GRAVETTE -- Taylor Hartin led four Prairie Grove players in double figures with 17 points and the Lady Tigers hit 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch to defeat Gravette, 62-54, in a 4A-1 Conference girls' basketball game Friday night.
Cassidi Sapp and Camree Bartholomew both scored 15 points for the Lady Tigers, while Kylie Scott added 10. Prairie Grove was 15 of 22 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Gravette was as close as 58-52 after a three-point play by Tori Foster with 51.6 seconds left, but the Lady Tigers made 4 of 6 free throws to seal their second conference win in as many starts.
Prairie Grove (7-2, 2-0 4A-1) played without leading scorer Mattie Hartin because the senior was diagnosed with a concussion this week. Junior starting guard Parker Lopez (shoulder) also did not play.
"At the end of the game, they took care of the basketball and they made their free throws," said Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud. "We talked about adversity and having players out. I thought Sapp and Scott both made some big plays. I am extremely proud of those girls because that is the most they have played in a varsity game this year.
"It was just a good team win."
Price led the Lady Lions (7-4, 1-1) with 14 points, while Amanda Pinter and Sydney Hicks added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Gravette, which trailed, 45-31, going to the final period, was 13 of 47 from the field and 26 of 36 from the free-throw line after going 10 of 10 from the line in the fourth quarter.
Prairie Grove led, 12-8, after the first quarter and, 31-19, at halftime after Sapp hit back-to-back three pointers late in the second quarter.
"The second quarter kind of got us," said Gravette coach Will Pittman. "I was proud of how we stuck with it and fought. We got it down to six, it was just a play here or there. I was proud of my girls."
The varsity boys did not play Friday night, with eight Prairie Grove players just coming over from the football team which played in the Class 4A state championship game last Saturday night. The boys' game will be played Jan. 21 in Gravette.
4A-1 Conference
Girls
Prairie Grove 62, Gravette 54
Prairie Grove 12 19 14 17 -- 62
Gravette 8 11 12 23 -- 54
Prairie Grove (7-2, 2-0): T.Hartin 17, Bartholomew 15, Sapp 15, Scott 10, Stone 4, Cox 1.
Gravette (7-4, 1-1): Foster 14, A. Pinter 12, Hicks 10, Branscum 9, Chalk 6, S. Pinter 3.
Sports on 12/23/2015