East girls rally past West stars
CONWAY — A blistering start by the West wasn’t enough to make up for a sluggish finish in Thursday’s Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star girls basketball game at Farris Center.
Trailing by as much as 16 in the second quarter, the East outscored the West 51-29 over the final three quarters to win 68-58, the East’s sixth straight in the series.
“These girls have a lot of character and they showed that tonight,” said Pocahontas coach Harlan Davis, serving as head coach for the East. “They never put their heads down, and we just kept telling them to chip away and chip away. We knew we’d have an opportunity late and they went to work.”
Rose Bud’s Carissa Caples opened the first quarter with a three-pointer for the East before the West seized control. El Dorado’s MeKaylan Hicks scored seven points in a 13-0 run as the West led
15-6 at the period’s end. Shooting woes continued for the East in the second quarter, leading to a comfortable lead for the West. Jessieville’s Kellie Lampo and Ashlynn Taylor of Valley Springs each notched four points as the West extended its lead to
29-17.
As both teams struggled to find a rhythm, Izard County’s Kennedy Cooper dominated the third quarter with eight points and the East
pulled within 34-28. Finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals, Cooper was named the East outstanding player of the game.
“Kennedy did a lot for us offensively tonight,” said Davis. “She was knocking down outside shots, she was getting to the rim and she was hitting her free-throws.”
Connecting on just two of 10 field-goal attempts, the West watched its once big lead dwindle in the fourth quarter. Caples matched the West singlehandedly with seven points and the score was tied at 41 entering the fifth and final period.
“Give them all the credit; they made their shots down the stretch and we didn’t,” said Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer, serving as West head coach. “I thought our defense played well late; we just couldn’t find a way to get points on the board.”
Two foul shots by Murfreesboro’s Arianna Looper gave the East its first lead since the first quarter, and the West never recovered. The East converted on seven of 10 free throws down the stretch to preserve the lead.
Fayetteville’s Maya Mayberry had eight points and three rebounds to earn the West outstanding player award. Finishing with a game-high 17 points, including five shots from behind the arc, Caples earned MVP honors.
Lampo had four points, four rebounds and one block in 15 minutes. KeKe Hunter of Hot Springs had one point, four rebounds, one block and one steal in 12 minutes for the West.