Moore, Valley Springs pop Booneville

3A-1 REGION GIRLS

VALLEY SPRINGS 50, BOONEVILLE 43

WEST FORK — Valley Springs girls basketball Coach Ryan Johnson considers the opening round game of a regional tournament the hardest one to win, and a team like Booneville didn’t make the task any easier.

Macy Willis, however, found the right way to ease her coach’s concerns Thursday night.

The sophomore guard had 22 points, including a 12-of-15 outing at the free-throw line, as the Lady Tigers moved on in the Class 3A Region 1 Tournament with a 50-43 decision over the Lady Bearcats inside the Tiger Dome.

“I think if they aren’t the best, then they definitely are one of the top two over there,” Johnson said of Booneville. “Unfortunately, that’s who we drew, but fortunately we came away with a win.

“My little guard was having a really good game, and I was trying to keep her as fresh as I could. I knew their guards can really be physical and get up and guard. They thrive off the turnovers, so we were trying to take care of the ball well.”

Valley Springs ( 28- 11) closed the first half with an 11-2 run, and Moore’s layup before the buzzer sounded gave the Lady Tigers a 28-21 halftime lead. That cushion then grew to a 37-26 margin on Eliza Drewry’s bucket with 2:35 left in third quarter, but Booneville used three-pointers by Leigh Swint and Lexi Franklin and another bucket by Swint to pull within 37-34 early in the fourth quarter.

Moore teamed with Savannah Ketchum, who played with four fouls, to make sure it didn’t get any closer. Those two combined to score Valley Springs’ next 12 points, and Ketchum’s bucket gave the Lady Tigers a 47-39 cushion with 3:20 remaining.

“Savannah getting in foul trouble early kind of hurt us because they crash the glass really hard,” Johnson said. “We were trying to get out and run in transition some more, but when she got in foul trouble I was like ‘we have to go out and get every single rebound before we get out and run.’

“Macy goes out and puts in a lot of work. She’s good for a reason.”

Swint gave Booneville one more chance when she hit back-to-back baskets and pulled her team within 47-43 with 51 seconds remaining, but a bucket by Tayla Trammell and a free throw by Moore sealed the win.

Willis was the only player in double figures for Valley Springs, which plays Cossatot River in today’s 7 p.m. semifinal.

Swint finished with 20 points and Franklin added 10 for Booneville.

FLIPPIN 55, PARIS 49

Ella Alexander and Ally Hodges accounted for 45 of Flippin’s points, and the Lady Bobcats moved on with a victory over Paris in Thursday’s first game.

Hodges’ three- point play with 8.6 seconds before halftime allowed Flippin (23-9) to take a 30-28 lead in a game that featured 12 lead changes over the first 16 minutes. The Lady Bobcats maintained that two-point cushion with a 39-37 lead to start the fourth quarter before they put the game in the final two minutes.

Alexander finished with 29 points and Hodges had 16 for Flippin, which plays defending state champion Bergman for the third time during a 4 p.m. semifinal today.

Annabelle Perry finished with 25 for Paris (18-13), while Jayden Wells added 13.

BOYS VALLEY SPRINGS 100, COSSATOT RIVER 71

Kaden Horn had 13 points during Valley Springs’ offensive eruption in the third quarter, and the Tigers eventually hit the century mark for the first time this season with a rout of Cossatot River.

Valley Springs (23-17), the third seed from the 3A-1 Conference, held a 39-34 halftime lead but blew the game open with its defensive pressure. It led to the Tigers scoring a whopping 36 points and extending their lead to a 75- 55 margin.

Valley Springs continued to score, even when Jarred Osnes emptied the Tigers’ bench. Logan Avery was the player to put Valley Springs at the century mark when he scored inside with 48 seconds remaining.

Maddax Johnson had 26 points to lead four Tigers in double figures, followed by Horn with 25, Nate Helams with 17 and Dason Hensley with 13.

Hunter Burke led Cossatot River (1716) with 25 points, while Kody Bailey added 22 and Henry Evans 10.

CHARLESTON 54, WEST FORK 45

Brandon Scott hit five three-pointers and finished with 28 points to lead Charleston past West Fork in the late boys semifinal.

Charleston (13-5) established a 31-24 halftime lead and was able to extend that to 44-34 in the third quarter as Scott scored 11 of his points. West Fork (2010) opened the fourth quarter with six straight points and pulled within 44-40 but couldn’t get any closer.

Reese Merechka added 12 points for Charleston, which will play Booneville in an 8:30 p.m. semifinal today.

Timother Howerton led West Fork with 12 points, while Camden Callahan added 10.