Senior guard Loke Miller and sophomore forward C.J. Burks combined for 32 points as the Cutter Morning Star Lady Eagles rolled to a 55-20 victory over Maumelle Charter Friday night at Eagle Fieldhouse.
The Lady Eagles (10-6, 4-1 in 1A/2A-12) got off to a strong start, making a 7-0 run in the opening three minutes before stretching their lead to 14-2 with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter. The Lady Falcons (4-16, 0-1) rolled off a 6-1 run in the final 1:43 to trail the home team 15-8.
"I thought we played well," said Lady Eagles head coach Brittany Senn. "Our offense was a little stagnant at times. We went through a lot of spurts where we weren't scoring, but it wasn't because we weren't getting good shots; we were just missing. We're shooting more. Some nights they fall; some nights they don't... They would just roll in and out. I think that's just the karma of basketball sometimes."
CMS controlled the majority of the second quarter as well, cruising to a 23-8 lead before Maumelle Charter was able to sink a basket with 2:31 remaining in the half. The Lady Eagles rolled off another 11 points in the period while keeping the visitors scoreless for a 34-10 halftime lead.
Maumelle Charter kicked off the second half with a 3-pointer, but CMS took a 13-0 run for a 47-13 lead with 1:28 remaining. The Lady Falcons came back to end the period with a 5-2 run to set up the final frame with a 49-13 Lady Eagle lead and a non-stop clock due to the Arkansas Activities Association Sportsmanship Rule.
Sophomore forward Kara Kinkaid had a putback on a missed Burks shot in the paint to give the Lady Eagles their first points of the period with 7:06 remaining, but the Lady Falcons responded with a two-point bucket of their own with 5:12 to go. Sophomore guard Haley Scott made a pair of free throws as time ticked down from the 3:00 mark and made two more in the final minute to set the final.
Miller paced the Lady Eagles with 17 points, nine rebounds, an assists and four steals. Burks added 15 with five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
"I'm really proud of her tonight," Senn said of Burks. "I knew that she had it in her. She's a little timid at times. We have really been trying to push that out of her and get her more physical and aggressive. I tried to leave her in there a little bit longer and give her more reps and it seemed to have paid off. So, hopefully, she will keep that up."
Madison Bellamy added 11 points with nine boards, two steals and an assist. Kinkaid led the Lady Eagles with 12 rebounds.
Madison Bellknap led Maumelle Charter with 11 points and two rebounds. Morgan Myklebust had eight rebounds and Haley Whitacker gathered five rebounds.
The Lady Eagles out-rebounded the Lady Falcons 44-20, the majority of those coming on the defensive side of the court.
"We are usually a pretty good rebounding team," said Senn. "Kara Kinkaid and Grace Slick usually pull down a ton, and C.J. has really stepped up since Christmas break. She is starting to pull down a ton."
Cutter Morning Star hosts Magnet Cove in district play Tuesday. The Lady Eagles routed the Lady Panthers, 54-27, in their last meeting on Dec. 8
Sports on 01/07/2018