THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Hot Springs High School Athletics

Even in the midst of an 18-game winning streak, the Hot Springs Lady Trojans have been searching for their first complete performance of the season with the state tournament rapidly approaching. The Lady Trojans (27-3) found what they were looking for against two-time defending state champion Watson Chapel (25-4) Friday night. Battling with the Lady Wildcats for three quarters, Hot Springs built a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and withstood a late comeback bid to claim its second consecutive 5A-South conference championship with a 65-56 win at Trojan Fieldhouse. "I think that was as close to the complete performance as we can get," Hot Springs coach Josh Smith said. "There were moments rebounding-wise there late in the game, but we were battling foul trouble. We had crazy lineups out there; lineups that we have never played. "I can't say enough about what (senior) Trinitee Nevels did tonight. We had two ninth-graders that played quality minutes tonight in Jurnee Hicks and Jaylia Reed. Everybody stepped up for this one, and the fans were great. It was a great night for all of us." Senior guard Ariana Guinn set the tone for the Lady Trojans in the opening quarter with 11 points to give Hot Springs an early 17-13 lead, burying two 3-pointers and converting on 3 of 4 attempts from the free throw line. Watson Chapel held the backcourt duo of Guinn and Imani Honey in check in the second period, but the Lady Trojans got four points from Hicks and limited the Lady Wildcats to just 10 points to maintain a 27-23 advantage at the half. "I thought we did a good job of containing their bigs for the most part in the first half," said Smith. "A lot of their points came off of offensive rebounds. We did our job the first go round, but we have to make sure we clean up those rebounds and we probably hold it down a little more." After leaving the game in the second quarter with a cut above her eye, Honey came back with a vengence in the second half. The senior scored five quick points in the third period, sparking a 9-2 run to give Hot Springs a 36-25 lead in the first five minutes. "That was huge, because you just don't know how a game is going to go with as many fouls that we called," Smith said. "You want that cushion in a game like this, and we gave ourselves enough of a cushion that even with the couple mistakes we made down the stretch, we were still able to do the job." Honey finished with 10 points in the third quarter as the Lady Trojans withstood four points each from Watson Chapel's Ky'aria Ginger and Wyvette Mayberry for a 43-34 lead entering the final frame. With both teams in the double bonus, the fourth quarter came down to free throws and Hot Springs made the most of its opportunites at the line. The Lady Trojans knocked down 16 of their 20 attempts in the final period, while Watson Chapel connected on just 6 of its 13 free throws down the stretch. "That is what it was about," said Smith. "It was about getting the ball in Ariana and Imani's hands and getting them to the line. They love that moment, and they are made for that moment." Mayberry hit two shots from behind the arc in the final minutes, bringing the Lady Wildcats within 62-56 with 26 seconds remaining, but Hot Springs answered with two points from Nevels and a free throw by Honey to preserve the win. Honey led all scorers with 23 points, including 19 in the second half, while Guinn finished with 22 points before fouling out with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. "It is the same conversation we have had for three years about those two," Smith said. "I have been telling them that they can control everything on the basketball court, and now we just wait for those moments." Mayberry paced the Lady Wildcats with 14 points and Jakhiyah Boston added 13 points. Ginger scored 11 points for Watson Chapel. The top-seeded Lady Trojans will face the 5A-West No. 4 seed in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Maumelle High School. "We have been trying to get them to understand all year what it means to be one," said Smith. "We had bodies on the floor tonight. We had blood and scratches from it. I think they put themselves out there for each other, and that is all that we have been asking for all year. They realized what they can be when they do that for each other and that's huge."

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Hot Springs High School Athletics

LADY TROJANS FEND OFF WATSON CHAPEL FOR 5A-SOUTH TITLE

ZACK PARKER

The Sentinel-Record | 2/25/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Brewer