RUSSELLVILLE -- Nettleton had no trouble with Sylvan Hills on Friday, dispatching the Lady Bears 67-42 in the Class 5A girls state quarterfinals at Cyclone Arena.
The Lady Raiders (26-5) advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals for the third time since 2016 and first time since 2018.
Nettleton shot 20 of 32 from the floor and went 20 of 22 at the free-throw line. The Lady Bears were held to 14-of-41 shooting.
"The kids were more relaxed," Nettleton Coach Jason Smith said. "They were free."
Briley Pena scored a game-high 23 points to lead Nettleton. Wakiryah Daniels added 19 points and University of Arkansas signee Elauna Eaton put in 14 points for the Lady Raiders.
Having balanced scoring was what Smith wanted to see Friday.
"That's what we have to have," Smith said. "It's going to make us better."
"That was a very talented team," Sylvan Hills Coach Shelley Davis said. "That side [the 5A-East] is loaded over there with talent."
Pena scored 12 of her 23 points in the first quarter as Nettleton grabbed a 22-12 advantage.
Daniels knocked down two three-pointers to help the Lady Raiders extend their lead to 36-18 with 3:53 left in the second quarter. Pena's basket gave Nettleton a 21-point lead, 40-19, and the Lady Raiders led 41-24 at halftime.
Sylvan Hills cut the lead to 46-32 on Jianna Morris' jumper with 4:30 left in the third quarter. But Nettleton responded by scoring 12 of the next 14 points. Eaton hit a three-pointer from the right wing before the buzzer for a 58-34 Nettleton lead.
Eaton capped Nettleton's 19-2 run spanning two quarters with a layup that made it 65-34 with 5:55 remaining.
Morris and Jayla Stirgus each had 12 points apiece for Sylvan Hills (21-8). Daniya Cartwright had 10 rebounds for the Lady Bears.
The Lady Raiders will face 5A-East Conference rival Mountain Home at noon today in the first semifinal game. Mountain Home defeated Nettleton twice during the regular season.
LR CHRISTIAN 59,
LR PARKVIEW 32
Little Rock Christian (23-5) moved on to the state semifinals thanks to a strong second-half performance over Little Rock Parkview (13-13).
The Warriors led 26-21 at halftime, but used a 22-2 third-quarter to extend their lead to 48-23 at the end of the third quarter. They outscored the Lady Patriots 33-11 in the second half.
Ashton Elley led the Lady Warriors with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Wynter Rogers finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Yasmin Ott also had 12 points.
Little Rock Christian will face Greenwood at 6 p.m. today.
Jordyn Williams scored 11 points for the Lady Patriots.
GREENWOOD 74,
JACKSONVILLE 36
Greenwood (24-5) knocked down 10 three-pointers and never trailed in a victory against Jacksonville (18-10).
Kinley Fisher led the Lady Bulldogs with 19 points, including five three-pointers. Abby Summitt had 13 points and made 3 three-pointers, while Jaelin Glass added 10 points.
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-0 lead thanks to four three-pointers and took a 23-3 advantage into the second quarter. They led 41-21 at halftime and 58-29 after three quarters.
Lia Jackson led the Lady Titans with 10 points.
Sports on 03/07/2020