SPRINGDALE -- Conway unleashed some energy after being holed up in a hotel for five days and Springdale Har-Ber was the victim.
Conway blistered Har-Ber 91-63 in a high-scoring, fast-paced game Saturday at the Class 7A state tournament at Wildcat Arena. Jordan Danberry and Alexis Tolefree combined for 48 points to lead the charge for Conway (23-6), which will play North Little Rock at noon on Monday.
Girls
CONWAY 91, SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 63
Conway^36^17^19^19—^91
Har-Ber^24^13^16^10^—^63
Conway (23-6): Danberry 26, Tolefree 22, Willard 9, Speight 14, Lowe 5, Rogers 5, Estes 4, Norment 2, Banks 2, Pack 2
Har-Ber (20-10): Schalk 18, Whaley 12, Redmond 11, Chancellor 8, Higgins 5, Bohannan 4, Hornor 3, Braswell 2.
Danberry, a senior, finished with 26 points while Tolefree, a junior, added 22. The two combined for 36 points in the first half, which was one less than Har-Ber (20-10) had after two quarters.
Conway continued to pull away and invoked the 30-point mercy rule in the fourth quarter.
"The kids were loose and ready to play, especially after being in a hotel since Tuesday," Conway coach Ashley Nance said. "The games were late today and I'm not sure we could have waited one more minute. I was very proud that we made some runs and controlled the tempo."
Conway took control at the outset, leading 18-7 in the first quarter and 47-26 in the second quarter after a free throw by Kianna Speight. Although Danberry and Tolefree did most of the scoring, but the Lady Wildcats were impressive in their ability to pass the ball and find an open player. In one sequence, Conway players gave up the ball twice near the goal before Speight put up a shot and was fouled.
Ten players scored for Conway, which made 22-of-27 free throws. Har-Ber was 13-of-15 from the line.
"We do have Danberry and Tolefree, but they're so unselfish," Nance said. "That's what makes us tough. When we play together, we're hard to beat."
Har-Ber tried to stay in the game behind seniors Bailey Schalk and Paige Redmond, who combined for 29 points. But no one on the home team could contain Conway, which pulled its starters after building a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter.
"We didn't play that bad of a game, but they're just better than we are," Har-Ber coach Sandy Wright said. "They're better than a lot of people in this state. They came out unconscious."
Sophomore Karrington Whaley added 12 points for Har-Ber, which beat Cabot in a first-round game.
Sports on 03/08/2015