Restructured Lady Tigers Lineup Plays For State Title

PRAIRIE GROVE GRADUATED FOUR, LOST TWO OTHERS

PRAIRIE GROVE — Prairie Grove went 29-5 in girls basketball, winning the 4A-1 Conference title with a 14-0 season mark, district tournament, North Regional, and finished as state runner-up.

The Lady Tigers were represented on the All-Tournament team by Justyne Huber and Lacey Beeks, both of whom scored in double figures in the state final, 33-32, loss to Malvern.

The 2013 state finals were held at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock for the first time since 1994 and set a new attendance record with 83,213 fans watching 14 games in three days.

The previous best was 68,102 at North Little Rock in 2004.

The Lady Tigers featured a balanced attack and nearly had four players convert 100 field goals for the season. Huber led with 129 made shots followed by Beeks (115), Kultgen (113), and Fitts with 99.

The Lady Tigers were not as perimeter-oriented as the 2011-12 team but still shot a respectable 33 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Fitts’ 159 attempts represented 43 percent of their total 3-point shots and her 57 made treys were almost half of the team total of 123. By contrast, the 2011-2012 squad launched 501 3-point shots and made 162 for 32 percent with Michelle Lumsargis going 81 for 226 (36 percent).

Huber and fellow senior, Whitnee Fitts, were named All-State.

Huber averaged 14.9 points,

The 6-foot forward capped off her senior season by attaining career highs in free throws made, free throws attempted, rebounds with 329 trips to the free throw line and making 240. From the field, she went 129 of 310.

Huber, Fitts, Beeks, Callie Robinson and Macie Kultgen were named All-Conference.

Fitts averaged 9.1 points, and made 57 3-point shots. Beeks averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal per contest.

Kultgen averaged 9.9 points. With the absence of a pair of 3-point shooters who did not return to the team after the 2011-2012 season, Kultgen emerged as a secondary 3-point threat to compliment Fitts on the perimeter. Kultgen made 29 trifectas out of 87 attempts on the season shooting a solid 33 percent from long range. Kultgen also averaged 4.8 rebounds and her athletic ability enabled her to get off shots that were hard to defend.

Robinson averaged more rebounds (4.7) than points ( 3.1) and filled the role vacated by the graduated Brooke Barnett by crashing the offensive glass to give Prairie Grove second-chance points. Robinson’s 61 offensive rebounds was second only to Huber’s 99. Robinson made 44 percent of her field goals to lead the team.