Hot Springs – After a cold start from the field early on, the Melbourne Bearkatz used a blistering 26-9 second quarter spurt to take the suspense out of the Class 2A Girls State Championship Game as three players finished in double figures in a runaway 47-28 win over Quitman on Thursday night at the Bank Of Ozark Arena.
It was the second consecutive state championship for Melbourne – who beat Riverside 48-23 a year ago to win their first title in 46 years.
Dani Hardaway’s three-point basket with 2:08 left in the first quarter was Melbourne’s first bucket of the night and knotted the score at 3-3 after Lucy Holland’s three-point play gave Quitman the first points of the contest just seconds before.
But from there, the Bearkatz poured it on by shooting a blistering percent from the field and never looked back on a night where the threat of cancellation hung over the only high school state tournament in progress with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the country.
Melbourne shot 2-for-12 (16.7%) from the field and Quitman went 1-for-9 (11.1%) in the opening six minutes of the game.
Melbourne’s relentless press forced several Bulldog turnovers during the run and forced Quitman to play catch-up for much of the way.
Freshman Jenna Lawrence paced Melbourne (34-2) with 11 points and seven blocks while Hardaway and Kenley McCarn each added eight points for the Bearcatz.
Faulkner County Focus Sports 