THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Hot Springs High School Athletics

Hot Springs Coach Josh Smith wasn't very vocal prior to Saturday's showdown against Little Rock Parkview, but the smile on his face after the final buzzer said plenty. Senior guards Imani Honey and Ariana Guinn combined for 45 points and 10 steals to send the Lady Trojans to the Class 5A girls state title game with a 67-53 victory over the Lady Patriots at Maumelle High School. "I don't know how to describe this feeling right now," Smith said after his team advanced to the final for the first time in three years. "Being with that group when I took over three years ago ... we've been so close in the tournament. And now to get this opportunity, it's incredible." Hot Springs (30-3) got another stellar performance out of its starting backcourt, which has been the norm for the Lady Trojans during this postseason. Fresh off her 39-point game in the second round, Honey finished with 26 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds. Guinn, who had a 29-point outing in the first round, had 19 points, 5 steals and 4 assists. The Lady Trojans also got a 13-point, 10-rebound showing from junior forward Nya Moody and a 7-point, 11-rebound effort from junior forward Jaidan Thomas. Parkview (20-10) also got a big game from its starting guards, led by Kania Lasker. The senior scored a game-high 27 points, with 19 coming in the first half. Senior Mikayla Alexander added 10 points, but a rough third quarter had the Lady Patriots playing catch-up. Parkview missed 8 of 9 shots and threw the ball away six times in the period. The Lady Trojans scored off four of those turnovers, with Guinn's steal and layup jump-starting a quarter-ending 9-0 run. "We dug a hole for ourselves," Parkview Coach Lahoma Howard said. "We were tied 33-33 at halftime, and then we started making a lot of mental, crazy mistakes. We weren't boxing out, and we started taking bad shots. "Those things should've never happened, and it cost us." Honey scored the final six points of Hot Springs' third-period rally and spurred the Lady Trojans to a 45-37 lead by quarter's end. Parkview spent a large portion of the fourth chasing Honey and Guinn around the perimeter but was unable to make a run. The Lady Patriots were behind 53-46 with 2:39 remaining after a three-pointer from sophomore guard Dynasty McGraw but could get no closer. Hot Springs made just 20 of its 43 free-throw attempts but hit 8 over the final two minutes to hold on. "Lasker makes them go," Smith said. "She had that great first half, but I told the girls that we've got to contain her and find a way to slow her down. I thought we did that a little bit down the stretch and made them take tough shots. "And then we rebounded the ball well. When we controlled the boards in that third quarter, we settled down, made some plays and finished around the rim." Hot Springs, which will play the winner of Watson Chapel and Nettleton in the title game, outrebounded Parkview 40-27, including 25-10 in the second half. The Lady Trojans also shot 22 of 39 from the floor. The Lady Patriots hit 7 of 12 shots in the first quarter but went just 9 of 42 the rest of the way.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Hot Springs High School Athletics

HOT SPRINGS DUO TALLIES 45 POINTS

ERICK TAYLOR

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 3/4/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Thomas Metthe