Struggling to find a rhythm offensively for much of the game, the Earle Lady Bulldogs rode their defense to victory in Thursday's Class 2A state championship.
Despite shooting just 30 percent from the field, Earle (30-5) limited Quitman (35-4) to eight baskets in a 48-43 win at Bank of the Ozarks Arena, claiming its second state championship in three years.
Quitman made just one of its 13 shots from the field in the first quarter, but made up for it with five points at the free throw line, including four from Lucy Holland.
Battling through a sluggish start, Earle's RoShala Scott scored four points and grabbed four rebounds to give the Lady Bulldogs an early 10-7 lead.
After leading Earle to a state championship as a freshman, Scott was named most valuable player for the second time, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 31 minutes.
Scott knocked down a 3-pointer, while Alexandria Logan and Colbi Maples each found an opening for a layup as Earle rode a 7-2 run to a 17-9 advantage midway through the second period.
Quitman answered right back with a 10-4 run of its own to pull within 21-19 in the final minute of the second quarter, Josey Bradley and Lucy Holland each with four points down the stretch.
Logan's layup with 25 seconds remaining gave Earle a slim 23-19 lead at the half.
Earle continued to shine defensively in the third period, but Quitman made up for it with its composure at the free throw line. Despite missing all seven of its shots from the field, Quitman converted on 12 of 16 attempts from the charity stripe to cut the deficit to 33-31 entering the final quarter.
Scott had eight points in the third frame for Earle, shaking off her early struggles from the field by connecting on four of her seven shot attempts.
After knotting the score on a layup by Rieley Hooten in the first minute of the fourth quarter, Quitman took its first lead since the opening period when Logan found an opening and delivered a layup for a 39-38 advantage with 2:52 remaining.
Quitman hung around in the final minutes until Maples connected on a 3-pointer to give Earle a 43-39 lead with 1:39 to play. After Hooten gave Quitman one final chance with two free throws to pull within 45-43 with 35 seconds remaining, Scott converted on three of her last four attempts from the line to preserve the win.
Holland paced Quitman with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Hooten also notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Logan had 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Quitman converted on just 8 of its 44 shots from the field, missing all 14 of its attempts from behind the arc.
Earle shot 19 of 63 from the field and 2 of 6 from beyond the 3-point line.
Sports on 03/09/2018