GENTRY -- The Gentry Lady Pioneers were back in action Jan. 22 at Pioneer Gym in Gentry, hosting the Shiloh Lady Saints in a conference shootout. The contest was decided in the final 55 seconds on free throws, giving the Lady Saints the win by three.
The first quarter started slowly with neither team able to hit a bucket in the opening two minutes of the contest. At the 5:31 mark, Jaydon Jarnagan landed the first points of the contest on a field goal for Gentry. A few seconds later the Lady Saints answered on a layup by Ryli Russ to tie the game at two all. As the contest progressed through the first quarter, a pair of three-pointers by Randi Jo Bolinger and Jaiden Wilmoth, coupled with a field goal by Emily Toland, put Gentry up 12-2. A free throw by Anna McCredy added the final point in the first quarter for Shiloh as the Lady Pioneers held the lead by nine going into the second.
The Lady Saints picked up the pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Pioneers, 15-7, to pull within one point at the halftime break.
Ariel Nix opened the third quarter with a layup, putting Gentry up by three. The Lady Pioneers extended their lead to six with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter, but the Lady Saints scored two straight field goals to pull within two with less than a minute left. Gentry hit a field goal, extending its lead back to four, but Shiloh connected with a layup to bring the Lady Saints within two once again. McCredy hit one final field goal with just seconds remaining to tie the contest at 32-all going into the final eight minutes of play.
Gentry pulled ahead by three in the first four minutes of the quarter, but the Lady Saints came back a few seconds later and tied the contest at 35. Less than thirty seconds later, Shiloh hit a field goal to move ahead of Gentry for the first time in the game. Gentry regained the lead on a field goal and a free throw, putting the girls back up by one.
With 55 seconds left to play, a pair of free throws by McCredy gave the Lady Saints the lead once again. With time running out, Shea Sandefur hit another pair of free throws, putting the Lady Saints up by three.
The Lady Pioneers were unable to score before time expired, giving the Shiloh Christian Lady Saints the conference win, 41-38.
Although the Lady Pioneers hit 6 of 12 for 50 percent from the free-throw line and the Lady Saints made 7 of 17 for 41 percent, it would be the three free throws at the end of the game that made the difference for the Lady Saints.
Leading the scoring drive for the Lady Pioneers was Ariel Nix with 12, followed by Jaiden Wilmoth with nine, and Randy Jo Bolinger with five. Others contributing to the scoring effort were Jaydon Jarnagan with four, Emily Toland with three, Heidi Reid and Meledy Owens, each with two.
In spite of the sudden snowstorm that hit parts of Northwest Arkansas Jan. 25, the Lady Pioneers found clear roads ahead when the team traveled to Pea Ridge to face the Lady Blackhawks.
The Lady Blackhawks took control of the contest midway through the first quarter and began to build a substantial lead. The Lady Pioneers came back late in the quarter to cut Pea Ridge's lead to eight by the end of the quarter. Gentry tried staying with Pea Ridge in the second quarter, but the Lady Blackhawks had other ideas as they extended their lead to 16 by the break.
Gentry's defense was able to slow down Pea Ridge's scoring drive in the second half but was never able to cut into the Lady Blackhawk lead. The Lady Blackhawks took the conference win, defeating the Gentry Lady Pioneers, 59-43.
Leading the Lady Pioneers scoring effort was Randi Jo Bolinger with 13, followed by Jaiden Wilmoth and Ariel Nix, each with seven. Meledy Owens had six, Jaydon Jarnagan had five, Kinley Hays had four and Halle Reid had one.
Sports on 01/30/2019