CLASS 4A
POTTSVILLE 42, STAR CITY 38
NASHVILLE -- Pottsville's girls reached the 4A state semifinals for the first time in school history with a 42-38 victory over Star City at Scrappers Arena on Thursday.
Key plays by Skylar Campbell and Madi Rust helped the Lady Apaches (20-11), the third seed from the 4A North, pull off the upset. The Lady Bulldogs (30-3) were the top seed from the South and entered postseason at No. 2 in the Class 4A rankings.
It was Pottsville's second victory in as many days with many hours on a bus in between.
"We drive three hours back and forth both days," Pottsville Coach Chance Johnson said. "But it doesn't matter if we drove eight hours both ways -- they were going to find a way to win."
With under five minutes remaining in regulation and the score knotted at 36-36, Star City dribbled around at mid-court in an attempt to hold for a final shot. But Pottsville began pressuring passes more as time ticked away and Rust eventually came up with a steal that led to a bucket by Campbell with 1:11 remaining.
Campbell blocked a shot -- her third of the game -- on the other end before Star City's Amira Ford got a steal only to miss the layup. But Larena Walker, who had 14 points, was there for the rebound put-back to even the score at 38-38.
On the ensuing possession, Campbell caught the ball on the left wing and sliced across the lane, passing three defenders to create space for a shot off the glass that proved to be the game-winner with 11.8 seconds remaining. She finished with a game-high 20 points.
"(Campbell) just maneuvered around and found a way to weasel her way in there for a big basket," Johnson said.
Walker missed a shot and Rust, who made the game-changing steal, was fouled after grabbing the rebound. Her two free throws with 2.1 seconds left secured the victory and the school's historic spot in the semifinals.
For Star City, it was a disappointing end to a 30-victory season for Coach Becky Yarbrough, who started four seniors.
"I think our kids played really hard. They gave it all they had," Yarbrough said. "They're a good basketball team. We knew they were a good team and well-coached, so we have nothing to be ashamed of."
BERRYVILLE 58, CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN 51
Baylea Smith's eight consecutive free throws in the final 1:13 helped the Lady Bobcats advance to the semifinals.
Perhaps an even bigger hero for Berryville (22-12) was Aspen Smith, who hit five three-pointers and also guarded CAC junior standout Christyn Williams. Smith denied Williams most of the length of the floor while the other four defenders were in a zone.
It worked wonders in the first half as Williams, a major Division-I prospect who had 28 points in the opening round, was limited to three points, which helped Berryville build a 25-20 lead by halftime.
But Williams created space for herself in the third quarter, scoring eight consecutive points during a 38-second span, to help the Lady Mustangs grab a 31-28 lead. She ended up leading all scorers with 22 points. The teams traded buckets and leads several times and were deadlocked at 38-38 heading to the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer by Aspen Smith tied the score at 46-46 and CAC (29-5) turned the ball over on its next three possessions -- including two traveling calls on Williams -- that gave the Lady Bobcats a 50-46 lead and the edge down the stretch.
Aspen Smith finished with 17 points and Baylea Smith had 16.
ESTEM 46, WEST FORK 31
Unforced turnovers fueled two eStem (21-12) runs that led to West Fork's elimination in the first round.
The Lady Tigers (26-5), who opened the season with 21 consecutive victories, tied the score at 15-15 on Shannon Throgmorton's three-pointer with 4:45 remaining in the second quarter. But three West Fork turnovers led to a 6-0 eStem run to close out the half.
"It's tough with five seniors because it was their last game," said West Fork Coach Rodney Selph. "They're such good kids. I'm going to miss them and they've meant a lot to our program. I hated it for them, but we had a heckuva year and I'm proud of them."
Another Throgmorton three-pointer cut the deficit to 23-20 early in the second half. But two quick turnovers -- including a lead pass that was too strong on what would have been a fast-break layup -- ignited a 14-3 run that allowed the Mets to pull away.
"They put a lot of pressure on us," Selph said. "We had our chances, especially in the third quarter, but we turned it over a couple of times and missed that layup that really hurt."
Sports on 03/03/2017