It's been and up-and-down season for the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs, the two-time defending 6A state champs, but when it mattered most, the GHS girls were up to the task, defeating Alma last week to secure a return to the state playoffs. They will end their regular season at home on Friday, hosting the Belles of Mount St. Mary.
Other Games
This past Tuesday night, the Lady Bulldogs traveled across the Arkansas River to Van Buren and lost to a very good Lady Pointers squad, 61-32. Kyiah Julian led the scoring for Greenwood with 10 points, followed by Maddie Goodner's nine points and Ashley Rozell's seven. Last Friday they played at Russellville, losing 51-29 to the Lady Cyclones.
Prior to hosting Alma on February 16th, the GHS girls dropped a 72-59 decision at home to league-leading Conway on the 12th.
Greenwood was within 23-17 after a frantic opening period. Early on, the Lady Bulldogs got three-pointers from Kaila Cartwright (2), and a one each by Ashley Rozell, Maddie Goodner, and Kyiah Julian. The GHS girls finished the game with a season-high 12 three-pointers.
But Conway (25-1), the state's top-ranked girls team, still held a 47-30 lead at the half. Greenwood outscored Conway 19-16 in the third period, but it wasn't enough to avoid the loss. Kyiah Julian finished with 20 points, while Maddie Goodner had 14.
On Tuesday, February 9th, the Lady Bulldogs played well but lost, 51-47, at Class 6A Siloam Springs, missing a chance to further solidify their grip on a post-season bid. Goodner led the team in scoring with 18 points, while Julian added 11 points.
Alma
On January 19th, the Lady Bulldogs picked up their most important road win of the season at Alma, winning handily, 56-35. But until last Tuesday (February 16th) that was the only 6A win in conference play.
Complicating the matter, Alma upset Siloam Springs in late January to notch it's only 6A win, leaving Greenwood and Alma tied for the third and final post-season slot. So a lot was on the line for both teams when they met last Tuesday at H.B. Stewart Arena.
The game started slowly as both teams combined for just 14 total points in the first period, 7-7. After Greenwood took a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter, the Alma girls hit a pair of three-pointers on successive possessions, taking a 13-10 advantage. But the Lady Bulldogs rallied to finish the first half with a 7-0 run, taking a 17-13 advantage to the locker room.
The Airedalettes returned the favor to start the second half, scoring seven unanswered points for a 20-17 led just 1:19 into the third quarter. But GHS Head Coach Clay Reeves called a strategic timeout to halt Alma's momentum, and when play resumed, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the visitors 14-6 through the end of the period.
Alma led 23-19 lead with 5:37 left in the third quarter when Greenwood started its charge. Sara Reeves hit two free throws, starting a 7-0 scoring run. Kaila Cartwright then scored inside, before Ashley Rozell buried a pair of three-pointers for a 29-23 lead with 1:32 remaining in the quarter.
Sarah Reeves ended the period with an inside bucket off an offensive rebound for a 31-26 lead to close the quarter. The Lady Bulldogs then kept their momentum going in the fourth quarter, opening the period with a game-changing 10-0 scoring run, sealing the victory.
Cartwright drove for a basket and later hit a free throw before finding Reeves underneath for an easy basket. Rozell then stroked another trey, and Reeves converted a assist from Maddie Goodner into two points for a 41-26 lead with 2:58 remaining.
After the win, Coach Reeves was pleased with his team's effort, but also tipped his hat to Alma. “They had a good game plan,” said the coach. “They did a great job for three quarters and shot the ball really well. We had to change our defense. They were hitting great shots against us. They shoot the ball real well, and we had to get out on them.”
As for his Lady Bulldogs, Reeves said, “We had a different player open a different times, and we just had to step up and hit a shot. Fortunately, Rozell stepped up. We got her the ball in open spots, and she hit them down the stretch."
The GHS combo of Sarah Reeves and Ashley Rozell combined for 29 points. Reeves did all of her damage inside, scoring 17 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds. Rozell added 12 points on her four three-pointers.
The win assured the Lady Bulldogs of the third seed and a playoff slot, since they won both games over Alma and hold the tiebreaker. The state tournament begins next week at Russellville High School, and the bracket has Greenwood playing the #4 team from the 6A South at 7 p.m.
Should they win their opener, the Lady Bulldogs would advance and play again next Friday, with the semi-finals set for Saturday. All state title games will be played in Centennial Bank Arena at the Hot Springs Convention Center over three days, March 10-12.