PRAIRIE GROVE -- A 20-point second quarter was more than enough for Pea Ridge on Tuesday.
The Lady Blackhawks secured a 55-32 big road win over Prairie Grove in Tiger Arena in 3A/4A District 1 action.
Prairie Grove (8-10, 4-6) ratcheted up the defense in the second half forcing the Lady Blackhawks into seven turnovers in the third quarter, but could not overcome the first half hole after being outscored 20-7 in the second quarter.
"Our kids work so hard and things have just not been going their way," Pea Ridge girls basketball coach Heath Neal said. "We haven't seen the success we want as far as victories, but at the same time, our mentality and mindset never changed. They just keep pushing every day in practice, and it is fun to watch it pay off on the court tonight."
I tell you what, it was nice to see things come together finally."
The second quarter was the turning point in the game as Pea Ridge (7-11, 3-5) made the most of the Lady Tigers misfortunes at the rim. Starting at the four-minute mark in the first quarter, the Lady Blackhawks went on a 25-7 run that lasted all the way up until the four-minute mark in the second quarter.
Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud went to a full-court press to open the third quarter, where they were able to turn the Lady Blackhawks over with success. However, the shots were simply not falling as the Lady Tigers were never able to mount a run of their own.
The frantic press also led to a number of fouls on the Lady Tigers and Pea Ridge quickly got into the bonus, sealing the game at the free-throw line by hitting 8 of 9 free throws down the stretch.
The Lady Blackhawks were led by juniors Katelyn Swope and Hollyn Davis who each scored 11 points, while Sunny Olsen scored 10.
Prairie Grove senior Sarah James Stone lead the Lady Tigers with seven points.
Pea Ridge 55, Prairie Grove 32
Prairie Grove 5 7 10 10 -- 32
Pea Ridge 10 20 10 15 -- 55
Pea Ridge (7-11, 3-5) Davis 11, Adams 11, Olsen 10, West 7.
Prairie Grove (8-10, 4-6) Stone 7, Vinson 6, Doering 5, Sugg 4.
BOYS
Prairie Grove 43, Pea Ridge 40
Prairie Grove gave up just six points in the final quarter and handed Pea Ridge its first district loss.
The Tigers (8-7, 6-2) jumped out to a first-quarter lead (8-7, 6-2, but Pea Ridge (13-4, 7-1) hit a buzzer-beater before halftime to swing momentum in its favor heading into the locker room.
The Blackhawks then made their push in the third quarter where they outscored the Tigers 15-4 to take a 34-27 lead.
Prairie Grove junior Will Pridmore led the Tigers back in the final quarter, scoring 13 of his game-high 20 points in the final eight minutes.
Kobe Rose, Hayden Holtgrewe, and Mikey Mahoney each scored 10 points for Pea Ridge.
Prairie Grove 43, Pea Ridge 40
Prairie Grove 13 10 4 16 -- 43
Pea Ridge 6 13 15 6 -- 40
Prairie Grove (8-7, 6-2): Pridmore 20, Pearson 11, Cooper 5, Elder 4
Pea Ridge (13-4, 7-1): Rose 10, Holtgrewe 10, Mahoney 10, Coble 8
Preps Basketball on 01/10/2018