HOT SPRINGS -- Nettleton Coach Jason Smith said he does not have to worry about the confidence of sophomore Bailey Booker.
Booker, a 6-0 forward, scored 8 of her 14 points during a key 45-second span of the fourth quarter, leading the Lady Raiders to a come-from-behind 57-49 victory over defending state champion Hot Springs during Wednesday's first round of the Class 5A state tournament at the Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
Booker completed a three-point play to pull Nettleton to within 45-44 with 5:46 remaining. She gave Nettleton the lead 30 seconds later, and although she missed a free throw that would have been another three-point play, she drained a three-pointer to push the Lady Raiders' advantage to 49-45.
"That's the thing about Bailey," Smith said. "You never have to worry about Bailey worrying about her last shot because she's already forgotten about it. But that's what you love about her."
Nettleton (26-3) fell behind 19-9 after one quarter and had to play catch-up for the next two quarters. The Lady Raiders finally caught up to Hot Springs (23-4) early in the fourth quarter. Nettleton held Hot Springs scoreless for six minutes and outscored the Lady Trojans 19-8 in the final eight minutes.
Freshman Dasia Young led Nettleton with 16 points. Mya Love, another freshman, matched Booker's 14 points.
Love scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter, hitting 7 of 11 free throws.
"That's the thing about both of those two freshmen," Smith said. "They want to play their best. They love playing on the big stage. They're going to make mistakes, some 14-year-old mistakes, but they just keep coming, they keep pounding, and we're tickled to death to play again Friday."
Nettleton will play Beebe in Friday's quarterfinals.
Hot Springs saw its season end despite going 15 of 33 from the floor and holding a 41-36 lead after the first three quarters. The Lady Trojans hit their first shot of the fourth quarter, but then went 2 of 11 the rest of the way.
"We got our breaks in the first half," Hot Springs Coach Josh Smith said. "We pushed the ball like we wanted to, and we took advantage of it like we were supposed to. Nettleton did a great job of adjusting after halftime."
Sophomores Ariana Guinn and Imani Honey combined for 36 of the Lady Trojans' points, but they combined for only two points in the fourth quarter. Guinn scored 20, and Honey had 16. Junior Keyneso Hunter led Hot Springs in rebounding with 13 rebounds, but she was plagued by foul problems and played sparingly after the midway point of the second quarter.
Nettleton was 19 of 37 from the floor, including a 5 of 7 effort in the fourth quarter. The Lady Raiders were 16 of 26 from the line, 11 of 17 in the final quarter.
BATESVILLE 37, HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE 27
Junior guard Hannah Qualls scored 14 points to help the Lady Pioneers (24-3) hold off the Lady Rams (14-13). Senior forward Gracen Ratliff scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half. Junior Lexi Tejeck led Lakeside with 12 points and 13 rebounds).
GREENE COUNTY TECH 48, MAGNOLIA 34
Senior Kassie Tyner led a balanced scoring effort for the Lady Eagles (20-9) to beat the Lady Panthers (16-7). Tyner scored 11 points and sophomores Allie Thomas and Kaylee Edgar each scored 10 points. Greene County Tech was 14 of 32 (44 percent) from the field. Junior Lillie Moore led Magnolia with 15 points, while sophomore T.K. Ellison added 10. Magnolia was 14 of 49 (29 percent) from the field and missed all eight of its three-point attempts.
Sports on 03/03/2016