Lady Wildcats Fall In South Finals; Headed to State

  • LEA HAS HOT START - Rison's Destiny Lea launches a jumper during first half action of Saturday night's Class 2A South Region Final against the Fordyce Ladybugs. Lean hit three of the Lady Wildcats' four 3-pointers in the first quarter as they rallied from an 7-0 deficit to a 10-7 lead. (Photo by Seymore Weathers)
    LEA HAS HOT START - Rison's Destiny Lea launches a jumper during first half action of Saturday night's Class 2A South Region Final against the Fordyce Ladybugs. Lean hit three of the Lady Wildcats' four 3-pointers in the first quarter as they rallied from an 7-0 deficit to a 10-7 lead. (Photo by Seymore Weathers)
  • SWARMING THE POST - Rison's Carlese Johnson (no. 20), LaDrea Hamilton (no. 5) and Aubre Brandon (background, no. 32) converge Fordyce's 6-3 center Jadie Hines. Lady Wildcat Coach Seth Taylor said their strategy was to limit Hines' on offense as much as possible. She finished with three field goals in the game.(Photo by Seymore Weathers)
    SWARMING THE POST - Rison's Carlese Johnson (no. 20), LaDrea Hamilton (no. 5) and Aubre Brandon (background, no. 32) converge Fordyce's 6-3 center Jadie Hines. Lady Wildcat Coach Seth Taylor said their strategy was to limit Hines' on offense as much as possible. She finished with three field goals in the game.(Photo by Seymore Weathers)
    FORDYCE - Rison got off to a red hot start in the Class 2A South Region finals Saturday night, but early foul trouble cooled the Lady Wildcats and the Fordyce Ladybugs took advantagbe for a 50-31 victory. Rison advanced to the finals by knocking off Spring Hill, 52-43, last Thursday in the first round of the regional tournament and then pulled off a thrilling 36-35 last-second win over Acorn in the semifinals on Friday to advance. The Lady 'Cats move on to the Class 2A State Tournament at Rector this week as the no. 2 seed from the South Region. They are scheduled to play Mar-maduke, the no. 3 seed from the North, at 4 p.m. today (Wednesday, March 1) in the single elimination tournament. Early on in the championship game, it looked as though the Ladybugs were going to run away with it as they bolted out to a quick 7-0 lead before Rison reeled off a 10-0 run of its own. Destiny Lea drilled what would be the first of her three 3pointers in the first quarter at the 6:30 mark to end the Fordyce run. She came back with another trey to make it 7-6 and the Lady Wildcats then tied it up on Shermyah Bracey's free throw with 5:20 left in the first. Rison then took what turned out to be its first and only lead of the game when Lea hit her third bomb to make it 10-7 Lady 'Cats with 4:24 left in the opening period. Fordyce answered with its third 3-pointer of the first quarter when Na'Kayla Washington hit one from behind the arch to draw the Ladybugs even, 10-10, before a couple of baskets put the them up 14-10. Chamira Crain hit another 3 for Rison late in the quarter to make cut it to 14-13 deficit before Washington drilled another from deep to push the Ladybugs' lead to 17-13. Washington finished with a game-high 20 points. While the Lady Wildcats ended up making four 3's in that opening frame, Rison Coach Seth Taylor said he was not counting on Fordyce to answer with three of their own. ...

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