ROSE BUD -- Barton was unable to contain or control Harding Academy Saturday. The Wildcats scored the game's final 22 points in downing the Bears 53-25 in the Class 3A Region 2 championship game.
Pate Fullerton led Harding Academy (22-8) with 14 points while Travis Turley scored 13 and Davis Morgan 12. Barton (15-7) got scoring from six players, but no one scored more than six.
Harding opens state tournament play next week at Drew Central High School in Monticello against Junction City, while Barton will face Centerpoint.
Harding Academy, which suffered a 44-40 loss to Barton on Feb. 16, led 18-8 after one quarter on Saturday and used a 12-0 second quarter run to lead 30-12 before settling for a 32-12 halftime advantage.
Harding Academy continued to rack up the points in the third quarter scoring eight unanswered to push its lead to 40-12. The Wildcats led 48-20 entering the final quarter.
GIRLS
HARDING ACADEMY 64,
BALD KNOB 44
Junior guard Alden Graves scored 20 points as the Lady Wildcats (21-12) defeated the Lady Bulldogs (12-20) in the girls title game.
Harding Academy's victory was its fourth of the season against Bald Knob.
Senior Audrey Laird and senior Elaine Helpenstill each added 14 points and Layne Pace 10 for the Lady Wildcats.
Harding Academy will play Prescott in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament.
Bald Knob junior Maddie Pierce scored her 1,000th-career point with 2:30 remaining in the contest, but it was one of the few highlights for the Lady Bulldogs.
Harding Academy connected on seven threes in the game, all in the first half. The Lady Wildcats' scored the game's first seven points and led 24-8 after the first eight minutes.
The Lady Wildcats stretched their lead to 40-20 by halftime.
Bald Knob put together a 7-0 run in the third quarter to get within 48-31 before harding finished out the quarter to lead 50-33.
Kinlee Varnell led Bald Knob with 21 points while Pierce added 16.
Sports on 02/25/2018