PEA RIDGE -- Bella Cates had already struck once, so Pea Ridge coach Heath Neal elected to give her a second shot Thursday night.
The junior guard delivered a tie-breaking 3-pointer to put her team ahead to stay, and the Lady Blackhawks captured the 4A-1 Conference Tournament championship with a 51-46 victory over Farmington in Blackhawk Arena.
Cates had hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force a 35-35 tie after three quarters. Her next 3-pointer came with exactly 3 minutes remaining and gave Pea Ridge (21-4) a 45-42 lead, then Blakelee Winn took care of the rest with six points in the final 2 minutes.
"He had drawn up that play for us, and I was a little nervous for that," Cates said of her tie-breaking shot. "I get nervous every time he draws a play for me. But once the adrenaline kicks in, it doesn't matter. If it goes in, it goes in. But I knew it was going in. It felt good."
The clutch shots provided Cates with the opportunity to redeem herself after she was called for her third foul just before the first half ended. Farmington (18-6) was holding the ball for a final shot, and Cates charged in a little too close and fouled Reese Shirey near midcourt with 3.5 seconds remaining.
Shirey then hit both free throws and gave Farmington a 22-20 halftime cushion.
"I smoked her at the end of the second quarter because she had a lapse of judgment at the end," Neal said. "The good thing is she's growing and took that criticism.
"I told her she hadn't shot the ball well, but she's been shooting the ball well all season long. She came off the bench because she was in foul trouble and hit two big, big shots. That's a testament of the work she's put in when nobody sees it."
Farmington made a strong move to start the second half, outscoring Pea Ridge 10-3 and extending its lead to a 32-23 margin on a bucket by Megan Hernandez with 4:34 left in the third quarter. The Lady Blackhawks, though, answered with their 12-3 run, capped by Cates' 3-pointer from about 23 feet away as the buzzer sounded.
Pea Ridge then took a 42-37 lead after a Winn bucket with 5:01 remaining, but Farmington tied the game on a 3-pointer by Carson Dillard and two free throws by Tori Kersey before Cates delivered a second time.
"The last three times (Farmington coach Brad Johnson) and I have played, it's come down to the bitter end," Neal said. "We just happened to be the top team (Thursday).
"Brad is a good friend of mine, and I've always looked up to him as a coach. When I first started out, he's somebody I wanted to be like and follow on how he's built his program at Farmington. In five years and what these girls have put in, we're able to beat a team like Farmington. And we're not done yet."
Winn finished with 30 points and was the only player in double figures for Pea Ridge, which plays again at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Class 4A North Region tournament in Ozark. Kersey finished with 16 to lead Farmington, while Dillard added 10.
Harrison 49, Berryville 38
Harrison couldn't put away Berryville with its first offensive run, but the Lady Goblins did the job with their second outburst.
Harrison scored the first 14 points of the second half to pull away and win the third-place game with a 49-38 decision over the Lady Bobcats in Goblin Arena.
The Lady Goblins (17-1) scored the first 11 points, but Berryville was able to pull within 19-13 after one quarter and 27-23 at halftime. Harrison then took off again and extended its lead to a 41-23 margin, and Berryville never recovered.
Sydney Shrum had 15 points, all on 3-pointers, to lead the Lady Goblins while Maggie Salmon added 12. Lauren Compton finished with 12 points and was the only Berryville player in double figures.