HOT SPRINGS -- Melbourne had a pretty consistent trend going for itself before Friday's Class 2A girls state final, and there was no sense in the Lady Bearkatz doing anything to ruin it.
Kenley McCarn made certain her team wouldn't.
The senior guard dominated in every facet on her way to a game-high 31 points as Melbourne completed an undefeated run with a 63-30 victory over Bigelow in front of a crowd of 2,447 at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
The 33-point win marked the 15th time that Melbourne (34-0) won a game by at least 30 points this season. Yet, the blowout also represented a historic feat for a team that's been at the top of its class for quite some time. The Lady Bearkatz became the first girls program to win four state titles in a row since Fort Smith Northside in 1999-2002.
"It's been unbelievable," said Melbourne Coach Eric Teague, whose Lady Bearkatz have won 65 consecutive games dating to last season and managed to capture the championship despite having four new starters. "It's actually been pretty stressful these last few years. We lost a lot of quality players last year, and people that doubted this group ... that makes me work so much harder. When you go doubting my kids, I'm going to back them and work as hard as I can.
"But for this group to do what they did, I wanted them to have [a title], and they went out and did it."
McCarn certainly had a hand in leading the Lady Bearkatz's charge by putting together a dazzling display against a team they'd beaten by 23 points nine days earlier.
The Tennessee-Martin signee, who earned Most Valuable Player honors for the third time during her career, controlled all aspects of the final. To put into perspective just how overpowering McCarn was, she outscored the Lady Panthers by making one less field goal (11) than they did as a whole (12).
Four other players had at least five points, with Abbie Lawrence finishing with nine points and four rebounds, and Kaitlyn McCarn adding 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.
Myra Willingham, Jenna Starks and Emma Wilson all had seven points apiece for Bigelow (25-5), which matched Melbourne shot for shot through the first nine minutes of the game and was down just 13-11 with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter. But the Lady Bearkatz, as they've done to almost everyone they've faced, turned up their defensive pressure and used it to create offense -- a lot of it.
Kaitlyn McCarn's basket off a steal kicked off a 16-2 blast for Melbourne that left the Lady Panthers searching for answers.
"I just didn't want my girls to give up, and they didn't," Bigelow Coach Luke Cornett said. "There's really not a whole that you can say because [Melbourne] is a really good team. We had to guard them in an unconventional way just to feel like we had a chance, but they're just good.
"We tried to make other people make shots, and they did. We knew the task going into the game."
Kenley McCarn had nine points during that 14-point run, notching points at the free-throw line and scoring on a driving layup, a 15-foot pull-up and a long three-pointer.
After Willingham rattled home a shot that sliced Melbourne's lead to 29-15 with 1:13 remaining in the first half, Ashtyn Kimble responded by finding Kaitlyn McCarn for a three-pointer at the top of the key to provide the Lady Bearkatz with a 32-15 lead at the half.
Melbourne sustained its dominance in the third quarter when it scored the first eight points. Bigelow, which finished with 21 turnovers. continued to fight, but its hole was far too deep. Kenley McCarn would later lock things up with a driving layup at the 2:26 mark of the fourth to notch another mercy-rule victory for Melbourne.
"This year we thought we were going to lose a lot," Kenley McCarn said. "Everybody doubted us, and after the first five games of the year, we thought we'd be 0-5, but we fixed that pretty quick.
"We obviously lost a lot from last year, but it's been fun watching everybody step up with they needed to be."
At a glance
CLASS 2A GIRLS
STATE TOURNAMENT SCORES
FINAL
Melbourne 63, Bigelow 30
SEMIFINALS
Melbourne 52, Quitman 21
Bigelow 60, Salem 49
SECOND ROUND
Quitman 48, Riverside 23
Melbourne 63, Rector 30
Bigelow 52, England 31
Salem 69, Marmaduke 36
FIRST ROUND
Quitman 52, Fordyce 32
Melbourne 72, Gurdon 18
England 49, Mansfield 46
Marmaduke 57, Yellville-Summit 20
Riverside 39, Cotter 29
Rector 59, Flippin 43
Bigelow 60, Parkers Chapel 27
Salem 57, Lafayette County 28
MVP
KENLEY McCARN
MELBOURNE
Most Valuable Player honors are an old habit for McCarn, who took home her third such finals accolade. She went 11 of 20 from the field, including 6 of 9 from beyond the three-point line, and hit 3 of 4 free throws to finish with 31 points. She also had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals to help the Lady Bearkatz finish the season unbeaten.
AND ONES
The victory wrapped up the fifth state title for Melbourne, which nabbed its first crown in 1973. ... Bigelow was making its first state final appearance since 1975. ... The Lady Bearkatz are 130-7 over the past four seasons. ... The Lady Panthers were outscored 30-0 in points off turnovers and 13-4 on second-chance points. ... Neither team committed enough fouls to get in an one-and-one situation for the entire game. ... Melbourne had only four turnovers compared to 21 for Bigelow.
Quotable
"Being a Bearkat means everything to me, I can't picture wearing another jersey, so it's going to be hard next year."
Melbourne senior guard Kenley McCarn on what it meant to win four state titles in a row with the Lady Bearkatz
Melbourne’s Kenley McCarn (44) pulls down a rebound Friday during the third quarter of a 63-30 victory over Bigelow in Hot Springs. McCarn finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocked shots and 2 steals to earn MVP honors. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)Gallery: Class 2A Girls Basketball State Championship
