HOT SPRINGS -- It wasn't the prettiest of Fort Smith Northside's state-record seven girls state basketball championships.
Not when the Lady Bears shot 23.4 percent from the floor, but the 11th made field goal resulted in glory.
Sophomore guard Jersey Wolfenbarger's 12-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds left gave Northside a come-from-behind 36-34 victory over Bentonville in the Class 6A state championship game Friday in front of 3,127 at Bank OZK Arena.
"I was thinking, 'It was the last, final seconds. My team needs points,' " said Wolfenbarger, who finished with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-22 shooting to earn MVP honors. "I love my teammates. They're my family now. I wanted them to experience something as special as this."
Northside Coach Rickey Smith was proud of how his team overcame their shooting woes to win the school's first state title since 2013.
"We compared this to a big boxing match," Smith said. "You have to be at your absolute best late. Mentally and physically, you have to be in the best condition. I felt like we were.
"You just keep working. Our kids have worked hard over the years. We've been here a lot. They continued to believe."
Northside finished 28-1, with its only loss coming in overtime Feb. 15 at North Little Rock, a setback Smith called the best thing that could have happened to his team.
Bentonville Coach Tom Halbmaier called the Lady Tigers' loss a gut punch.
"Jersey made a great shot getting in the paint," Halbmaier said. "She's a great player."
Northside, which averaged 61.9 points per game entering Friday, and Bentonville (63.2 ppg this season) were cold from the floor.
The Lady Bears (11 of 47) and Lady Tigers (11 of 38, 28.9 percent) combined to shoot 22 of 85.
"It was one of those games where we had each other scouted really well," Halbmaier said. "There aren't a lot of open shots tonight. We didn't have a lot of looks, either -- open ones."
Senior guard Avery Hughes led Bentonville (26-4) with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
Bentonville led 34-29 with 57.2 seconds left after junior guard Natalie Smith hit two free throws.
Wolfenbarger's three-pointer with 42.4 seconds remaining cut the lead to 34-32. Bentonville sophomore post Maryam Dauda turned the ball over off the Lady Tigers' inbound pass to give the ball back to Northside with 40.8 seconds left to play.
With 26 seconds remaining, junior forward Jazzlyn Coleman's layup tied the game at 34-34.
Bentonville committed its second turnover in the final minute, this one by junior guard Bella Irlenborn when she was called for traveling with 10.4 seconds left to play.
Both teams shot a combined 9 of 43 in the first half. Northside shot 4 of 23, while Bentonville was 5 of 20.
The Lady Bears missed their first eight shots until sophomore forward Tracey Bershers hit a three-pointer to pull Northside within 4-3 with 2:25 left in the first quarter. Northside took a 5-4 lead with 1:30 left in the quarter on Wolfenbarger's layup, which was the score entering the second quarter.
Bentonville went on an 11-0 run to go ahead 15-5 with 3:04 left in the second quarter. Hughes scored seven of her 10 first-half points during the run.
Wolfenbarger scored Northside's final eight points of the first half after the Lady Tigers' 11-0 run. Her three-point play with two seconds left in the second quarter pulled the Lady Bears within 15-13.
"Coming into the locker room, we had confidence," Smith said. "When you've got one that's like her, that's special. She can step up."
Senior forward Sara Bershers tied the game for Northside at 19-19 midway through the third quarter, but Bentonville entered the fourth quarter ahead 26-21 lead.
Smith has led Northside to all seven of its girls state championships, but this championship was one he wanted more for his players than himself.
"We've got a lot of rings," Smith said. "I wanted these kids to get one."
Sports on 03/09/2019