Senior duo points Atkins toward Hot Springs

ATKINS 56, CHARLESTON 37

OSCEOLA — For an Atkins team overrun with underclassmen, it was a pair of seniors who stood out Saturday afternoon in the Class 3A girls semifinals.

Ale Handie and Mary Brown combined for 29 points and 17 rebounds to guide the Lady Red Devils to next week’s state title game with a 56-37 victory over Charleston at Seminole Arena.

“All heart,” Atkins Coach Wesley Kuhn said. “Those girls show it out there on the floor, and they never give up. We may take a couple of punches in the mouth, and we took some today from a very good Charleston team.

“But we threw the biggest one, and I couldn’t be any more prouder of these girls than I am right now.”

It has been 24 years between state tournament appearances for the Lady Red Devils, but Atkins has looked nothing like an outsider during an impressive three-game run. The Lady Red Devils outlasted two higher-seeded teams in Valley Springs and Fouke in the first and quarterfinal rounds before slaying the defending state champions.

Atkins (27-6) led for 30 of the game’s 32 minutes and had a response for every Charleston run. The Lady Red Devils shot 17 of 37 (45.9 percent), held a 36-26 edge on the boards and forced 18 turnovers. Atkins also benefited from a rare poor shooting performance from the Lady Tigers.

Handie, a 6-foot center whom Kuhn noted has been quiet as of late, finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks, while Brown tacked on 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals for Atkins, which led 23-22 at halftime but closed out the third quarter on a 15-2 run to build a 40-27 lead. Sophomore forward Ashton Dillard scored nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Allie Green had a team-high 15 points, and junior forward Payton Rucker added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Charleston (29-3), which suffered through a dismal night from the field. The Lady Tigers relied on outside shots and were just 12-of-49 shooting (24.4 percent) overall, including 6 of 37 (16.2 percent) on three-pointers.

Atkins also held guard Baylee King to just five points one day after the junior scored 29 in a 60-42 victory over Hoxie. She didn’t get her first points until 7:09 remained in the fourth quarter.

Still, the game was up for grabs early in the third until a free throw from Dillard started Atkins’ deciding push. Handie scored eight points during the spurt as the Lady Red Devils snapped a 25-25 tie by scoring 15 of the last 17 points of the period.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 67, TRUMANN 30

Kaley Shipman’s birthday gift to herself was a virtuoso performance that got Mountain View back in the Class 3A state title game.

Shipman had 26 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists as the Lady Yellowjackets waltzed to a mercy-rule victory. Mountain View lost in last year’s final to Charleston.

Mountain View (28-5), which had six players score at least five points, led from the start and completely broke free of the Wildcats at the 2:29 mark of the second quarter when Shipman’s three-pointer sparked a 14-2 run that gave the Lady Yellowjackets a 42-22 lead at halftime.

Shipman resumed her hot play with 3 three-pointers in the third quarter, including two in a row that expanded Mountain View’s advantage to 52-26. Another Shipman jumper to start the fourth quarter led to a running clock.

Senior guard Mallory Hartley had 12 points for Trumann (25-8), which shot 1 of 21 in the second half and 9 of 47 (19 percent) for the game. Mountain View finished 28 of 41 (68.2 percent).