Central Arkansas Christian stampedes Prairie Grove at state tourney
Posted on Wednesday, March 1, 2006
SEARCY — Like a matador methodically orchestrating the killing of a bull, there is a certain cold-blooded efficiency with how Central Arkansas Christian takes apart its opponents.
The Lady Mustangs generate turnovers with a stifling press, thwart shots with aggressive defense inside the paint and then strike on offense by dumping the ball down low to post player Whitney Zachariason.
Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud watched in dismay as all of the above took place Tuesday in the opening round of the AAA State Tournament at Riverview High School, where CAC cruised to a 78-36 victory over the Lady Tigers in a game that concluded after the mercy rule had been invoked.
The Lady Mustangs (32-2) led by as much as 46 points in the second half and were on pace to score 102 at one point. "That was a little easier than I thought it would be," CAC coach Steve Quattlebaum said. "I think we’re pretty focused on what we need to do. Our kids have been here before. They understand that in the state tournament one bad game and you’re through for the year."
But CAC, which won the state title last season, hasn’t had any poor performances against Arkansas teams this season. The Lady Mustangs’ only two losses have been to two schools in Georgia — Tucker and Southwest Dekalb — at the Peach Tree Classic in December.
Central Arkansas Christian hasn’t walked off the floor with a defeat since then. "They’ve got guards, role players and stars," Froud said. "They’ve got what you need."
Central Arkansas Christian jumped out to a 15-2 lead, as it shut down Prairie Grove’s offense and attacked the basket. The Lady Mustangs forced the Lady Tigers (16-16) to commit 10 turnovers in the first quarter, and Amanda Morris tallied 6 points before Prairie Grove converted a field goal attempt.
Not until Brea Bartholomew knocked down a three-pointer just before time expired in the opening period did the Lady Tigers make a shot that wasn’t a free throw. By that point, the score was 25-8 and CAC could taste yet another win. "It’s hard to score on us on the inside, because of Whitney [Zachariason]," Quattlebaum said. "She gets a lot of attention for her offensive skills, but she is an unbelievable defensive player. She just keeps getting better and better."
Zachariason, who scored a game-high 18 points, blocked nine shots and prevented Prairie Grove from getting easy looks and establishing any offensive rhythm.
When the Lady Tigers were on offense, it was a chore just to get the ball inside to any of their post players. Prairie Grove, which upset Berryville in the 1 AAA District Tournament and gave Farmington a fight at last week’s regional tournament, just had no answer for the Lady Mustangs.
Froud tried to glean any positives from the seasonending loss. He said a foundation has been set for the future. "I was pleased that we made it here to the state tournament," he said. "We’re going to use this as a building block for our program. All of these kids are blue-collar kids. There were chances they could have given up all year. But they kept fighting and battling."
But this time Prairie Grove couldn’t overcome one of the best teams in the state and as a result it will have to come back home. Prairie Grove 8 7 15 6 — 36 Central Ark. Christian 25 26 22 5 — 78
Prairie Grove: Magnuson 6, Bartholomew 6, Kaminski 5, Rice 4, Hulet 4, Novak 3, Burris 2, Wilson 2, Box 2, Battles 2
Central Arkansas Christian: Zachariason 18, Hatcher 12, Kenley 9, Morris 9, Harper 8, Kimbrow 6, Dempsey 4, Fisher 4, Henderson 3, Russell 3, Joiner 2
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