Pittsburg, Stuart win in semis, set up Pitt 8 finals rematch
Jan. 19—The Lady Panthers found a rhythm early and let it fly.
Pittsburg and Kiowa faced off in the Pitt 8 Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday at Crowder, where the Lady Panthers used red-hot scoring in the first half on the way to a 62-31 win to advance to the championship game.
Akeira Hawk got the Lady Panthers going early, sparking a scoring run. Aspen Duvall added three-straight triples while Hawk and Catyn Graham added free throws on the way to a 17-6 lead after the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, Maccie and Mollie Bain combined for seven points for the Cowgirls. But Pittsburg responded with another scoring barrage — going 8-2 in the final five minutes of the period to take a 30-13 lead at the half.
Pittsburg kept the momentum going at the start of the second half, rattling off a 7-2 run. Kiowa got points from Maccie Bain and Paige Igou, but the Lady Panthers answered with a swishing triple from Catyn Graham. After a battle to the horn, the Lady Panthers found themselves leading 42-24 heading into the final period of play.
The pair fought to the end, but it'd be the Lady Panthers returning to the championship game in search of completing back-to-back title runs.
Hawk led the way for the Lady Panthers with 22 points, followed by Catyn Graham with 21 points, Duvall with 15 points, and Keely Couch with three points.
Maccie Bain led the Cowgirls with 10 points, followed by Igou with seven points, Mollie Bain with six points, Madyson Wolfenbarger and Allie Scrivner with three points each, and Shaylee Nichols with two points.
Pittsburg advances to play Stuart in the title game, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at Crowder. Kiowa moves into the third-place game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Crowder.
STUART 51, CANADIAN 34
The Lady Hornets are heading back to the title game.
Stuart and Canadian faced off in the Pitt 8 Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday at Crowder, where the Lady Hornets took a 51-34 win and advanced to the championship game for the second year in a row.
The Lady Hornets jumped out early, using a 6-0 run for the lead. But the Lady Cougars responded with a swishing triple from Dasie Graham to cut the deficit in half. Emery Arnold and Sydney Gray next added five quick points, pushing Canadian out in front.
Stuart struck right back, using buckets from Haddie Lindley and Haili Igor on the way to a 13-8 lead after the opening quarter.
The Lady Hornets kept the momentum into the second period, nabbing back-to-back scores from Lindley and Kaylee Ford. Canadian responded with a 7-3 run to cut into the deficit, but six quick points from Lindley put Stuart up 26-17 at the half.
Both teams traded buckets on the other side of the break, battling back-and-forth in the third quarter. The Lady Cougars rattled off a scoring run late, leading to a 36-28 Stuart lead heading into the fourth.
Canadian cut the deficit down to seven to start the final period, with Stuart calling a timeout with 5:47 remaining. Lindley come up big on the other side for the Lady Hornets, nailing back-to-back triples from the right side to extend the lead to 13 points midway through the fourth.
Arnold answered with a post-up bucket on the next possession for Canadian, but Stuart struck right back with a layup form Jacie Crenshaw.
Stuart and Canadian both battled to the end, but it'd be the Lady Hornets sealing away the win — sending Stuart to its second-consecutive Pitt 8 Tournament championship game.
Lindley led the way for Stuart with 23 points, followed by Igou with nine points, Ford with eight points, Reagan Wade with six points, and Crenshaw with four points.
Arnold led Canadian with 12 points, followed by Dalaina Watson with eight points, Tammanie Anzlovar with six points, Graham with five points, and Gray with three points.
The Lady Hornets advance to the title game on Saturday at Crowder to face Pittsburg, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. Canadian will advance to the third place game on Saturday at Crowder against Kiowa, with tipoff set for 3 p.m.
