Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Kemp, Cates able to score in bunches
Gravette experienced firsthand last week why Pea Ridge coach Heath Neal calls Bella Cates one of the most dangerous shooters in the state.
Cates made seven 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to lead the Lady Blackhawks to a 60-31 victory over Gravette. For her effort, Cates in the Northwest Arkansas DemocratGazette girls Player of the Week. Bradlee Kemp of Lamar is the boys Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week.
Cates connected on six of her seven 3-pointers in the second half for Pea Ridge, which led 34-12 at halftime and 47-22 after three quarters over the Lady Lions. Her hot hand has been a factor in the recent surge for Pea Ridge (15-9, 6-3), which has won four consecutive to move into fourth place in the overall standings in the 4A-1 Conference.
“Bella has really came on as of late, like we all knew she can,” Pea Ridge girls coach Heath Neal said. “She has really formed into a complete player, playing off her teammates, facilitating, then making the defense wrong when they give her space. I believe when she gets going, she is one of the more dangerous shooters in the state.”
Kemp is the ringleader for a Lamar team that currently enjoys a five-game winning streak after dropping five of six to start the season. Kemp had 21 points and 9 rebounds to lead Lamar ( 14- 8, 10- 2) to a 42- 27 rout over Jessieville. That performance followed wins the previous week over Mayflower and Two Rivers, where Kemp totaled 53 points in two games.
The senior guard is a threeyear starter for a team that won 21 games and reached the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament last season. So, it’s not surprising the Warriors have turned to Kemp, who averages 19.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and recently surpassed 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for his varsity career.
“We lost about 42 points a game to graduation last year,” Lamar coach Brett Sampley said. “We knew Bradlee had to step up for us to be successful this season and he has done just that. He has really come on lately. Not only has he stepped up on the offensive end, but he is our best defender.”