CLASS 5A GIRLS
Elauna Eaton, a University of Arkansas signee, scored 19 points as Nettleton reached the state title game for the first time with a 50-31 victory over Mountain Home.
GREENWOOD 51, LR CHRISTIAN 43
RUSSELLVILLE — Balance allowed Greenwood to get past the defending Class 5A state champions on Saturday.
Three players had 14 points for Greenwood in a 51-43 victory over Little Rock Christian in the Class 5A girls state tournament semifinals at Cyclone Arena, which featured two 5A-West Conference teams.
Jaelin Glass, Kinley Fisher and Abby Summitt all had 14 for the Lady Bulldogs (255), the No. 2 seed from the 5A-West Conference.
“We had people step up and hit shots,” Greenwood Coach Clay Reeves said.
Greenwood will attempt to win its fifth state title Saturday against Nettleton at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs. The Lady Bulldogs won state titles in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
“It will be a great game,” Reeves said. “They’ve been one of the top-ranked teams all year, just like the teams that have been playing the last handful of days. We know we’re going to have our hands full. We’re going to give it our best all week. We’ll concentrate on Nettleton now that we’re at that point.”
Wynter Rogers finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the 5A-West No. 3-seeded Lady Warriors (23-7), who shot 12 of 31 from the floor. Ashton Elley had 12 points and nine rebounds. Yasmin Ott added 10 points.
Little Rock Christian Coach Ronald Rogers led the Lady Warriors to their first state championship last season against Jonesboro. A return trip did not come to fruition in 2020.
“Losing, it hurts,” Rogers said. “But you know what? You learn a lot from losing. You’re on the top at one point and celebrate it. Now we have to learn how to deal with defeat and what we’re going to do next.”
Greenwood led 21-17 at halftime, but Little Rock Christian pulled within 3228 in the third quarter on Ott’s three-pointer. The Lady Bulldogs scored the final six points of the quarter, and Glass’ three-pointer before the buzzer made it 38-29.
With 7:31 left in the fourth quarter, Greenwood pushed the lead to 41-29 thanks to Glass’ three-point play. The Lady Warriors went on an 8-0 run, with Elley hitting two three-pointers and Rogers getting a put-back to cut the lead to 43-41 with 3:11 left to play.
But Greenwood closed the game out at the free-throw line, hitting 8 of 8 for a 51-41 lead. The Lady Bulldogs shot 16 of 34 from the floor overall and went 12 of 16 from the free-throw line.
“They hit shots,” Ronald Rogers said. “They hit free throws. They did what good teams do. They’re well coached.”
Reeves was pleased with his team’s poise down the stretch.
“They’ve been there their whole career,” Reeves said. “Most of this team has played in the finals in 2018 and the semifinals last year. We practice this stuff. We stayed focused and do what we do.”
NETTLETON 50, MOUNTAIN HOME 31
Nettleton advanced to its first state championship game after defeating Mountain Home for the first time in three meetings this season.
The 5A-East Conference’s No. 1 seed lost its two regular-season meetings against Mountain Home. On Saturday, the Lady Raiders solved the Lady Bombers.
“They knew everything we do. We know everything they do,” Nettleton Coach Jason Smith said. “So it comes down to players making plays.”
Nettleton (27-5), located in Jonesboro, is making its first state title game appearance after reaching the semifinals for the third time in five years.
Elauna Eaton, a University of Arkansas signee, scored 19 points to lead the Lady Raiders. Briley Pena finished with 15 points.
Nettleton shot 16 of 27 from the floor and was 9 of 10 in the second half. The Lady Raiders used a 9-0 run to close the first half and take an 18-14 lead into halftime.
Kate Gilbert led Mountain Home (23-7) with 12 points. Martin was contained to nine points as the Lady Bombers were held to 12-of-37 shooting.
“We hit a wall,” Mountain Home Coach Dell Leonard said. “That’s not a very good indicator of what this team is like. But they’re a great team. We were fortunate to get them twice.
“We have a great team, but we didn’t have a really good day today.”