Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Central’s floater sinks Fayetteville
LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 42, FAYETTEVILLE 40
NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock Central was the first in-state team to beat Fayetteville’s girls this season and will also be the last.
Erynn Barnum went through Fayetteville’s defense and running jumper in traffic with 4.4 seconds remaining as the Lady Tigers ended the defending Class 7A state champions’ season with a 42-40 victory during the Class 7A State Tournament quarterfinals Thursday in Charging Wildcats Arena.
“The play went as planned because we put it in Number 4’s hands,” Central coach Michael B. Green said. “After that, the improvising went on her part.
“The little ninth-grader (Eylse Smith) did what I asked her to do. She hit the gap and made two girls come up, then she got it to E. She had the opportunity to read the defense, then she got in the middle of that zone and hit the floater.”
It was sweet redemption for Barnum, who had earlier missed a layup that could have given Central (18-9) a four-point lead after Fayetteville freshman Coriah Beck hit two free throws to make it a 40-38 game with 37.4 seconds left. Audra Unruh, whose earlier three-point play had pulled Fayetteville (24-4) into a 34-34 tie, was fouled and hit both free throws to force another tie with 31.8 seconds left.
That’s when Central decided to hold for one shot. Barnum took the ball in front of the Lady Tigers’ bench, then drove through the lane and hit the jumper from the right side of the bucket.
“She’s such a great player, and I thought we contested it well,” Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer said. “She made a tough shot. She caught the ball in the middle of the lane, and Jasmine Franklin was there. We had doubled over, and she shot over both of them.
“There’s not a lot you can do against a kid as talented as Erynn is. If I’m coaching that group, that’s who I want having the ball. Mike did a good job of getting her the ball, and she made the play. That’s why they won.”
Fayetteville, which dropped a 55-43 decision to Little Rock Central during the Bulldog Classic in December, used its final timeout to draw up a possible play, but Barnum intercepted the long pass near midcourt and was fouled with 1 second left. She intentionally missed the free throw, and Fayetteville’s last-second heave was well short of the mark.
Barnum finished with 20 points for Central, which plays in Saturday’s early semifinal against North Little Rock, while Lauren Pendleton added 14. Sasha Goforth and Franklin each had 12 points for Fayetteville.
LR Central .......13 15 4 10 — 42 Fayetteville ...... 13 8 8 11 — 40
LR Central (18-9): Barnum 20, Pendleton 14, Hall 6, Smith 2.
Fayetteville (24-4): Goforth 12, Franklin 12, Beck 8, Unruh 7, Bobbitt 1.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK 62, SPRINGDALE HIGH 46
Amber Hawkinson had 22 points as host North Little Rock took control early and went on to eliminate Springdale.
De’Myla Brown added 15 and Yo’Myris Morris 10 for the Lady Charging Wildcats (24-4), who led 3222 at halftime and never allowed the Lady Bulldogs (19-10) to get any closer than nine points throughout the second half. Marquesha Davis finished with 22 points — 11 in the fourth quarter — and was the only Springdale player in double figures.
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 56, ROGERS HIGH 37
Northside jumped out to an early 14-3 lead and remained in control as the Lady Bears closed out first-round play with a win over Rogers.
Sara Bershers had 16 points and was the only player in double figures for Northside (25-3), which advanced to a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game today against Bentonville. Ally Figenskau led Rogers (12-15) with 15 points.