Bauxite downs Heber on road for 4th straight

HEBER SPRINGS – Playing in a makeup game Thursday due to icy conditions during their regularly schedule 5-4A Conference game, the Bauxite Lady Miners pulled off a big road upset, downing the Heber Springs Lady Panthers 57-51 to wrap the regular season. The Lady Miners avenged a 51-46 loss to the Lady Panthers on Dec. 16 and take a four-game win streak into the 4A East Regional in Clinton beginning on Wednesday.

Bauxite (21-8, 8-4) clinched the third seed before Thursday’s win over the No. 2 Lady Panthers (22-4, 9-3) in league play, with the Lady Miners taking on the 4-3A No. 2 seed Brookland Bearcats (21-8, 13-3) in the regional this coming Thursday at 4 p.m.

This past Thursday, it was a very close game throughout, with the Lady Miners leading 11-9 after one quarter and taking a 23-22 advantage at intermission.

“Big road win and way to close out regular season,” said Bauxite second-year Coach Greg Chenault, who has led Bauxite to its second straight 20-win season. “Real pleased with the effort. From the tip our girls were lockedin with no intentions of losing. They played hard and left it all on the floor.”

The Lady Miners got hot in the third quarter. Freshman Kennedy Ballard hit two 3-pointers and scored eight points, and senior Gracie Hill hit another two threes for 19 Bauxite points in the third, holding Heber to 13 and putting the Lady

Miners ahead 42-35 going into the fourth.

Bauxite would hold Heber at bay in the final frame, hitting 7 of 10 free throws in the quarter, with seniors Gracie Mcdade (six points) and Abby Beene (5 of 6 from line) leading the way.

Ballard led the Lady Miners with 16 points, hitting three 3-pointers. It was Ballard’s fifth straight game of scoring in double digits.

“Ballard had her best game,” Chenault said.

Hill followed with 11 points, including those two big threes in the third, with Beene scoring 10.

“Abby was face-guarded and made most of clutch free throws down the stretch,” Chenault said. “Hill played well making two dagger threes.”

Mcdade followed with

ALEXIS MCDADE/ Special to The Saline Courier Bauxite junior Stephanie Rico, 12, takes a shot in a 57-51 win over Heber Springs on the road Thursday to finish the regular season. The Lady Miners take the league No. 3 seed into the 4A East Regional next week.