Lady Wolves make final four past host WM
WEST MEMPHIS — The Lake Hamilton Lady Wolves wasted little time separating themselves from West Memphis Friday night.
The Lady Wolves (19-13) opened the game on an 18-2 run, setting the tone for a convincing 66-44 win over the host Lady Blue Devils
(16-15) in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state tournament at West Memphis High School’s Lehr Arena.
“We just talked about the things we’ve done this season to prepare for these games,” Lake Hamilton coach Blake Condley said. “We feel like we have gone and won at some tough places. Towards the end of the season, we had to go to De Queen and then, in the
(6A-West) conference tournament, we had to go to Benton and Sheridan.
“The girls just kind of built on those performances. We made sure to bring it to their attention that we have gone on the road and had success in other people’s gyms.”
One day after hitting seven first-half 3-pointers in a 66-54 win over Jacksonville, the Lady Wolves continued their hot shooting in the first quarter against West Memphis.
Senior Grace Tedder buried three shots from behind the arc, while junior Jenny Peake added eight points in the paint to give Lake Hamilton a commanding 21-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“I just believe that the girls are finally realizing that they can shoot the ball really well,” said Condley. “Last night (against Jacksonville), we didn’t do the things we needed to do to finish the game like attacking the basket, getting to the line and making our free throws.
“We really talked about it before the game and were able to watch some film to see the things we needed to do, and the girls listened. They have just really been focused on coming here to win basketball games, and I’m just proud of how locked in they’ve been.”
Behind 11 points from sophomore guard Aryah Hazley, the Lady Blue Devils found their rhythm in the second quarter, but the Lady Wolves continued their dynamic offensive performance to maintain
a comfortable advantage.
Senior Taylor Wells knocked down two shots from behind the arc, while Tedder buried another and senior Kit Adderholt added six points inside to give Lake Hamilton a 38-24 lead at the half.
After being outscored 3424 by Jacksonville in the second half on Thursday, the Lady Wolves kept their foot on the gas in the third quarter against the Lady Blue Devils.
Peake led the way with seven points, converting on 5 of 6 attempts from the free throw line, and Lake Hamilton held West Memphis to just seven points in the period, stretching its lead to 55-31 entering the final frame.
“The girls looked at me like I was a little crazy yesterday, but I told them that it was good that Jacksonville made that run and we had to battle some things,” Condley said. “We basically had to just hold on yesterday, but we knew that we can’t keep doing that. We had to continue to attack and do the things that we did well in the first half, and not give them a chance to come back.”
After a quick 3-pointer by Hazley to open the fourth quarter, the Lady Blue Devils never trimmed the gap to less than 22 points down the stretch.
A layup by senior Hannah Walker gave Lake Hamilton a
66-36 lead with less than four minutes to play, enacting the mercy rule and running clock.
One of four Lady Wolves in double figures, Peake paced Lake Hamilton with 17 points. Tedder finished with 16 points, while Walker and Wells each had 11 points.
Hazley led all scorers with 20 points for the Lady Blue Devils.
Advancing to the Class 6A semifinals for the second year in a row, Lake Hamilton played Greenwood (21-9) Saturday night with a berth in next week’s state championship at Bank of the Ozarks Arena on the line.
“I feel like we’re playing our best basketball here in the state tournament, and that’s what you want,” said Condley. “Even after a game like this, we were already talking about how we can be better. We’re just trying to keep that mindset about continuing to work and get better, because we’d really like to be playing back in Hot Springs next weekend.”