Perryville punishes Jessieville for third

PERRYVILLE — Averaging 46 points per game this season, the Perryville Lady Mustangs had an offensive explosion against Jessieville in Friday’s 3A-4 district tournament third-place game.

With all five starters scoring in double-figures, the Lady Mustangs (18-10) cruised to a 72-48 win over the Lady Lions (15-13) at Perryville High School. A season-high for Perryville, 72 points is the most the Lady Lions have surrendered all season.

“We just did not play defense today,” Jessieville coach Magen Scrivner said. “We got in a little bit of foul trouble, but that’s not an excuse. We didn’t come ready to play, and we did not set the tempo defensively after the first quarter.”

Jessieville will face the 3A-1 West No. 1 seed in the 3A-1 regional tournament Wednesday night at Two Rivers, needing a win to extend its season and secure a berth in the Class 3A state tournament the following week at Drew Central.

“The first two games of this district tournament, I felt like we could play with anybody,” said Scrivner. “We’re going to face a tough team, but I really feel like if we come to play, it could go either way.”

With senior Makayla Wilson providing a spark with five quick points, the Lady Lions opened the

game on a 7-2 run. Perryville returned the favor with a 7-2 run of its own to tie the score at 9-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Junior forward Jaidyn Fortenberry scored three points from the free throw line as Jessieville held a 14-13 advantage in the second period before the Lady Mustangs found their shooting stroke.

Kyra Hargrove and Grace Walker each connected on 3-pointers and Perryville raced to a 26-19 lead in the final minutes of the first half. The Lady Mustangs buried eight shots from behind the arc in the game, compared to two for the Lady Lions.

“We knew they could shoot, because they did that the last time we played them (a 57-39 loss on Nov. 16),” Scrivner said. “They’re good shooters so I’m not taking anything away from them, but you can fix those things by closing out. It’s the fundamentals of defense that we talk about all the time. We were just out of position all day.”

Consecutive baskets from Wilson and junior forward Cassidy Tucker had the Lady Lions within 26-23 late in the second quarter, but Perryville closed the frame on a 7-0 run for a comfortable 33-23 lead at the half.

The Lady Mustangs kept their foot on the gas to open the third quarter, Hargrove and Allee Southerland with five points each to spark a 12-1 run that stretched Perryville’s lead to 45-24.

“When they went on those big runs, we could kind of feel it slipping away,” said Scrivner. “Our effort just wasn’t there on defense tonight. I don’t think that a team has scored

70 on us all year long, so that’s just disappointing.”

Wilson continued to shine with seven points in the third period, but the Lady Lions never trimmed the gap to less than 16 points as Perryville took a commanding 53-35 lead into the final frame.

Held without a point in the first three quarters, sophomore guard Taryn Anderson buried a 3-pointer and converted on two shots from the free throw line to provide a spark for the Lady Lions in the fourth quarter.

After Jessieville cut the lead to 53-40, the Lady Mustangs fired back with a 9-1 run to put the game away. Southerland and Becka Reynolds each connected on a shot from behind the arc in the last two minutes to set the final margin for Perryville.

Senior Tori Hayes paced the Lady Mustangs with 17 points, while Hargrove scored 11 points and Southerland finished with 10 points.

Wilson led the Lady Lions with 17 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

“She’s been our leader all year,” Scrivner said. “In the postseason, it is really hitting her that she is a senior and I feel like she’s starting to step up in her role. She is leading us the way that a senior is supposed to.”

The Lady Mustangs (18-10) will face the

3A-1 West No. 2 seed in the first round of the

3A-1 regional tournament Thursday at Two Rivers.