Starlets shoot Lady Bulldogs past LH

WEST MEMPHIS — The youngest players on the court made the biggest impact for the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs Saturday night.

Freshmen Haven Clements, Kinley Fisher and Ally Sockey combined for 48 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs (22-9) to a 6543 win over Lake Hamilton (19-14) in the semifinals of the Class

6A state tournament at West Memphis High School’s Lehr Arena. A 71-41 winner over the Lady Wolves in the second round of the 6A-West conference tournament on Feb. 20, Greenwood advanced to face Jonesboro in the Class 6A state championship.

“I think a big part of it is they play so many kids that they play without regard to foul trouble,” Lake Hamilton coach Blake

Condley said. “They are going to come at you as hard as they can, and if the refs call it, they will just put somebody else in there.

“They play so aggressive and so intense, and I feel like we waited until we were down to start attacking like we needed to. I thought the girls responded and fought back really well, but you can’t overcome a deficit against this team.”

After setting the tone with blistering starts in wins over Jacksonville and West Memphis to open the tournament, the Lady Wolves struggled to find their rhythm in the first quarter against Greenwood.

The Lady Bulldogs opened the game on an 8-0 run behind four points from Fisher. After back-to-back 3-pointers from Lake Hamilton’s Grace Tedder and Taylor Wells, Greenwood maintained a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter despite missing five free throws.

Sockey scored six quick points at the start of the second period to stretch Greenwood’s lead to 16-6. The Lady Wolves answered with baskets from Tedder, Jenny Peake and Hannah Walker before Fisher heated up.

The freshman guard scored nine straight points, including two shots from behind the arc, as the Lady Bulldogs pushed their lead to 13 points before settling with a 27-18 advantage at the half.

The Lady Wolves had scored 42 and 38 points in the first half of their previous two games.

“The first two days (of the tournament), we were able to get going from the perimeter,” said Condley. “We knew we weren’t going to be able to do that tonight. We knew we were going to have to attack and get to the rim, but we just weren’t aggressive enough.

“I want to say that at the end of the first quarter, I don’t think we had a single touch in the paint. It’s hard for the girls to see and be able to make those passes, but you have to find a way to do that if you’re going to beat a good team.”

With its first two possessions of the third quarter, the Lady Bulldogs turned a three-possession game into a double-digit lead and momentum for the entirety of the second half.

Fisher opened the third period with a 3-pointer and Sockey followed with a three-point play from the free throw line as Greenwood stretched its lead to 33-18 in the first two minutes.

“It was huge, and that’s exactly the scenario that happened at Greenwood (in the 6A-West tournament),” Condley said. “We had cut it to eight at halftime and then they came out, hit a three, then we turned it over and they hit another three.

“We had talked about that. We knew we couldn’t let that happen and be able to have success, but we just couldn’t stop it from happening.”

Peake scored seven points for the Lady Wolves in the third quarter, but Greenwood’s Jaelin Glass countered with seven points of her own and the Lady Bulldogs maintained a 44-32 advantage entering the final period.

After a free throw by Walker, Peake gave Lake Hamilton one last glimmer of hope with a shot from behind the arc to cut the deficit to 46-36 with 5:58 remaining.

Greenwood struck right back with an 11-2 run to eliminate any chance of a comeback.

Fisher finished with 26 points to lead all scorers, while Sockey chipped in with 17 points and Clements had seven points. Peake paced the Lady Wolves with 13 points.

After the game, an emotional Condley spoke about the impact Lake Hamilton’s graduating class had on the program. The nine-player senior class helped lead the Lady Wolves to 52 wins in three seasons, reaching the Class 6A semifinals each of the last two years.

“We had some ups and downs throughout the season, but everybody came together at the right time,” he said. “You can’t overstate what they have done to get the program to the next level. It’s not easy to get to where you’re used to making the state tournament and expecting to win games when you get there.

“I’m just so appreciative and have so much love for this group of seniors. They will hold a special place with me forever.”