Lady Panthers nab 2 All-state bids
BENTON -- The Benton Lady Panthers played to a 16-11 finish under Head Coach Jerry Chumley in 2023-24, earning the No. 2 seed in the state playoffs.
With the season complete, a number of Lady Panthers are taking in the recognition for their showings on the court.
Two Benton athletes were named All-state, while two others earned All-conference and another earning All-state Tournament Team recognition as well.
Earning All-state honors were:
Mccartney Asher, junior 5-feet, 10-inch guard.
“Mccartney had some really good games for us, playing out on the perimeter,” Chumley said. “Her three-point shooting improved this year,and she made a bunch of athletic plays for us. We’re hoping for a more consistent senior year from her in 202425.”
Kale Elrod, sophomore 5-feet, 8-inch guard.
“Kale quickly became a player we could count on for points, assists and steals,” Chumley said. “We’re hoping what we saw out of her this year is something she’ll build on. Her basketball savvy grew with each month she played.”
Earning All-state Tournament Team includes:
Ashley Wallace, senior 5-feet, 9-inch post.
“Ashley proved to be a player we just could not take out of a game,” Chumley added. “She was definitely our ‘glue’ player, doing all the little things really well. Very intelligent player who played many roles for us. Not a great scorer, but everything we did worked better when she was in the game.”
Earning Allconference includes:
Brynn Barbaree, senior 5-feet, 8-inch forward.
“Brynn is a worker,” Chumley said. “Never took a play off and was like that in practice too. A coach’s dream as far as effort goes and that allowed her to improve all of her numbers this year. She drew most of the tough defensive assignments all year and did a great job for the Panthers.”
Lexi Duck, junior 6-feet, 2-inch guard.
“Lexi is super skilled and a great shooter,” Chumley added. “She had a few really good games for us and the sky’s the limit for her. When she gets stronger she will be a force for our team in 2024-25.”