JESSIEVILLE -- Senior Night Tuesday proved special for Madison Hair in her final regular-season game at Jessieville Sports Arena.
The 5-8 senior guard-forward scored a team-high 33 points in a 72-62 victory over Mayflower that made Jessieville 20-4 and, at 12-0, clinched the 3A-5 championship. Mayflower's 14-8 and 10-2 marks reflect home-and-away losses to the Lady Lions.
The final score was deceptive after ties of 34 at halftime and 50 after three quarters. Jessieville scored 10 straight points in the first 2:10 of the fourth quarter, Hair with a short jumper and a three-point play as bookends.
Mayflower twice narrowed the deficit to six points before Jessieville closed it out with 6-of-9 floor shooting in the final quarter, beating the Lady Eagles by a greater margin than in a four-point game in Faulkner County.
Jessieville withstood 34 points from junior Tori Lasker.
"Going into the fourth quarter I just told the girls to keep their composure," said Jessieville coach Matt Carter, whose Lady Lions were whistled for 21 turnovers in the teams' first meeting. "We had been in a similar situation in a tight game up there and I just told them to do what we did up there.
"I also just told them to step up it up some defensively. We had played OK in that department, but there was definitely room for improvement in that department and the Lasker girl was taking it right at us. I didn't feel like we had played with the kind of energy we needed up to that point, but the story was different in the fourth quarter."
Junior forward-center Kellie Lampo added 21 points and 5-9 junior guard Faith Bratton 11 for the Lady Lions, who play Class 2A England on the road Friday night.
"Madison had a great night for us on Senior Night," Carter said. "What a great way for her to finish things off in her last regular-season home game. It seemed like every time they got close or tied it up, Madison would answer. She not only scored a lot of points, they all seemed to come at important times.
"I'm very proud of her and we just need her to keep it up going forward."
Sophomore Bella York added 12 points for Mayflower.
"I felt like we answered everything they came at us with tonigh," Carter said. "In my mind, that's a good sign of a team that has grown and is getting better. The games are not going to get any easier and we are not entitled to anything. We are going to have to go out and get the wins."
Mayflower;16 18 16 12 - 62
Jessieville;18 16 16 22 - 72
Mayflower: To. Lasker 34, Tr. Lasker 2, Hampton 2, B. York 12, Harper 5. Jessieville: Carter 4, Bratton 11, Brinkley 1, Hair 33, Lampo 21, Daley 2.
Sports on 02/10/2016