By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

Kennedy Hight helped the Perry Lady Maroons rise to new heights during a first-round showdown with local tournament host Latta at the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic.

The sophomore knocked down 5-of-6 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 21 points in a tough 48-43 win over the Lady Panthers in the late game Tuesday night inside the ECU’s Kerr Activities Center.

Perry, ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, improved to 5-0 on the year, while Latta (No. 3 in 2A) saw its season-opening 10-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 10-1.

“We need to manage the game better. I feel like we didn’t come out real tough,” Latta head coach Bruce Plunk said following the game. “We kind of let them set the tone of the game and got behind and had to play uphill.”

Latta’s Jaylee Willis broke a 6-all tie with a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the first quarter to put her team on top 9-6. Latta might have had an even bigger lead early but committed six of their 12 turnovers in the first eight minutes of the game.

“We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball,” Plunk said.

After Perry outscored Latta 6-1 early in the second period, Willis hit another 3-pointer — this time a bank shot from the far corner — at the 6:51 mark to get Latta within 14-13.

However, Latta would never lead again.

The Lady Maroons followed with a pivotal 15-3 run to build a 29-16 advantage. That PHS surge was capped by back-to-back 3-point baskets by Hight.

Chloe Miller scored the final five points of the second quarter to trim the Perry lead to 29-21 at halftime.

After Hight hit her fifth and final 3-pointer of the night with 4:55 left in the game, the Lady Panthers trailed 44-30.

Latta put together one final flurry. Savannah Senkel hit a 3-pointer with just under three minutes to play — it was her only shot of the game — and Brooklyn Ryan scored on a drive to the basket that got Latta within 46-38.

After Hight missed a free throw, Taryn Batterton sank a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left that made it 46-41 but the comeback ended there.

Batterton led the LHS offense with 13 points to go with a team-best six rebounds. She scored six of her points in the first quarter.

Willis just missed double figures with nine points, while Ryan followed with seven.

Hight’s big night included 7-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Braylee Dale, Perry’s post player, scored 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

As a team, Perry finished 19-of-35 (54.3%) from the field overall and nailed 8-of-15 (53.3%) 3-pointers. During a 21-12 second quarter, the Lady Maroons hit 8-of-12 (66.7%) field goals.

“We lost by five and missed four free throws and if you get one more call or make one more shot or get one more rebound, it could have been a different story,” Plunk said.

Latta hit a respectable 8-of-23 (34.8%) 3-point shots and finished 15-of-38 (39.5%) overall. The Lady Panthers out-rebounded Perry 26-18.

“We’ll see how we handle adversity. It’s the first time we’ve been beaten,” Plunk said. “We’ll see how we bounce back and see how much character we have when we come out tomorrow and play.”

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

When Frontier junior Jamie Molina drained a 3-pointer to trim Tuttle’s lead to 43-31 with just over six minutes left in the game, the Lady Mustangs were within striking distance of the tournament’s top seed.

However, Tuttle scored the final 15 points of the game to run away from the Lady Mustangs 58-31 Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the 44th Annual Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.

The Lady Tigers, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, improved to 5-1 on the year, while Class A No. 11 Frontier slipped to 7-2.

Tuttle built a 16-point lead at 41-25 on a 3-point basket by Storie Driver late in the third period. After Frontier got within 12 and appeared to have some momentum, the Lady Mustangs finally ran out of gas over a six-minute drought to end the game.

Tuttle tried to deliver an early knockout blow to Frontier — coached by Kaylee Byrd, who spent time as an assistant at Byng early in her career — by building an early 17-9 lead after Shelby McAfee hit a triple.

The Lady Mustangs got within 20-14 on a 3-pointer from Diane FawFaw at the 5:09 mark of the second period. However, Tuttle ended the quarter on a 6-2 spurt and led 26-16 at halftime.

Driver sank four 3-pointers and led a balanced Tuttle offense with 14 points to go with four assists. Hadley Periman just missed a double-double for the Lady Tigers, finishing with nine points and 13 rebounds.

THS 6-3 post player Landry Allen added eight points and five rebounds, while Madi Surber followed with seven points. Allie Rehls and McAfee contributed six points apiece.

Jamie Molina led the Frontier offense with 10 points, while Anias Bible and FawFaw followed with eight points each.

The Lady Tigers held a 35-25 rebounding edge.

Tuttle met Lomega in a Wednesday night semifinal contest, while Frontier tangled with Amber-Pocasset in consolation play.

By Jeff Cali | The Ada News

Amber-Pocasset erased every bit of a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit against Lomega in the first round of the 2021 Bertha Frank Teague Mid-America Classic Tuesday inside East Central University’s Kerr Activities Center.

However, the Lady Panthers were never able to grab the lead and saw their valiant comeback effort fall just short in a 57-52 loss to the Lady Raiders.

Lomega, ranked No. 1 in Class B, improved to 11-1 on the year, while Class 2A No. 2 Amber Pocasset dropped to 5-1.

Lomega opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from Abby Swart and a layup from Shelby Russell set up by a steal by Hensley Eaton that made it 49-39 with 7:06 left in the game.

After a timeout, the Lady Panthers regrouped and went on a furious 11-1 run capped by a clutch 3-pointer from Abbie Savage that rolled in and knotted the score at 50-50 with 3:15 left on the clock.

The Lady Raiders scored the next five points with a free throw by Eaton, a big put-back bucket by Darcy Roberts and two free shots by Roberts with 30 seconds remaining that helped ice the game.

Amber-Pocasset led 11-5 early and still held a 16-13 advantage early in the second period. Lomega followed by ending the first half on a 17-9 volley that put the Lady Raiders ahead 30-25 at the break.

Devynn Harris hit a jumper from the top of the key with just under two minutes to play in the third frame that got Am-Po within 37-36. However, Lomega responded with a 7-0 run and led 44-36 late in the period.

Roberts led the LHS attack with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Abby Swart was next with 18 points and six boards, while Sydni Walker also reached double figures with 12 points and six more rebounds.

Am-Po got a team-high 14 points from Harris. Ainslee McComas was next with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Teague Muncey also hit double figures with 12 points. Savage followed with eight points.

Lomega finished the game 15-of-23 from the free-throw line compared to a 2-of-5 showing by the Lady Panthers. Am-Po drained 8-of-25 (32%) 3-point tries, while the Lady Raiders finished 4-of-17 (23.5%) from long range.

Lomega met Tuttle in a Wednesday night semifinal contest, while the Lady Panthers tangled with Frontier in consolation play.