LITTLE ROCK — Star City’s press proved to be too much as the Lady Bulldogs rolled to a 54-30 victory over Malvern in the semifinals of the Class 4A South regional tournament at Pulaski Academy on Friday.
The Lady Bulldogs (28-1) pressed early and often as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead with 2:08 left to play in the first quarter. While their press was effective early, it wasn’t until the second quarter that it shone brightest. That’s when Star City forced 12 turnovers and pushed its lead to 29-12 going into the half.
“I thought our pressure really allowed us to get some early baskets there early on,” Star City Coach Becky Brown said. “I also thought that we made some unnecessary fouls, but we’ll get that straightened out.”
The only sustained run the Lady Leopards (17-8) made was to avoid being mercy-ruled. Down 50-21 with 4:34 remaining, Malvern guard Chantel McGill made consecutive baskets to cut the Star City lead to 25 points and prevent the clock from running unimpeded.
Star City’ Juquica Linsy led all scorers with 15 points. Teammates Yasmine Pace and Jasmine Whitfield finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively. McGill led Malvern with 14.
Sports, Pages 24 on 02/26/2011