Mountain Home’s Moore battles fatigue in win

5A-WEST GIRLS

MOUNTAIN HOME 44,

VAN BUREN 39

VAN BUREN — Mountain Home sophomore guard Laykin Moore was feeling the effects of playing four games in the past seven days Friday night. But it didn’t show with her initial offensive success at Clair Bates Arena.

Moore scored nine of the team’s 16 first-quarter points, including seven consecutive in one stretch. That outburst helped build a big early advantage and Mountain Home held on late for a 44-39 victory against Van Buren.

“Every time I make my first shot, it just feels like it is a guarantee I’ll have over 10 points,” Moore said with a smile. “We’ve played four games in seven days and our shots weren’t falling like we wanted them to later in the game. But the best thing about this team is we can overcome it. We made the most of our energy early.”

Moore finished with a game- high 13 points while Amelia Rucker added 11 points for the Lady Bombers (15-11, 6-4). Van Buren (12-13, 4-6) was guided by Aspen Cone finishing with a team-high 10 points off the bench.

Mountain Home, now on a three-game winning streak, entering the game held just a one-game lead over Van Buren in the league standings for fourth place, which is the last spot to make the playoffs. The Lady Bombers now have a little more breathing room after the key win.

“As coaches, we knew the math and with this one it’s really like winning two games,” Mountain Home coach Dell Leonard said. “It was tough. None of our games have been easy in the last seven days. I was just hoping for a onepoint lead at the end of this one. These girls have a lot of character.”

The Lady Bombers jumped out to a 16-0 edge early in the game with the help of their press defense. Van Buren missed six shots and turned the ball over seven times before finding the scoreboard. Mountain Home held a 16-4 lead after the initial quarter.

Moore scored seven consecutive points for Mountain Home to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. She capped it with a 3-point basket.

“She provides offense and is a mismatch,” Leonard said of Moore. “When they put a post player on them, we can flatten them out and let her attack. But if they put a guard on her, we just go to the post with her.”

The offensive pace for Mountain Home slowed down after the initial burst. Mountain Home held a 25-15 lead entering halftime and a 39-29 edge after three quarters of play.

The Lady Pointers, who have now lost three in a row, finally found their groove in the final quarter. They used a 10-3 scoring stretch to make it just a 42-39 Mountain Home lead with 42 seconds left in the game. The run was capped by a pair of free throws from Carter Myers, who had a team-high six points in the final quarter.