NORTHSIDE GIRLS SURPRISE COACH

FORT SMITH -- Fort Smith Northside Coach Rickey Smith wasn't too sure before the game about his team's chances to compete withNorth Little Rock on Friday night. The Lady Bears did more than that, closing the game on a 12-3 run to pull away with a 55-52 victory against the Lady Charging Wildcats in a 7A-Central game at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse. "Before the game, I was worried about keeping the game competitive," Smith said. "I'm not going to lie to you. Our seniors, though, deserve this one. It was our night. We really needed this one." North Little Rock (16-2, 3-1) held a 39-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter but scored only three points in the final 2:10 of the game. That allowed Northside (9-8, 2-2) to complete the come-from-behind victory. "We just kind of lost our composure a little bit," North Little Rock Coach Daryl Fimple said. "As a coach, I wonder what I could've done to prepare a little better. But this is a tough conference. I don't think anybody is running the table." Northside seniors Topazia Hawkins and Maegan Bandimere led the way in the fourth quarter, combining for 12 of the team's 22 fourth-quarter points. Hawkins scored a basket with 1:23 left in the game to give Northside a 50-49 lead, and Bandimere closed it out by scoring the rest of the team's points from the free-throw line. "I'm just so proud, and our kids deserve this success," Smith said. "This year has been hard on me and this program. A lesser team would have rolled over." Hawkins finished with a team-high 18 points, and Bandimere added 17 points for the Lady Bears. North Little Rock shot the ball well, making 18 of 35 from the field in the game, but it finished with 24 turnovers, including seven in the final quarter. "I felt like we shot the ball really well," Fimple said. "But we just turned the ball over too much. Turnovers got us, and they always will against any team you play." North Little Rock was led by junior Amber Hawkinson's game-high 21 points. Sophomore Kennady Tucker and senior Mackenzie Tillman each added 11 points. North Little Rock took a 25-24 lead into halftime by finding good shots from the field, making 8 of 17, despite turning the ball over 10 times. The Lady Charging Wildcats took an early 12-4 lead thanks to an 8-0 run in the first quarter. But the Lady Bears battled back, using a 9-3 run in the second quarter that was capped by a three-point basket from Bandimere. The outside shot cut the lead to 23-22 late in the first half. Northside made just 3 of 12 from the field in the first quarter, but it made 6 of 11 in the second quarter while turning the ball over just 5 times in the first half.

NORTHSIDE GIRLS SURPRISE COACH

HAROLD MCLLVAIN

NWA Democrat Gazette | 1/21/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Northside Athletics