Blair powers Marshall over BIC

MARSHALL 84, BUFFALO ISLAND CENTRAL 71

MANSFIELD — On the big stage of the state tournament, Marshall junior Audrey Blair continued her success in a milestone win for the Lady Bobcats.

Blair finished with a game-high 27 points and 16 rebounds to go with 7 assists in No. 3 seed Marshall’s 84-71 upset victory against No. 2 seed Buffalo Island Central on Thursday at the Class 2A girls state tournament.

“That’s pretty common for her,” Marshall first-year Coach JoJo Tibben said of Blair’s impact. “She gets a double-double just about every game for us. We harp on being strong, being an undersized-team, and she does that down low. I’m so proud of her. She is a keeper.”

The win was Marshall’s first in a state tournament game since it won the state title in 2008, which was also the Lady Bobcats’ most recent appearance.

“It’s a huge thing for the school because our boys have the wins, so it’s nice for the girls to win, too,” Blair said. “We are such a close group all in all. Now with a little bit of momentum, we want to see how far we can go now.”

Marshall (22-12) was down 16-11 before using a 9-2 run to close out the first quarter with a 20-18 advantage. That surge continued into the second quarter, where Marshall outscored the Mustangs 2610 for a 46-28 lead to take control.

Buffalo Island Central had the lead down to 60-47 entering the fourth quarter. But Marshall led by as many as 19 points after making 14 of 15 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter.

Marshall received plenty of contributions outside of Blair. Izzie Harness finished with 19 points, Makaela Blair had 16 and Miley Harris 10.

“This group is very special,” Tibben said. “This group has had to work through some adversity with different coaches each year. This was a complete team effort. They are a family, so it’s a big deal for us.”

Buffalo Island Central (17-18) was led by freshman Chandler Gathright’s 19 points. Arabella Oliver added 15 points and Hallee Wells had 14.

IZARD COUNTY 77, EARLE 55

Quinn Johnson finished with 30 points, while Olivia Spray added 26 points as the Lady Cougars their first state tournament win at the Class 2A level.

Izard County has won seven of nine games with losses.

Earle (20-13) was guided by 17 points from Journey Jefferson and 16 points from Jada Maples.

RIVERSIDE 45, MOUNTAINBURG 30

The Lady Rebels advanced to the semifinals behind four players scoring nine or more points. Ryley Eakins and Ali Towles each finished with 10, while Amber Courtney and Gracie Washington both had nine.

Riverside (30-6) broke up a close game with a strong fourth quarter. The Lady Rebels’ lead was 29-24 after three quarters.

Mountainburg (25-6) was led by 10 points from freshman Elliot Owens.