Benton holds off Paragould, advances to 5A state final
Benton powered past Paragould with a few tricks up its sleeve, but the Lady Rams put up a good fight in the third set to make the Lady Panthers earn the win at Bank OZK Arena and a trip to the Class 5A championship.
“This is my first year as head coach, and we knew we had a good group coming back,” Benton head coach Michelle Shoppach said. “When I got the position, she knew she was leaving me with a pot of gold. And I’m glad we were actually able to bring the pot of gold and make a rainbow out of it.”
Sophomore Abby Hardister set up the tone for the match as she sent four over from the backline to give the Lady Panthers a 5-2 edge. The Lady Rams trailed their opponent, unable to catch up due to offensive and defensive mistakes on their side of the court, and sophomore Bissette Childress broadened the gap even further after breaking service for a 19-11 lead. The teams traded service until junior Hannah Brewer put up four, and a defensive error awarded Benton the first set, 25-14.
The Lady Rams trailed 7-3, powerless to rebound defensively, as a block by senior Riley Hathcote, an ace, and an error moved Benton out to 10-4. Paragould broke service, but it was unable to rally behind senior Bella Deatherage as a kill shot went out of bounds. Junior Katie Strickland added three additional service points, including an ace, for a 14-5 score.
Mistakes plagued Paragould as the Lady Rams fell behind 21-10 with senior Panther Lydia Buchanan setting up her teammates, and they exchanged serves until a misaimed kill gave the Lady Panthers a 25-17 win of the second.
Paragould came back from the break with more energy, taking its first lead of the game. Two kills and a defensive error broke a starting tie, giving them a 4-2 advantage. Benton was never far behind, not letting Paragould out of their reach. Senior Taylor Beasley, standing 6-1, rallied at the net, blocking and sending over kills that Benton could not return.
With an 11-9 Paragould lead, a couple errors knotted the score once again. The Lady Rams inched ahead as a mistake and an overpowered kill steered them to the lead once again. The match was point-for-point until a hit into the net put the Lady Panthers in front, 20-19. Errors and an ace allowed Benton to reach to match point, and a kill by senior Katie Morrison earned the 25-21 win.
“I’m tickled to death at how they played today,” Shoppach said. “Win 25-14, then Paragould comes back close, 25-17, and then they would not go away. I’m glad. They stayed with us point-for-point in that third set. I’m tickled to death that the kids were able to find enough within themselves to push through to win it. They did a very good job of switching things around during the course of play — things that we’ve practiced, but we haven’t had to use very much in matches. I thought they did a very good job of doing that.”
Benton faces Jonesboro at 11 a.m. Saturday at Bank OZK Arena.