Quitman secures regional championship

QUITMAN 71, JOHNSON COUNTY WESTSIDE 50

MAGAZINE — The defending 2A state champion Quitman Lady Bulldogs will head back into the state tournament with a little extra momentum.

Quitman jumped out to a big lead early then put the game out of reach with a hot shooting third quarter in a 7150 victory Saturday against Johnson County Westside in the 2A West/Central regional championship.

“We are going to take it one game at a time,” Quitman coach Timothy Hooten said. “We know every team going into state is a great team. This means we get a first-round bye. But it will be a dog fight.”

Lucy Holland scored a team-high 20 points to lead a balanced Quitman offense. Nicki Hooten added 14, and Aspen Johnson chipped in 13 for the Lady Bulldogs.

Westside’s Kelsey Criss paced the Lady Rebels with a game-high 22 points.

Quitman (33-3) was able to jump out to a 21-13 advantage after the initial quarter with the help of four 3-point baskets. A lay-up at the buzzer from Josey Bradley gave Quitman a 32-28 lead heading into the break.

Westside (26-7) was able to get the opening basket of the second half, but Quitman was quick to control the quarter after that making its initial four shots after halftime.

“We made that first basket and I thought, ‘here we go,’” Busch said. “But then they made shots and it didn’t seem like they missed many after that.”

The efficient offense from Quitman helped push its lead out to 49-30 early in the third quarter and didn’t look back after that.

“I thought we came out of halftime on fire,” Hooten said. “These girls are in great shape. My championship cross country team is apart of this group. There is no quit in these girls.”

Westside was held to just six of 16 shooting from the field in the third quarter, while Quitman was able to make seven of its 15 shots in the key quarter.

“I thought we played really well,” Hooten said. “We had some miscues. But overall, we played well and I think the score showed it.”

Quitman held a 56-41 lead heading into the final quarter and extended it out to 63-43 with a 5-0 run early in the period.

“They came out shooting lights out,” Westside coach Karra Busch said. “They are a very deep team. They stunned us from the beginning with their shooting.”

In the third place game, Bigelow used a 22-point final quarter to help put away Hackett 55-51.

Westside .......... 13 15 13 9— 50 Quitman ........... 21 17 18 15 — 71 Westside (26-7): Criss 22, Shelton 8, Brasel 7, Cummins 7, Hays 6.

Quitman (33-3): Holland 20, Hooten 14, Johnson 13, Au. Johnson 7, R. Hooten 5, Henry 4, Bradley 4, Rackley 2, Stephens 2.

BOYS

WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL 56, QUITMAN 42

Quitman didn’t get off to a hot start on offense, and White County Central made the most of its opportunities early to build a lead it would never give back at Diamondback Arena.

Ethan Jones scored a game-high 17 points for Central to lead the way. Jonathan Rolett added 15, while Garret Finley finished with 14 for the Bears.

Quitman’s Zac Shue and Hunter McClung each scored 11 points to help lead the Bulldogs.

Central, a four seed entering the regional, was able to take a 14-1 lead early and didn’t let up after that in the 2A West/Central regional championship.

“We’ve played Quitman three times this season,” Central coach Ryan Koerdt said. “It’s hard to beat a good team three times in one season. But I think we are a tough matchup for them on defense. Quitman has a lot of heart.”

Quitman (25-12) finished the first quarter making just one of its eight shots from the floor with six turnovers as well. That allowed Central to take a 16-7 lead heading into the second quarter.

Central (31-6) used a 7-0 run early in the second quarter to extend its advantage out to 23-9. Quitman was able to bounce back with an 8-0 run of its own to make it a 2317 Central lead.

But Central was able to take a 45-32 advantage heading into the fourth quarter with the help of scoring the final six points of the third quarter including technical foul free throws.

“I was proud of our guys keeping with it,” Koerdt said. “We knew they’d make a run. They are a really good team. They’ve beaten some good teams this season.”

A quick 5-0 run gave Central a 56-39 advantage late in the fourth quarter to help put the game well out of reach.

“We are playing well at the right time,” Koerdt said. “We didn’t play well last week. But we bounced back this week. I’m proud of these guys. We are looking forward to hosting the state tournament next week.”

In the third place game, Jacksonville Lighthouse was limited to nine third-quarter points, which allowed England to pull away with a 6359 victory.

White County Central .. 16 10 19 11 — 56 Quitman ...................7 11 14 10 — 42 White County Central (31-6): Jones 17, Rolett 15, Finley 14, Carder 5, Jackson 4, Myers 1.

Quitman (25-12): McClung 11, Shue 11, Clemmons 6, Benton 6, Heffentrager 5, Welch 2, Hartwick 1.