GENTRY — Gentry’s junior-high girls’ basketball squad took the Benton County Tournament championship with a 31-19 win over Bentonville Black in the quarterfinal, a 28-20 win over Siloam Springs in the semifinal, and a 32-36 win over Rogers in the championship game.
“What a great team effort we had all week!” said Gentry coach Daren Ward. “The girls pushed each other in practice, and that showed in the games.”
Playing a strong defense, the gentry girls were able to keep the upper hand against their opponents during last week’stournament at Decatur.
“Our defense was the key for us in this tournament,” Ward said, “especially playing against teams that were bigger than us. I feel like we bothered the teams we played with our pressure, so I was really proud of our defensive intensity every game.
“Our team is excitedabout what we accomplished, but we are going to stay focused on each game as it comes and try to get better each time we step on the floor,” Ward added. “I like the direction we're headed in, but we know we have a tough conference schedule ahead, so it's important to take this week and build upon it.”
Sports, Pages 9 on 12/05/2012