By Rob Patrick
CONWAY — The final difference in the score may not indicate it but when the Bryant Lady[more] Hornets faced the Camden Fairview Lady Cardinals on Monday, they played them much tougher. The two teams had met just five days before to open the OrthoArkansas/Baptist Health Invitational Tournament at Central Arkansas Christian Academy and Fairview prevailed 45-35.
This time, they were meeting each other to open the John Stanton Wampus Cat Invitational Tournament at Conway’s Buzz Bolding Arena.
Though, in the end, Fairview prevailed 53-42, the Lady Hornets were within 3 of the lead during the fourth quarter and only trailed by 46-41 with 3:43 left to play. That’s when the Lady Cardinals spread the floor on offense, made Bryant chase and foul. The result was a 7-1 run by Fairview over the last three minutes of the contest.
The Lady Hornets, now 3-4 on the season, will play again this Thursday at 7 p.m., in a consolation round game against the loser of the Conway-Alma contest which will be played tonight.
At CAC, Fairview forced 24 Bryant turnovers but, on Monday at Conway, Bryant suffered just 13 turnovers, one more than the Lady Cards. But rebounding made a difference this time. Fairview out-boarded the Lady Hornets only 33-27 overall but 15 of those 33 rebounds came at the offensive end.
Plus, the Lady Cardinals’ aggressiveness on offense resulted in 22 free-throw attempts to Bryant’s 12.
It took a while for the Lady Hornets to get going offensively. Fairview scored the game’s first 7 points — well, Fairview point guard Andreya Davis scored those first 7 points, on her way to 23 in the game.
Dezerea Duckworth, who would lead Bryant with 13 points, drove for a layup to break the ice for the Lady Hornets with 4:16 left in the opening period. Peyton Weaver followed with a running jumper then Courtney Davidson scored twice in the late stages of the quarter, which ended with Fairview ahead 13-8.
The Lady Cards were up 18-10 early in the second period but they couldn’t shake Bryant. Duckworth and Fairview’s Bre Bates traded baskets then, in the final two minutes of the half, the Lady Hornets put together a 7-0 run.
Whitney Meyer scored off the offensive glass to start the surge and, after a Fairview turnover, Weaver cashed in with a 3-pointer. A pair of free throws from Duckworth in the final minute had the Lady Hornets within 20-19 at the half.
And when Davidson, who was shackled by foul trouble and sat out the whole second quarter, hit a free throw to open the third quarter, the game was tied. Bryant had one chance to take the lead but couldn’t get a 3 to go and, wouldn’t you know, Andreya Davis drained a trey in response.
Still, the Lady Cards struggled to get any daylight between themselves and the scrappy Lady Hornets. After Shomari Willis scored inside, Weaver answered with another 3 and it was 25-23.
A couple of quick baskets by Bates and Taylor Henderson pushed the lead back out but only briefly. Davidson drilled a 12-footer and, after a free throw by Willis, Logan Davis sank a running one-hander, cutting it to 30-27.
Andreya Davis followed suit in response but Logan Davis buried a triple to cut the margin to 2. Jermeka Marks hit a free throw for Fairview but Bryant’s Jayla Anderson hit a layup and the margin to just 35-34 with 1:47 left in the third quarter.
The Lady Hornets just couldn’t manage to gain the lead, however, and Fairview held a 39-35 edge going into the final eight minutes.
With 5:58 left, the lead was just 42-39. The Lady Hornets had a chance to get closer but Marks made a steal and scored. Andreya Davis added a bucket before Logan Davis’ drove for a bucket with 3:43 left, making it 46-41.
That’s when Fairview spread it out and secured the victory.
Bryant’s 42 points was the most that had been mustered since a 61-54 loss at North Little Rock on Nov. 8.
LADY CARDINALS 53, LADY HORNETS 42
Score by quarters
Fairview 13 7 19 14 — 53
BRYANT 8 11 16 7 — 42
LADY CARDINALS 53
Player fg-fga ft-fta reb fls pts
o-d-t
A.Davis 8-12 5-6 0-1 1 3 23
Henderson 2-6 0-0 1-1 2 1 4
Willis 1-3 1-2 2-0 2 2 3
Marks 2-11 4-7 7-7 14 4 8
Bates 4-11 4-5 4-5 9 1 12
Ross 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Avery 1-1 1-2 0-0 0 2 3
Team 1-4 5
Totals 18-46 15-22 15-18 33 13 53
LADY HORNETS 42
Player fg-fga ft-fta reb fls pts
o-d-t
Duckworth 4-13 5-8 2-4 6 3 13
L.Davis 4-9 0-0 0-0 0 4 9
Weaver 3-6 0-0 1-0 1 1 8
Davidson 3-7 2-4 1-1 2 4 8
Meyer 1-2 0-0 1-4 5 1 2
Anderson 1-3 0-0 0-3 3 2 2
Baxter 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Murphy 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Scarlett 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Huffman 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Smith 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 0 0
Team 4-4 8
Totals 16-42 7-12 9-18 27 17 42
Three-point field goal: Camden Fairview 2-7 (A.Davis 2-3, Ross 0-2, Marks 0-1, Bates 0-1), Bryant 3-8 (Weaver 2-4, L.Davis 1-2, Duckworth 0-2). Turnovers: Camden Fairview 12, Bryant 13.
