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 Gâriffen 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.