By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Lady Panther basketball team claimed the consolation bracket championship Saturday at the Mount Saint Mary Heavenly Hoops Tournament by defeating the Star City Lady Bulldogs by a score of 53-48. The Lady Panthers also led by five at the half, but Star City was able to tie the
game in the fourth quarter before Cabot pulled ahead for the victory.
Cabot had lost to Watson Chapel in the first round, but then defeated eStem to reach the consolation final.
“We played really hard, we never quit,” said Cabot coach Carla Crowder. “Carly Melder came in and got a gigantic rebound that cinched the game right there. I’m proud of them for working hard. We never gave up. We played hard the whole game.”
Star City took a 5-0 early lead before Cabot’s Lesley Roberts hit a 2-point basket. She was fouled on another made 2-pointer and added the free throw to tie the game at 5-5. Anna Wynn then hit her second 3-point basket to give the Lady Bulldogs an 8-5 lead.
Cabot made it 8-6 on a free throw by Josie VanOss, and that score held for several scoreless minutes before Star City turned the ball over to Roberts who took it the length of the floor to tie the game at 8-8 with a lay-up at the buzzer to end the quarter.
The game was tied at 11 early in the second quarter, and the Lady Bulldogs took a 15-11 advantage before VanOss was fouled on her own offensive rebound, and converted two free throws. Roberts then hit the first free throw of a one-and-one, and then scored on a cut to the basket with an assist by Holly Allen to give the Lady Panthers a 16-15 lead.
Star City went back ahead by two, but Cabot went on a seven-point run to end the half with a 23-18 advantage. Allen hit a 3-pointer, followed by a two under the basket after a Lady Bulldog turnover. Haley Sobczak then rebounded her own miss for a put-back to end the half.
In the third quarter, VanOss made the lead 26-18 with a two-point basket on an assist by Roberts on a sideline out-of-bounds play.
Kenzie Wagner hit a reverse lay-up, and Allen hit the two free throws awarded Cabot for a technical foul on the opposing coach, and the lead was 34-26. The Lady Bulldogs cut the lead to 34-30, but VanOss scored on a cut to the basket, and the Lady Panthers led 36-30 at the end of three quarters.
The lead grew to 43-34 in the fourth, but Star City went on a nine-point run to tie the score at 43 with 2:29 remaining in the contest.
Camryn Harmon hit both ends of a one-and-one to give the lead back to Cabot, but a free throw by Sarajane Linsy cut the lead back to one. Harmon was fouled and made two more from the line for the 47-44 edge. Linsy answered with a 2-pointer, but Allen responded with a basket for the Lady Panthers and the 49-46 lead. Harmon, Wagner, and Allen added free throws for the final points for Cabot, while the Lady Bulldogs added another two-pointer to set the final score at 53-48.
Allen led in scoring for the Lady Panthers with 13 points. Roberts added 12, and VanOss had 10 points. Linsy led Star City with 16 points.
North Little Rock won the tournament with a 76-67 victory over Conway. Watson Chapel won the game for third place, defeating Mount Saint Mary 43-22. E-Stem defeated Forrest City 63-50 to finish in seventh place.
