By Rob Patrick
MORRILTON — An offensive-rebound basket that just beat the buzzer provided a disappointing end to the season-opening game for the Bryant Lady Hornets freshman team.
The game was tied at 36 and the Morrilton Lady Devil Pups had just retained possession after a held ball on a rebound. With Bryant playing tough defense after a timeout with :09.3 left, the Lady Pups threw up a pair of wild shots that wouldn’t fall only to have the second one plucked off the rim under the basket for the game-winner, 38-36.
The Lady Hornets include Aubree Allen, Jessica Alliston, Andrea Buford, Ashlee Caton, Caylin Choate, Dezarea Duckworth, Kaitlyn Greer, Keedy Harrison, Taylor Matthews, Dee-Dee Mosby, Melinda Murdock, Amber Newman, Destiny Nichols, Brittany Privett, Erica Smith, Rori Whittaker and Alex Wright.[more]
In a scramble of a game, the teams combined for 48 turnovers — 27 by Morrilton. Both teams hit 16 field goals but the Lady Pups were 6 of 22 from the free-throw line while the Lady Hornets were 4 of 12. Morrilton also out-rebounded Bryant 48-34.
“You could tell it was the first game,” said new Lady Hornets coach Nathan Castaldi. “We had a lot of those pre-game jitters. We missed a lot of easy shots. Hopefully, we get a lot of that out of our system and we go from there.
“I thought we played real hard, competed well,” he asserted. “We got down and we just never could quite get over that hump. We’d get down 5 and pull it back even and then get down 5 again. We were constantly fighting from behind. I was pleased with the fight in the girls. They played hard all night.
“We caused a lot of turnovers but, on top of that, we gave up some easy buckets going for those steals,” the coach added. “Obviously, we gave up a few too many points. But we’ll continue to get better and work at that. That’s kind of what that first game is good for is it kind gives you an idea of what you need to work on and get better at.”
The Lady Hornets don’t play again until the first round of the Bryant Invitational Tournament on Monday, Nov. 15. They play Hot Springs Lakeside at 7:45 p.m.
Duckworth led with 11 points. Allen added 10 with a team-high eight rebounds. Whittaker pitched in with 4 points and seven boards.
Bryant had taken a 36-35 lead on a basket by Allen with 1:42 left to play. As Castaldi indicated, that was the Lady Hornets’ first lead since Duckworth scored the opening basket of the game, though they never trailed by more than 7.
Morrilton’s Katie Price, who led her team with 13 points and 16 rebounds, hit a free throw with 1:28 to go to tie it then neither team could break the deadlock despite opportunities at the free-throw line.
Choate was unable to get the front end of a one-and-one to go with 0:32.2 showing but the Lady Hornets retained possession on a held ball. They got the ball inside but couldn’t convert.
At the other end, Morrilton tried a 3-pointer leading to the held ball on the rebound that set up the final series of events.
The Lady Pups answered Duckworth’s first bucket with a 6-0 run but couldn’t shake the Lady Hornets. It was 10-6 before Duckworth fed Alliston for a basket and, after Allen made a steal, Duckworth scored to tie it at 10.
It was 12-12 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a bucket by Harrison with :33 left in the period.
Morrilton scored the first 6 points of the second quarter producing a lead that lasted — mostly tenuously — until Allen put Bryant ahead in the late stages of the game. The Lady Hornets were able to pull within 18-17 before the half on baskets by Allen and Whittaker and a free throw by Duckworth. But a follow shot by the Lady Pups made it 20-17 at the break.
And when they scored the first two baskets of the second half, they had their largest lead at 24-17. Choate fed Allen for a basket as Bryant rallied. Duckworth scored then Choate made a steal and a layup to make it 26-23. A theft by Duckworth and a pair of free throws had Bryant back within a point.
The Lady Hornets had a chance to take the lead after a Morrilton miss but a steal and layup extended the lead which was 30-25 going into the fourth quarter.
The advantage was 6 with 3:23 left in the game. A free throw by Greer, a steal by Duckworth and a layup by Allen trimmed it to 35-32.
Morrilton missed a chance to bump the lead at the free-throw line but missed and an offensive-rebound basket by Allen with 2:08 left whittled the margin to 35-34. A turnover led to Allen’s go-ahead bucket.
LADY DEVIL PUPS 38, LADY HORNETS 36
Score by quarters
BRYANT 12 5 6 11 — 36
Morrilton 12 8 10 8 — 38
LADY HORNETS 36
Choate 1-3 0-1 2, Newman 0-1 0-0 0, Allen 5-12 0-0 10, Duckworth 4-8 3-6 11, Smith 1-6 0-0 2, Whittaker 2-8 0-1 4, Nichols 0-3 0-0 0, Alliston 2-2 0-0 4, Harrison 1-4 0-0 2, Greer 0-0 1-4 1, Buford 0-3 0-0 0, Murdock 0-0 0-0 0, Mosby 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-50 4-12 36.
LADY DEVIL PUPS 38
Wright 3-8 0-5 6, Rice 1-2 0-1 2, Andra 4-7 0-0 8, Criswell 1-8 2-4 4, Price 5-16 3-10 13, Trezvant 2-3 0-0 4, Hilton 0-0 0-0 0, Brockman 0-2 0-0 0, Flakes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-46 6-22 38.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 0-2 (Choate 0-1, Nichols 0-1), Morrilton 0-4 (Price 0-2, Andra 0-1, Trezvant 0-1). Rebounds: Bryant 34 (Allen 8, Whittaker 7), Morrilton 48 (Price 16, Criswell 8). Turnovers: Bryant 21, Morrilton 27. Team fouls: Bryant 21, Morrilton 14. Fouled out: Bryant, Whittaker.
