PEA RIDGE — The Lady Blackhawk basketball sent their seniors out on a high note as they raced past the Berryville Bobcats 52-41 Friday.
Playing before a Senior Night crowd in their final home game, the ’Hawks jumped on the Cats early and fought off several comebacks to secure the victory.
The local defenders held the Cats to just 2 points in the initial period while racking up 12 markers themselves. While the game looked like it was heading for a blowout victory, consecutive turnovers by the ’Hawks to start the second quarter led to three free throws and a bucket as Berryville melted the deficit to just 12-7.
Senior Jordan Winn broke the streak as she grabbed a rebound and drove the length of the floor for a lay-up. However, the Cats came right back with a 3-point shot to cut the lead to 14-10 with just over four minutes left in the half. Savannah Cypert sliced through for a lay-up and the defense made a stop but then turned over the ball seconds later that led to a Cat lay-up. Cypert scored underneath seconds later but another trey by the visitors’ cut the lead down to one possession as Pea Ridge led 18-15 with 3:20 left in the first half.
Winn was to deal a major blow to the Cats’ hope of a comeback by ripping two consecutive 3-pointers to push the ’Hawks’ leadback out to 9, leading 24-15. After Berryville misfired on a pair of free throws, Kayla Wright pushed the tempo and racked up a lay-up to give the ’Hawks their biggest lead at 26-15 with less than one minute left before the break. After the Cats failed to score, the ’Hawks slowed it down hoping to run the clock enough to take the final shot, but when a shot was taken a little too soon, the Bobcats rebounded then hurried down the floor before launching a long distance bomb that found it’s mark to cut the lead to 26-18 at intermission.
The Cats’ good fortune continued into the second half as a trio of ’Hawk turnovers aided Berryville. The visitors scored two quick baskets to shrink the lead to 26-22. Cypert broke the streak with a move through the paint for a lay-up and with Audrey Gibson’s battle through traffic to score, Pea Ridge regained an 8-point advantage.
Defensive play took hold for the next few minutes with Winn canning a pair of free throws to match Berryville’s two freebies as neither team could hit from the floor as Pea Ridge led 32-26 with 2:49 left in the third period.
The remainder of the period was all-’Hawk as Cypert connected on a free throw, Winn drove for a lay-up, Jerika Schooley scored on a rebound shot as did Carly Sanders, while the Bobcats could only manage a lone free throw as the quarter ended with Pea Ridge in control of the game with theirbiggest lead of the game, 39-27.
In the first two minutes of the fourth period, Cypert’s lay-up and Sanders’ score underneath gave the ’Hawks what seemed to be an insurmountable lead at 43-27.
Berryville did an amazing turnaround as they cleaned the defensive boards as well as sinking five straight free throws and three goals underneath. The resulting 12 unanswered points made it a game again as Pea Ridge’s lead shrank to just 5 points, 43-38.
With less than four minutes left in the game, Winn came through as she sank a pair of freebies to boost the lead to 7. Nearly a minute and a half went by with neither team able to score until Gibson popped in a rebound to boost the lead to 9 at 47-38. A 3-pointer by the Bobcats seconds later revived some hope for the visitors but two more free throws by Winn, a lay-up by Gibson and a final free throw by Hannah Hargiss slammed the door on Berryville. The Bobcats were unable to score in the final two minutes as the ’Hawks won 52-41.
Sports, Pages 7 on 02/08/2012