Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Williams, Muldrew send teams to finals
NWA DEMOCRAT- GAZETTE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Not many teams can find continued success in postseason play with their best player out, but the Lamar girls are an exception.
Lamar was dealt a blow when all-state guard and leading scorer Kori Sanders tore her anterior cruciate ligament on Feb. 24 during a 42- 26 l o ss to Episcopal Collegiate in a Class 3A regional tournament. But Lamar was able to regroup for the Class 3A state tournament with players like Karley Williams accepting a heavier load.
The senior forward made sure Lamar earned the right to head to Hot Springs and play for a state championship after she scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds in a 4139 win in the state semifinals over Bergman.
For her effort, Williams in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette girls Player of the Week. Courtland Muldrew of Springdale is the NWADG boys Player of the Week.
Players are often judged on how they perform when games, and the season, are on the line and Williams responded by scoring 34 combined points last week in wins over Melbourne, McGehee, and Bergman, which won the state championship last year in Class 3A.
Williams was at her best in the fourth quarter against Bergman when she scored eight points and made pressurepacked free throws while directing an offense that Sanders usually controls.
“That fourth quarter was Karley on offense and everybody on defense,” Lamar coach Brandon Schluterman said. “She wanted the ball and wanted to be strong with it.”
Lamar will play for the Class 3A state championship on Saturday at 6 p.m. against Salem, which beat Glen Rose 63-38 in the other semifinal game.
Muldrew was the ring leader of an early threepoint barrage that Springdale used to take down 6A-West Conference champion Bentonville West 58- 46 in the semifinals of the Class 6A state tournament at Rogers. Muldrew ended the first- quarter flurry with a three-pointer from about 30 that gave Springdale a 23-10 lead over the Wolverines.
He finished with 27 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. He drilled a three-pointer as the shot clock expired in the fourth quarter after West had closed the gap. Muldrew had 17 points and Isaiah Sealy 21 when Springdale beat Little Rock Central in a quarterfinal game.
“Muldrew had a great week of productivity,” Springdale coach Jeremy Price said. “He passed the ball really well in our Conway game. He defended really well in the Little Rock Central game and scored the ball really well in the Bentonville West game. He’s able to affect the game in so many ways, we’re hard to beat on the nights he does all three of those things.”
Springdale will face Jonesboro, a 40-38 winner over Cabot, in the championship game of the Class 6A state tournament at 1:45 p.m. on Friday in Hot Springs.