By Rob Patrick
Photos by Kevin Nagle
The Bryant Lady Hornets freshman basketball team begins its conference season — the games against league foes that count toward seeding for the post-season tournament — on Monday when they host Cabot North. In the lead-up to those games (seven of their last eight regular-season contests), the Lady Hornets have become battle-tested by taking on a series of teams that are among the toughest on their schedule.
Among those, they defeated a previously unbeaten Malvern team, lost by 2 to an undefeated Central Arkansas Christian team and, on Thursday night, took a talented Pulaski Academy team, which has lost just two games (including one to CAC).And the Lady Hornets made them prove their metal mounting one charge after another. In fact, with 2:12 left[more] in the contest, the Lady Bruins’ lead was just 29-28. But they would not relinquish the lead on the way to a 38-30 win.
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.
The Lady Hornets are now 9-7 going into league play.
Bryant had the upper hand for most of the first quarter as both teams struggled to find their shooting eye. Thanks to a pair of baskets by Allen and another by Whittaker, the Lady Hornets were up 6-5 at the first break. But they would be held without a field goal in the second quarter, adding five points on free throws by Murdock, Duckworth and Whittaker in the final minute of the half. By then Pulaski Academy had built a 14-6 lead behind the guard play of Mackie Kuhn and Rachel Jackson with a lift off the bench from Blake Bartlett.
Kuhn would wind up leading the Lady Bruins with 12 points. Jackson finished with 10. All 5 of Bartlett’s points in the game came in that second quarter.
Pulaski Academy would also get 9 points and eight rebounds from center Alex Otwell who was also a major force on the defensive end, blocking shots and forcing the Lady Hornets to alter others when they got the ball inside.
And they were able to get inside quite a bit, attacking the basket when they struggled to hit shots from outside.
Duckworth led Bryant with 12 points. Allen had 9 points and nine rebounds but no one else had more than the 4 that Whittaker and Buford were able to contribute.
To start the second half, the Lady Bruins extended their 16-11 halftime lead with a basket by Otwell, who would score 7 of her 9 in the third period. But Bryant answered with its first surge. With 4:28 left in the quarter, Duckworth grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled. She converted the first free throw but missed the second. Smith kept the rebound alive by tapping it away from a PA player. Duckworth came up with the ball and scored to make it 18-14.
And when Pulaski Academy turned the ball over, the Lady Bruins took a timeout as Allen was fouled. When play resumed, she converted both free throws to make it a 2-point game. The Lady Hornets got a chance to tie it when they forced another turnover but the Lady Bruins forced one in return and it lead to a three-point play by Otwell that began a 7-0 run that built the lead back up to 25-16.
Whittaker fed Buford for a basket to get Bryant back on track and, in the final minute, Buford scored off an inbounds play so the Pulaski Academy lead was 25-20 going into the fourth quarter.
Allen hit two more free throws to trim the margin to 3 early in the final period but a three-point play by Kuhn stemmed the tied for the moment. The Lady Hornets, however, regained the momentum when Otwell picked up her fourth foul on an illegal screen and, at the other end, Duckworth hit the offensive glass and scored.
Bryant forced a turnover then, with Otwell out, went to work on the offensive boards after Duckworth misfired. Whittaker rebounded and Harrison’s shot rimmed out. Duckworth rebounded and was fouled with 3:41 left. She converted just once but, after Jackson missed for the Lady Bruins, Allen was fouled with 2:55 to go. Her free throw made it 28-26.
Kuhn converted at the line moments later only to have Duckworth knock down a running jumper in the lane that had Bryant within a point.
Otwell returned and had an immediate impact. She grabbed the carom off a teammate’s miss, scored and was fouled. She missed the free throw but that started a closing push by the Lady Bruins that was only interrupted by free throws from Duckworth. Free throws by Kuhn and Bailey Byrne plus a spinning move off a drive that resulted in a basket by Jackson made it a 9-2 closing run to secure the victory.
LADY BRUINS 38, LADY HORNETS 30
Score by quarters
Pulaski Academy 5 11 9 13 — 38
BRYANT 6 5 9 10 — 30
LADY BRUINS 38
Kuhn 3-9 5-7 12, Krisht 0-1 0-0 0, Byrne 0-1 2-2 2, Jackson 4-8 2-6 10, Otwell 4-7 -2 9, Bartlett 2-3 1-3 5, Colquitt 0-0 0-0 0, Murray 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-20 11-20 38.
LADY HORNETS 30
Nichols 0-3 0-0 0, Duckworth 3-7 6-10 12, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Whittaker 1-5 2-2 4, Allen 2-8 5-7 9, Choate 0-1 0-0 0, Harrison 0-2 0-0 0, Greer 0-0 0-0 0, Newman 0-0 0-0 0, Murdock 0-2 1-2 1, Buford 2-2 0-0 4, Alliston 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 8-31 14-21 30.
Three-point field goals: Bryant 0-1 (Duckworth 0-1), Pulaski Academy 1-6 (Kuhn 1-4, Jackson 0-1, Byrne 0-1). Rebounds: Bryant 30 (Allen 9, Whittaker 7), Pulaski Academy 17 (Otwell 8). Turnovers: Bryant 17, Pulaski Academy 10. Team fouls: Bryant 16, Pulaski Academy 19.
