Notching A State Berth

SPORTS EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an on-going series highlighting top sports stories for the 2010-19 decade at Prairie Grove High School and its alumni.

FARMINGTON — The Prairie Grove Lady Tigers earned a spot in the 4A North Regional Tournament semifinals after a 56-44 victory over the Clarksville Panthers on Feb. 24, 2010, at Farmington’s Myrl Massie Gymnasium.

The win proved important for Prairie Grove (28-1), with the firstround victory ensuring a spot in the state tourney.

This tournament allowed spectators from outside the Northwest Arkansas region to get a glimpse of the future of Lady Tigers basketball in the form of 6-foot freshman forward/guard Justyne Huber.

Huber led the Lady Tigers in scoring with 14 points against Clarksville in the first round and shared top honors with Elysia Clement in the Lady Tigers’ ledger with 17 points against West Fork.

Huber’s seven points in the second period against the Panthers helped stake the Lady Tigers to a 32-23 halftime lead, and her hook shot with 2: 38 left in the third frame ballooned that advantage to 15 points, 46-31.

Clarksville closed the quarter with a 7-2 run, closing the gap to 10 points, 48-38 going into the final period.

Prairie Grove converted six free throws in the final stanza and added a Kendra Coyle basket, which allowed the Lady Tigers to outscore Clarksville 8-6 in the period, giving them the 56-44 opening round win.

“We didn’t finish some plays and I thought we played a little tense, but like I’ve said, this is the game you want to get out of the way, because a win puts you in the (state) tournament,” said Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud.

Clement joined Huber in double figures with 11 points, Coyle and Michelle Lumsargis each added eight points, Julie Rutherford contributed six points, Courtney Galloway pitched in four points, Alex Myers finished with three points and Morgan Abernathy had two points.

Clarksville’s Serena Clokey and Hanna Banning finished with 17 and 11 points respectively.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Travel ball began in the region Memorial Day weekend with restrictions having only one umpire working the entire field from behind the pitcher. Brinkley Moreton, of Summers, shown pitching, played in a tournament held at the Sand Springs Parks & Recreation complex in Sand Springs, Okla. Brinkley hit a home run and helped pitch the Tulsa Elite NWA06 team to the tourney championship by winning seven games on Sunday, May 24.