Lady Eagles come up short in semifinals

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

GREERS FERRY – The West Side Lady Eagles’ basketball season ended with disappointment for the second year while playing a conference opponent.

Norfork controlled the second half, and defeated West Side 54-48 in the Class 1A state tournament semifinals at Brady-Hipp Arena on Monday. The Lady Eagles lost to Viola in the 2020 state semifinals.

West Side finished the season with a record of 25-9.

Kamryn Sutterfield scored a game-high 23 points for the Lady Eagles. Ashtyn Knapp had 20 points. Kiley Aiman led Norfork with 12 points. Hannah Bryant and Kylie Manes each contributed 11 points.

Knapp connected on a 3-pointer, while Sutterfield made a field goals and two free throws as West Side built a 7-2 lead during the opening minutes. Norfork went on a 7-0 scoring run and led 9-7. The game was tied three times before the Lady Eagles took a 14-13 lead going into the second quarter.

After exchanging field goals, West Side seized the momentum with an 8-3 scoring run and increased the lead to 24-18 by halftime.

Knapp hit 2-of-2 free throws as the Lady Eagles led 26-18 to start the third quarter. Norfork pulled even with a 14-6 scoring run and tied the game at 32-32 by the midway point of the quarter. After a couple of lead changes, the Lady Panthers scored five consecutive points and pulled ahead, 39-34.

West Side closed the gap on Knapp’s 3-pointer and trailed 39-37 going into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Eagles reduced Norfork’s lead to 43-41 early in the fourth quarter. Norfork increased the advantage to six points  and maintained it for the remainder of the game.

Norfork was scheduled to play Rural Special at 4 p.m. Thursday for the state championship at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

West Side 14 10 13 11–48
Norfork 13 5 21 15–54
West Side — Kamryn Sutterfield 23, Ashtyn Knapp 20, Haley Gentry 3, Sarah Carlton 2.
Norfork scorers — Kiley Aiman 12, Hannah Bryant 11, Kylie Manes 11, Liza Shaddy 8,  Keely Smith 7, Mesa Beavers 5. 

Lady Eagles move one step closer to title game

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

GREERS FERRY – Tightening up the perimeter defense during the second half helped the West Side Lady Eagles to a 58-44 win against Morrilton Sacred Heart in the Class 1A state tournament quarterfinals at the Brady-Hipp Arena Saturday.

The Lady Eagles (25-8) will advance for the second straight season to the state tournament semifinals, this time against Norfork at 4 p.m. Monday. West Side lost in last year’s semifinals to Viola.

“We knew they were a good team with players who could shoot well,” Lady Eagle coach Megan Berry said. “We changed to a man defense during the second half and did a better job of defending and took charges when we had an opportunity.”

Free-throw shooting accuracy also aided the Lady Eagles, who made 23-of-27 attempts. Ashtyn Knapp made 12-of-15 free throws, while Kamryn Sutterfield connected on 5-of-6 attempts. Haley Gentry hit 6-of-6 free throws.

“We missed a couple, but we shot a good percentage,” Berry said. “Our free-throw shooting was good and important.”

Knapp led the Lady Eagles with 18 points. Sutterfield contributed 16 points and Gentry scored 15 points. Rylee Oliver had 12 points for Sacred Heart and Myisa Ibarra chipped in 11 points.

“We ran our offense better during the fourth quarter,” Berry said. “We put together a scoring run and gained momentum. We turned the ball over a few times late in the game against the full-court press, but we came back and got stops on defense.”

The lead changed six times during the first quarter, ending with Sutterfield’s 3-pointer, as West Side led 12-11 going into the second quarter. The Lady Eagles increased the lead to seven points before Sacred Heart reduced it to 28-22 by halftime.

Sacred Heart struck quickly by scoring two field goals at the start of the third quarter. Gentry answered with a 3-pointer and the Lady Eagles withstood the challenge. West Side led 35-27 going into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Eagles built a 14-point lead, but Sacred Heart showed no quit and pulled within 10 points. West Side never lost its double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.

Berry said the experience from playing in last year’s semifinal will benefit her team on Monday against Norfork.

“Most of the players have been in this position before,” she said. “Lack of experience will not be the problem. We need to come out and play well.”

Sacred Heart 11 11 15 7 –44
West Side 12 16 17 13–58
Sacred Heart scorers — Rylee Oliver 12, Myisa Ibarra 11,  Halen Hoelzeman 6, Lizzy Beck 6, Emma Dold 5, Karlee Cooper 2, Anna Jones 2.
West Side scorers — Ashtyn Knapp 18, Kamryn Sutterfield 16, Haley Gentry 15, Sarah Carlton 6, Kortnee Finch 3.

West Side girls advance at 1A state tournament

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

GREERS FERRY -Dermott briefly led Tuesday’s Class 1A state tournament first round game, but it didn’t take long for the West Side Lady Eagles to get rolling.

The Lady Eagles trailed 1-0 before scoring 14 unanswered points and advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals with a 60-31 win at Brady-Hipp Arena.

Kamryn Sutterfield scored eight of her game-high 17 points during the first quarter. Sarah Carlton made two 3-pointers, while Kortner Finch and Haley Gentry also made a 3-pointer.

The Lady Eagles built a 23-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and increased it to 36-14 by halftime. West Side led 55-23 going into the fourth quarter.

Gentry finished with 13 points and Shawna Carlton came off the bench and scored 11 points for the Lady Eagles. Elizabeth Rowe led Dermott with 10 points.

“We started the game by playing with a lot of energy,” West Side coach Megan Berry said. “Dermott kept changing defenses, but we did a good job of adjusting, moving the ball and finding the open man. We made the shots and got off to a good start. We got the momentum and never let up.”

Berry complemented her team for preparing well for the game.

“We watched game film on Dermott and talked with other coaches,” she said. “Dermott played exactly how we thought it would. Our posts came off the bench and had good games. Sutterfield, Gentry and Ashtyn Knapp did good jobs of getting the ball inside.”

Despite being the first state tournament game, Berry said the players seemed ready to go.

“We played relaxed, but not sure if it was because we were playing at home,” she said. “It seems lately we have been playing well at the right time. I’m hoping that will continue.”

West Side (24-8) will play the Western Grove-Morrilton Sacred Heart, which are scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Thursday, at 4 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinals.

Dermott 9 5 9 8–31
West Side 23 13 19 5–60
Dermott scorers — Elizabeth Rowe 10, E. Mari Wade 8, Kaliyah Griffen 6, Rochelle Piliota 3, Za’Kak Tyler 2, Radeja Ford 2.
West Side scorers — Kamryn Sutterfield 17, Haley Gentry 13, Shawna Carlton 11, Sarah Carlton 6, Kortner Finch 6, Alyssa Smith 5, Ashtyn Knapp 2.