Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ready for regional
West Fork girls led by strong senior class.
WEST FORK — Sara Greenlee remembers the disappointment she felt last season after West Fork was eliminated from postseason play by Elkins in the district tournament.
“We didn’t play to the best of our ability,” Greenlee said. “It was kind of embarrassing, really.”
There’ve been very few embarrassing moments this year for West Fork, which started the season 21-0 and will host the Class 4A North Regional Tournament at the Tiger Dome. The Lady Tigers (25-4) open against Huntsville ( 19-9) at 7 p. m. Thursday after tournament play begins today.
West Fork no longer has longtime nemesis Greenland standing in the way, but that doesn’t mean the path to postseason success will be any easier. That’s obvious against Huntsville, which is coached by Charles Berry, an Arkansas High School Hall of Fame member who guided the Lady Eagles to a state championship in 2008.
Senior center Delanie Tipton ( 13 points, 8.1 rebounds) is the top player for Huntsville, which lost to Berryville in overtime at the 4A-1 District Tournament last week.
“Coach Berry is a legend and he does a fantastic job,” West Fork coach Rodney Selph said. “They’ve won almost 20 games and they’ve got a big post player and guards who shoot it well. They’re a typical Huntsville team and a tough match up for us, obviously.”
West Fork’s strength is its senior class, which includes Greenlee and Shannon Throgmorton at guard, forwards Cassie Cartwright and Mesa Kutz, and center Holly Griffin. Griffin leads the team in scoring and rebounding ( 12 points, 8 rebounds per game) after playing in only six games last season because of a knee injury. Throgmorton and Greenlee average 11 points each while Kutz lends support in the front court with 7 rebounds per game.
“Shannon shoots the ball well and she handles the ball about 95 percent of the time,” Selph said. “She’s been great with late-game situations and that’s something she takes pride in. Sara shoots the three really well and she’s one of our better defenders. Holly is our only true post player and she does a really good job as a rebounder and shot-blocker. Mesa plays strong for her size and she hustles better than any kid I’ve ever seen. Cassie Cartwright is only 5-foot-3 at the forward position, but she’s gritty. She’s one of our best rebounders.”
The five seniors have mostly been playing together since they were in the fourth grade at West Fork. Griffin and Throgmorton are cousins while Greenlee and Carwright are cousins.
The girls admit to sometimes arguing like sisters, but said those occasional spats are left off the court.
“We’re actually a really close team,” Cartwright said. “Our team motto is ‘ start together, finish strong’ and we’ve pretty much done that all year.”
West Fork won 21 consecutive victories before Throgmorton shattered her pinky finger against Shiloh Christian and missed a few games. She still has a splint on her finger, but her return at point guard has been a stabilizing factor for the Lady Tigers, who went 2-1 in the district tournament with wins over Waldron and Dardanelle and a loss to Pottsville.
West Fork needs to win one game to earn a trip to the Class 4A State Tournament in Nashville. The Lady Tigers reached the state tournament two years ago when they finished 20-12.
“There’s a lot of good teams in this region for girls basketball,” Selph said. “It’s going to be a great tournament and we’ll take playing in the ( Tiger) Dome any chance we get.”