BANK ON IT
Lady Trojans advance to 5A state finals
MAUMELLE — Hot Springs used a big third quarter to take control of the game and defeat Little Rock Parkview, 67-53, to advance to the Class
5A state finals at Bank of the Ozarks Arena this weekend.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Hot Springs head coach Josh Smith. “I don’t know how to describe it. Just being with that group, those 10th-graders when I took over three years ago, and being with them these three years, we feel like we can play close and guard and do those things. It’s just an unbelievable feeling just to get this opportunity and go to work and see if we can bring it home.”
The two teams held it close for the first three minutes, knotting the score twice for a 37-37 tie with 5:31 in the third.
The Lady Trojans (30-3) then closed out the period on a 9-0 run to cruise to a 45-37 lead entering the fourth frame.
The two teams continued to trade buckets in the fourth quarter, but Hot Springs was able to pull to a 50-39 lead with 1:57 off the clock.
Parkview (20-10) pulled within 53-43 with 3:00 remaining, pulling within nine twice for a 57-48 deficit with 2:05 to go.
The Lady Trojans held on to close out the game with a 10-5 run to secure the win.
Hot Springs struggled early against Parkview, allowing the Lady Pirates to take the lead twice before finding a rhythm. The Lady Trojans got out to a 9-5 lead before Parkview again rallied to draw the score at
10-10 with 3:45 remaining.
They pulled ahead by one at the 2:05 mark, but the Lady Pirates again knotted the score with 1:19 to go in the first period. The Lady Trojans ended the period on a 5-3 run to take a 21-19 edge into the second.
Hot Springs opened the second quarter on a 5-3 run to go up 26-22 with 1:46 off the clock in the period.
Parkview recovered on a 6-2 run to knot the score at 28-28 with 4:06 to go, and the teams traded shots throughout the remainder of the half, Imani Honey sinking a layup with 8 seconds remaining to leave the score tied 33-33 at the break.
“(Kania) Lasker had a great first half,” Smith said. “I told them that
we’ve got to contain her. We’ve got to find a way to slow her down. She makes them go. The other two guards play well, but she gets everybody else going with her. If we could contain her going down the stretch, I thought we were going to be OK.
“I thought in the first half, we weren’t rebounding very well. If we rebound, we can get the ball in Imani’s hands, and we can do what we want to do. When we controlled the boards in the second half, we got to be us and make some plays.”
Honey paced Hot Springs with
26 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Ariana Guinn added 19 with four rebounds and two assists. Nya Moody finished with a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Lasker led all scorers with 27 points and five rebounds, and Mikayla Alexander added 10 with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Hot Springs pulled down
38 rebounds compared to 19 by Parkview.
“They were settled on Thursday, and tonight the nerves were a little more worked up,” Smith said. “We made just enough. They missed more than this group normally does. I know with them, when they step up to the free throw line, those two I’ve got confidence.
“We go back out there, and we’re down one and you give Imani two free throws and Ariana two free throws, we’re fixing to win that game. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’ve got that much faith in them.”
The Lady Trojans shot 43 percent from the field, hitting 19 of 44, 43 percent, from inside the arc while sinking 3 of 6 from distance. The Lady Patriots struggled to get shots to fall, hitting just 26 percent from inside the arc, 9 of 34, while hitting 7 of 26, 26 percent, from distance.
Hot Springs will face Watson Chapel (28-4) in the finals this weekend. The schedule for the finals will be released by the Arkansas Activities Association following a meeting this afternoon.