosvener took over in the fourth, scoring 14 of his game-high 26 points as the No. 1 seed Eagles claimed the district title in a bump-to-buzzer battle.
Pea Ridge (20-9) led 35-30 at halftime, but Huntsville roared out of the break to take the lead and it was close the rest of the way.
Caleb Kirk added 24 points for the Eagles (28-2), who earned the No. 1 seed at next week's regional tournament.
Sophomore Joey Hall led Pea Ridge with 18 and fellow sophomore Westin Church added 15.
The Blackhawks will be the No. 2 seed at next week's regional tournament.
Sports on 02/22/2015