Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lady Tigers Can Score
PRAIRIE GROVE GIRLS DOUBLE UP ON LINCOLN 70-35
LINCOLN — Prairie Grove played more than a dozen players yet there was no scoring dropoff with the Lady Tigers out-scoring Lincoln 32-29 in the second half of a 70-35 win.
The Dec. 7 nonconference girls basketball rivalry game played at Wolfpack Arena showcased some of the depth Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud wants to build along with ample firepower from long range.
Prairie Grove hit a quartet of 3-pointers in the third quarter to establish a 57-23 lead going into the fourth. Ella Faulk twice stroked treys while Lexi Henry and Arianna Harrel also connected from downtown in the third. Henry led all scorers with 21 points, making 8 of 9 field goal attempts, her only 3-point shot plus went 1-of-1 at the foul line.
“This group can score when they’re hitting. We got a bunch of people who can shoot, which is good. We just got to learn a lot on the defensive end about taking care of the ball better and guarding the ball better and all that but, as far as shooting it, they can shoot the ball pretty good,” Froud said.
Three more trifectas went through the nets for the Lady Tigers in the fourth courtesy of Halsey Hunt, who sank a pair, and Bre Chambliss.
Lincoln also hit twice from 3-point range. Lily Riherd began the Lady Wolves’ fourth quarter scoring with a three and Saylor Stidham concluded it by nailing a 3-point shot from the right wing.
Every time Lincoln set up to in-bound Prairie Grove made that task difficult with the Lady Tigers’ man-to-man playing denial.
“We work on that. We try to get them to make them have to earn everything they get or make them have to at least throw it out to half-court where we can set our defense up good and know who to guard and what’s coming at them,” Froud said.
That defense looked rock solid for much of the game.
The Lady Tigers blanketed Lincoln with a ferocious defense and scored the first 16 points of the contest spread out among five different players before Riherd broke the ice for the Lady Wolves by draining a 3-pointer on a busted play with 44 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Kaylin Osnes made the play possible by hustling to retrieve a loose ball and spotted Riherd open. The Lady Tigers scored the final six points of the period and assumed a 22-3 lead. The margin was 38-6 at the half.
On a positive note for Lincoln the Lady Wolves stuck with Coach Emilianne Cox’ point of emphasis. They put 17 points on the board in the third and added 12 in the fourth.
“I just keep telling them figure out how to play hard the whole game,” Cox said.
Lincoln played without sophomore all-around standout Sarah Snodgrass who suffered a torn ACL in October and is likely out for the season. Cox plans to make do with the personnel available and believes better days lie ahead.
“Everyone that is playing this year is going to be a big part of it. The rest of it will work out. I expect it to come around,” Cox said.
Senior Katie Jones made 11-of-13 free throws and led Lincoln with 15 points.