COVE -- Nerves nearly derailed Rivercrest's chances early in its game against Fordyce, but the Lady Colts showed just enough moxie late to keep their state title hopes alive.
Jordan Elder's driving layup with 8.3 seconds left helped push the Lady Colts to a 61-58 victory Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the Class 3A girls basketball state tournament at Cossatot River High School.
"We're a young team, and you could tell early on," Rivercrest Coach Judy Watson said. "We were a little shaky early, and we're not real experienced. But they never quit, and they made some big plays when we needed them."
Rivercrest (25-7) benefited from a huge performance from forward Krystan Vones to stay within striking distance after trailing by as many as nine in the second half. The sophomore finished with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocked shots to help Rivercrest move into Thursday's second round, where it will play the winner of today's game between Paris and Jessieville. Elder added 17 points and nine assists.
Lacie Hulse scored 19 points for top-seeded Fordyce (25-8), which saw its 15-game winning streak end. Markeita Morris had 15 points and Alyssa English had 11, including 3 three-pointers.
"We came out and got some turnovers early, but [Rivercrest] started handling our pressure better in the second half," Fordyce Coach Ronald Smead said. "[Vones] hurt us inside. We had a tough time dealing with her. But late in the game, we were trying so hard defensively to keep it away from her that we failed to remember that it was other players out there.
"They made plays when they had to."
The Lady Bugs forced 13 turnovers over the game's first 10 minutes to build a 10-point cushion. English's three-pointer with 4:47 left in the second quarter gave Fordyce a 27-17 lead before the Lady Colts finally settled into a rhythm.
Rivercrest, the No. 3 seed from Region 3, ended the half with a 13-2 run and grabbed its first lead on Elder's three-pointer. Hulse's 15-footer ended Rivercrest's rally and pulled the Lady Bugs to within 30-29 going into halftime.
Fordyce regained control in the third quarter, scoring 12 points off six Rivercrest turnovers to open a 47-38 lead. The Lady Colts trailed 51-44 midway through the fourth but managed to outscore the Lady Bugs 12-4 over a three-minute stretch to take a 56-55 lead.
Elder hit two free throws with 27 seconds, but English drilled her final three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining to tie it at 58-58. Elder then caught the ensuing inbounds pass near halfcourt and dribbled along the right sideline before lofting a shot over two Lady Bug defenders to give Rivercrest the lead for good.
Kayla Jarrett added a free throw with two seconds showing for the Lady Colts, and a last-second shot by Fordyce fell just shy.
VALLEY SPRINGS 63, DREW CENTRAL 33
A big night from Payton Tennison was more than enough to carry the Lady Tigers to a mercy-rule victory over the Lady Pirates.
The junior guard scored a game-high 26 points for Valley Springs, which jumped out to an 18-3 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Lady Tigers will play the Perryville-Lamar winner at 1 p.m. Friday.
Cierra Gardner scored 12 points for Drew Central (20-13), which trailed 36-14 at the half.
HARDING ACADEMY 38,
WEST FORK 30
Senior forward Haley Smith scored 16 points and junior guard Ally Newby added 10 to lift Harding Academy past West Fork.
Senior guard Riley Rose added 8 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds for the Lady Wildcats (28-3), who overcame a 7-for-26 shooting performance in the first half to move on to the second round. Harding Academy trailed 15-14 before Rose banked in a 35-footer at the halftime buzzer to give the Lady Wildcats the lead for the rest of the game. Sophomore center Holley Griffin had 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for West Fork (19-13).
Sports on 03/04/2015