PRAIRIE GROVE -- Sound defense by Prairie Grove offset foul troubles and early 3-point shooting by West Fork as the home team Lady Tigers defeated the visitors, 45-28, on Friday, Dec. 7.
"I thought we did a real, good job of hitting some shots early and got the lead," said Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud. "They finally started missing some threes and we were able to get a lead and keep it. Emily Grant had a real good night offensively and we did a lot of good things. We got in foul trouble with Jasmine (Wynos) and the other girls stepped up, (Kaylee) Elder and all the other girls."
West Fork led 11-10 on its third 3-pointer of the first period, all by junior forward Hannah Johnson. Prairie Grove then fashioned a 14-0 run spanning the last 1:48 of the first and 4:52 of the second quarter. Emily Grant, who led all scorers with 21 points, started the spurt nine seconds after Johnson's trey as the Lady Tigers advanced the ball in fast progression. She hit a pull-up in the lane at the horn giving Prairie Grove a 14-11 lead at the end of the first period.
The run continued well into the second quarter giving Prairie Grove separation on the scoreboard. Grant took a cross-court pass from Larisha Crawford to nail a 3-pointer. Jordan Sugg played seamstress threading the needle on a bounce pass to Crawford for a layup, then drove unchecked from the top-of-the-key to lay the ball in after Prairie Grove played it in underneath the basket. Lexie Madewell's assist to Crawford resulted in a 3-pointer and a 24-11 Prairie Grove lead.
The Lady Tigers were ahead, 26-17, at the half and 36-23 going into the fourth quarter, never allowing West Fork to get back into the game. West Fork went scoreless for the final 6:31 after Johnson scored off a steal as Prairie Grove recorded a 45-28 home-court win.
"We got a great defensive team and we were able to hit some shots when we needed to," Froud said. "Grant had a good offensive game."
Grant made 7-of-14 shots overall, including a pair of 3-pointers while Elder led the team in rebounds with 7.
PRAIRIE GROVE 45, WEST FORK 28
West Fork^11^6^6^5 -- ^28
Prairie Grove^14^12^10^9 -- ^45
West F0rk: Individual scoring totals not available.
Prairie Grove (3-2): Emily Grant 7-14 5-6 21, Larisha Crawford 3-7 3-5 10, Jasmine Wynos 2-2 2-4 6, Lexie Madewell 1-6 0-2 3, Jordan Sugg 1-1 1-2 3, Kaylee Elder 1-3 0-2 2, Mariah Halbert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 15-34 11-21 40.
3-point Goals -- Prairie Grove 4-11 (Grant 2-6, Madewell 1-2, Crawford 1-3).
Rebounds -- Prairie Grove 25 (Elder 7). Assists -- Prairie Grove 9 (Sugg 3, Madewell 3). Steals -- Prairie Grove 4 (Crawford, Elder, Grant, Madewell). Turnovers -- Prairie Grove 10.
Elkins 33, Prairie Grove 30
ELKINS 33, PRAIRIE GROVE 30
Prairie Grove^4^3^9^14 -- ^30
Ekins^1^5^16^11 -- ^33
Prairie Grove (3-2): Emily Grant 4-11 3-4 13, Jasmine Wynos 3-4 1-2 7, Larisha Crawford 1-8 2-2 5, Lexie Madewell 0-10 3-4 3, Jordan Sugg 1-7 0-0 2, Kaylee Elder 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 9-40 9-12 30.
Elkins (5-2): Individual scoring totals not available.
3-point Goals -- Prairie Grove 3-25 (Grant 2-6, Crawford 1-8, Elder 0-1, Madewell 0-5, Sugg 0-5).
Rebounds -- Prairie Grove 10 (Sugg 4). Assists -- Prairie Grove 3 (Madewell 2). Steals -- Prairie Grove 9 (Crawford 3, Madewell 3). Turnovers -- Prairie Grove 6.
Sports on 01/02/2019