6A-CENTRAL GIRLS

Freshman elevates Conway girls

CABOT -- In a game that featured two 30-point scorers, it was Conway's freshman guard who secured her team's victory.

Chloe Clardy finished with 30 points to offset Cabot senior guard Shy Christopher's 30 points, and the Lady Wampus Cats won 58-48 on Friday night at Panther Arena.

Friday capped a big week for Clardy, who had 26 points in Conway's 76-47 victory at North Little Rock on Tuesday.

Conway Coach Ashley Hutchcraft said Clardy has been crucial for the Lady Wampus Cats (14-3, 3-0 6A-Central Conference) in the absence of sophomore forward Jaiden Thomas, who is out several weeks with a leg injury.

"Chloe, seeing that Jaiden Thomas is not here, has said, 'I've got to step up,' " Hutchcraft said.

Cabot led 34-32 with 4:00 remaining in the third quarter, but Conway closed the quarter on a 10-1 run to take a 42-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Senior guard Jadah Pickens' three-pointer gave the Lady Wampus Cats a 35-34 lead. Clardy followed with the next nine points for Conway, including a three-pointer.

Conway extended its lead to 56-40 in the fourth quarter on Pickens' three-point play. It was the Lady Wampus Cats' largest advantage .

Pickens added 12 points for Conway, which outscored Cabot 33-21 in the second half. Hutchcraft said Pickens was a big reason why the Lady Wampus Cats played better in the final two quarters.

"She's our tone," Hutchcraft said. "She sets our pace. She's our energy. Even when Chloe is scoring, we feed off of [Pickens]. Once she got back into her groove, we started playing Conway basketball."

Cabot Coach Jay Cook credited Christopher's play with keeping the Lady Panthers afloat, but Cabot (14-2, 2-1) did not have another player who scored in double figures.

"She's a heck of a player," Cook said. "But we needed a couple others to step up and give us some production. I think we will."

Cabot entered the second quarter with a 10-9 lead, but Conway took a 17-12 lead with 5:44 left in the quarter on Clardy's three-point play.

The Lady Panthers responded, as Christopher scored their next eight points to take a 25-24 lead with 1:04 left before halftime. They led 27-25 at halftime.

Conway plays its third consecutive road game Tuesday at Fort Smith Northside, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's No. 1 team. Hutchcraft said it doesn't get any easier for her team.

"We're just trying to hang on tight until Jaiden comes back," she said. "Her teammates see her over there and say we're going to do whatever we can to get into a good position. It's a big span of games."

Sports on 01/18/2020

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