Tiger Teams Mark Senior Night

PRAIRIE GROVE — The Prairie Grove Tigers honored senior members of the basketball teams, choir, cheerleaders, dance team and band on Feb. 5, in their final home game of the season.

The night was made more special because the Lady Tigers earned their fourth consecutive conference title with a 55- 41 win over the Berryville Bobcats. However, the night ended on a sour note after the Tiger boys fell 59-48 in the nightcap.

Senior Justyne Huber, who’s played a part in all four consecutive conference titles, as well as being the last remaining remnant from the state championship team of 2010, fought back tears when describing what it was like to play on her home-court for the final time.

“I’m really emotional right now, because I’m so close to everyone. I have a special bond with Whitnee [Fitts] and Cecilia [Martinez] because we’ve played together since the seventh grade, and I’m also going to really miss the coaches because they are like family to us.”

GIRLS-PRAIRIE GROVE 55, BERRYVILLE 41

The Lady Tigers trailed the Bobcats by 7 points midway through the third period, but then staged an 18-0 run that spanned over nine minutes between the third and fourth frames.

With the Bobcats holding a 37-30 advantage, the Tigers picked up their defensive intensity, which created 5 Berryville turnovers and helped fuel Prairie Grove’s big offensive explosion highlighted by Lacey Beeks’ 7 points in the period.

Huber kicked off the big scoring run with an “old fashioned” 3-point play and Macie Kultgen, who led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points, broke a 37-37 tie with a baseline trifecta just before the buzzer sounded for the end of the third period. Kultgen capped off the 18-0 run when she tickled the bottom of the net at the 3:47 mark of the fourth stanza, giving the Tigers a 48-37 lead. Whitnee Fitts scored 5 points in the last frame, helping the Tigers build their 55-41 final margin of victory.

“We tried to pressure them a little and that created turnovers,” said Tigers’ coach Kevin Froud. “Then on offense we started to make the extra pass and started to hit some which got us our lead.”

On offense, Huber and Beeks followed Kultgen in the ledger with 14 points each. Fitts joined the trio in double-digits with 10 points and Abby Smith rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

PRAIRIE GROVE 55, BERRYVILLE 41

Berryville 13 12 12 4 — 41

Prairie Grove 9 14 17 15 — 55

Prairie Grove (20-4, 13-0): Whitnee Fitts 4-9 0-0 10, Justyne Huber 3-8 7-10 14, Lacey Beeks 5-9 3-3 14, Abby Smith 1-1 0-0 2, Macie Kultgen 6-9 0-0 15, Cecilia Martinez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-37 10-13 55.

Berryville (15-10, 5-8): Britni Smith 14, Sara Johnson 12, Hannah Needham 9.

3-point goals: Berryville 5 (Needham 3, Smith 2), Prairie Grove 7-17 (Kultgren 3-4, Fitts 2-6, Beeks 1-3, Huber 1-3, Martinez 0-1). Rebounds - Prairie Grove 20 (Huber 7), Assists Prairie Grove 12 (Fitts 4, Huber 4), Turnovers - Prairie Grove 15.

BOYS - BERRYVILLE 59, PRAIRIE GROVE 48

In the senior boys contest, Prairie Grove held a 3 point lead over Berryville at halftime and the teams were deadlocked at 34-34 after three periods. Yet, the Tigers were outscored 25 to 14 in the final frame, leading to their 59-48 defeat.

Ty Tice tied the contest at 34 with a 3-ball at the 1:58 mark of the third period, but, Berryville scored the first 5 points of the fourth frame, giving them a 39-34 advantage. Cooper Winters, who led the Tigers in scoring, responded with 2 consecutive buckets, closing the gap to 1 point, at 39-38, but that would be as close as the Tigers would get and when the buzzer sounded they were on the short end of the 59-48 final score.

Offensively, Tice joined Winters in double figures with 14 points, J. D. Speed and Jacob Storlie tallied 8 points apiece and Landon Allen added 2 points.

BERRYVILLE 59, PRAIRIE GROVE 48

Berryville 10 10 14 25 — 59

Prairie Grove 11 12 11 14 — 48

Berryville (14-11, 5-8): Austin Carr 19, Austin Lehr 12, Matt Manley 11, Donnie Hoppe 2.

Prairie Grove (5-15, 3-9): Cooper Winters 16, Ty Tice 14, Jacob Storlie 8, J.D. Speed 8, Landon Allen 2.