HOT SPRINGS - Hot Springs didn’t let an early deficit get it down.
The Lady Trojans fought back from a two-point first quarter to stun defending Spa City Shootout champion Malvern 54-48 in the semifinals Saturday night at Summit Arena.
“This has been such a big rivalry between these two teams ever since they’ve been in the seventh and eighth grade,” Hot Springs Coach Mark Upshaw said. “They’re friends off the court and they play against each other in AAU. It’s just a big game, and we started out a little tight.Again, I felt like there was a lid on the basket, and then things started falling for us.”
The first two quarters were mirror images of each other as Malvern dominated the first and Hot Springs the second. Malvern led 15-2 at the end of the first with Raven Baker hitting a 30-foot three-pointer at the buzzer. The Lady Leopards made 5 of 10 from the field while holding Hot Springs to 0 of 11.
Malvern hit its opening shot of the second quarter to take a 17-2 lead, but the Lady Trojans took over for the remainder of the half, scoring the next 12 points as it trailed just 17-14 at the break. They finally made their first field goal with 7:08 left and held the defending Class 4A champion to 1-of-10 shooting for the period.
“We got a little complacent, but I also thought we just missed shots,” Malvern Coach Jess Martin said. “It wasn’t like they were doing something special on defense. We missed a couple of open looks and they started making some shots, and more than anything was that they got to the [free throw] line.”
Hot Springs (5-4) took its first lead, 21-20, on Berniezha Tidwell’s three-point play with 5:58 left in the third. Tidwell finished with a game-high 21 points, 18 of which came in the second half when Upshaw moved the point guard to high post for the first time in her career.
“That made the difference because Berniezha is so good at attacking the basket,” Upshaw said. “Berniezha is a really versatile player who can really put the ball on the court or can pull up and hit the midrange jumper.”
Tidwell went on a 6-0 run late in the third to give the Lady Trojans a 31-27 advantage, and Tiaunna Watkins scored on a putback with 1.4 seconds left to give Hot Springs a 33-29 lead after three. The teams exchanged buckets to open the fourth before Tidwell hit a three and scored on a put back on consecutive possessions for a 40-36 advantage with 5:47 left.
Malvern (7-2) put together a 6-0 spurt for a 42-40 advantage with 4:45 left. But Hot Springs senior Jasmine Lenox was big down the stretch, hitting a three-pointer with 4:16 left for a 43-42 lead and another with 1:28 left for a 48-42 cushion.
The Lady Leopards battled to within 51-48 and Watkins missed a pair of free throws, but Lenox was there for the offensive rebound. The Lady Trojans then put away the game by making 3 of 4 free throws.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN 70, LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN 55 Coupling sharp outside shooting by Falan Miller and Sara Butler with Sydnie Jones’ inside play, the Lady Mustangs took control in the second quarter and coasted to a semifinal victory over the Lady Warriors. Miller and Butler combined to hit 11 three-pointers, with Miller finishing with 24 points (18 on six three-pointers) and Butler 19 to lead CAC (9-1) into Monday’s final against Hot Springs. Jones added 18, nine in the fourth quarter to help hold off the Lady Warriors. Butler made 3 three-pointers in CAC’s 21-point first quarter, and Miller made four in a 19-7 second quarter. The Lady Mustangs led 40-23 at halftime. Little Rock Christian pulled to 64-52 with a 6-0 run before Chloe Elkins connected from behind the three-point line with 1:44 left to start a 6-0 CAC surge that was capped by Jones’ baseline drive. Carlee Earls led the Lady Warriors with 17 points, including eight in the fourth. Annalee Rhodes had 12, Rachel Ruddell 12 and Alexus Thomas 10.
Sports, Pages 23 on 12/29/2013