By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Beebe Lady Badgers made short work of Mills University Studies in the 5A-Central Conference opener Tuesday night at Badger Arena. The Lady Badgers cruised to a 68-23 victory over the winless Lady Comets, while the Badger boys lost 68-40 to the highly-ranked Comets.
The Beebe girls opened with some pressure defense and Mills had no answer. Turnover after turnover led to layup after layup for the Lady Badgers. Beebe led 29-2 by the end of the first quarter and coach Greg Richey went deep down his bench early and often.
The Lady Badgers dominated every statistical category, outrebounding Mills 35-15 and totaling 18 steals in the game.
The Lady Badgers only managed to outscore Mills 13-7 in the second quarter, but reeled off 22 in the third to take a 50-point lead, 64-14, into the final frame, where the Lady Comets were able to cut that margin slightly by game’s end.
Senior post player Gracie Anders led all scorers with 13 points. Sophomore Libbie Hill added 11 while juniors Kierston Miller and Hannah Camp scored 10 points apiece for the Lady Badgers.
In the boys’ game, Mills took control early and was never threatened. Brad Worthington and Bryson Bell each scored 11 points to lead the Badgers.
Beebe played at Pulaski Academy on Friday in a crucial early girls’ game in the 5A-Central. Look for details of that game in Wednesday’s Leader.
The Badgers’ and Lady Badgers’ next game will be at home on Tuesday against McClellan.
