By Rob Patrick
CONWAY — The Conway Blue Lady Wampus Kittens have made a habit of leaving opponents in[more] their wake this season. And, on a strange Saturday morning meeting at Buzz Bolding Arena, the Bryant Lady Hornets freshman team became the latest victim.
Conway Blue, using a withering full-court press, rushed to a 20-2 lead to start the game and never looked back on the way to a 44-12 win.
The Lady Kittens scored the game’s first 9 points before Bryant’s Mallory Curry knocked down an 8-foot jumper off a feed from Nikki Clay. An 11-0 run followed before Clay’s basket off an offensive rebound and a 12-foot jumper by Jayla Anderson made it 20-6 going into the second quarter.
The starters returned for Conway Blue but neither team scored for the first two minutes of the new stanza. Deanna Ester broke the ice for the Lady Kittens and Anderson hit a pair of free throws at the 3:16 mark but that was all the Lady Hornets could muster the rest of the half.
They were held scoreless in the third quarter and the lead grew to 41-8 early in the fourth before Clay hit a free throw then traded 3’s with Conway’s Gee Bunch to complete the scoring.
“We’ve got to rebound better, play better defense and score more,” commented Bryant coach Nathan Castaldi.
Conway Blue not only forced 29 turnovers but 15 of its 24 rebounds came at the offensive end. As a result, the Lady Kittens attempted 45 shots to Bryant’s 16.
The Lady Hornets are set to finish off their non-conference schedule on Monday, Jan. 9, at Cabot North then being Central Arkansas Junior High Conference play at home against Benton on Thursday, Jan. 12.
LADY WAMPUS KITTENS 44, LADY HORNETS 12
Score by quarter
BRYANT 6 2 0 4 — 12
Conway Blue 20 11 8 5 — 44
LADY HORNETS 12
Clay 2-5 1-4 6, Anderson 1-2 2-2 4, Davidson 0-0 0-0 0, Lindberg 0-0 0-0 0, Curry 1-4 0-0 2, Solinger 0-1 0-0 0, Huffman 0-3 0-0 0, Gray 0-0 0-0 0, Powers 0-0 0-0 0, Jamison 0-0 0-0 0, Earls 0-0 0-0 0, Blair 0-1 0-0 0, Barber 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 4-16 3-6 12.
LADY WAMPUS KITTENS 44
B.Ester 0-3 0-0 0, Norment 3-6 4-4 10, Tolefore 3-10 0-0 6, Lumley 2-5 0-0 5, D.Ester 1-4 2-4 4, Acklin 0-5 0-0 0, Bunch 4-6 0-0 10, Donohoo 0-1 0-0 0, Schafer 1-2 0-0 3, Clemente 0-0 0-0 0, Teague 2-3 2-2 6. Totals 16-45 8-10 44.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 1-2 (Clay 1-1, Blair 0-1), Conway Blue 4-14 (Bunch 2-3, Schafer 1-2, Lumley 1-1, Tolefore 0-4, Acklin 0-2, D.Ester 0-1, B.Ester 0-1). Rebounds: Bryant 15 (Clay 4, Anderson, Solinger 3), Conway Blue 24 (Teague 4). Turnovers: Bryant 29, Conway Blue 14. Total fouls: Bryant 10, Conway Blue 11.
