Mayflower ends season with split

MAYFLOWER After too many heartbreaking losses to count, Mayflower closed the home season Friday with a 20-point win over Ola.

Brent Stallings' Eagles jumped out to a big lead and pretty much coasted to the 67-47 decision, which closed the regular season.

"It's nice to get one where you don't have to bite your fingernails off," Stallings said. "We did some good things, and we did some things we need to get away from. We didn't block out; we got rebounds because we outsized them, not because we did a good job of blocking out."

Mayflower (9-12) will enter the 5-3A District Tournament at Benton Harmony Grove on Tuesday as the sixth or seventh seed after a 7-9 conference mark that included three consecutive last-second losses at home late in the season. The Eagles will play at 7 p.m. Tuesday against either Bauxite or Perryville, both of which Mayflower split with during the regular season. Should the Eagles win Tuesday, they would play at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Semifinals are set for Friday with the championship Saturday.

Jeremy Pace gave a big effort for the Eagles with a game-high 25 points. He worked in the paint, hit at the foul line and drained buckets from the outside in an all-around effort.

"It felt good to win our last home game for the seniors," he said. "We had to come out with a bang. Our confidence level is coming up. We have the district tournament ahead, and you either win or go home.

"We feel good that we can win."

It took the Eagles just about half of the first quarter to establish their superiority over the Mustangs. They built a 15-8 lead after one quarter to 36-20 at the break. Ola hit back-to-back buckets to open the second half and cut the difference to 36-24, but Mayflower steadied with Pace, Devin Foster and Neal Pace driving to the basket for a 42-25 advantage. Put-backs by Aaron Ivy and Trey Smith made it 53-34 entering the fourth quarter; Smith hit a long baseline 3 to open the final period, 56-34.

"I was glad to see everybody play and nearly everybody score," Stallings said. "Everybody did some good things, but we've got to get away from some inept things we're doing that can keep you from getting the lead or let the other team back in it."

Neal Pace added 10 points for the Eagles.

Shelby Carter and Will King led Ola with nine apiece.

LADY MUSTANGS 56, LADY EAGLES 46

Mayflower lost the girls game to finish the regular-season winless, but coach David Frizzell wasn't unhappy Friday night.

The Lady Eagles, who had just six players for Tuesday's conference finale with St. Joseph, brought up three freshmen Friday from a junior high team that finished 18-12. Twice in the fourth quarter they pulled within four points, but Ola's free throw shooting 24 of 28 for the game kept them at bay.

"We've got some kids coming," said Frizzell, who will graduate Anthea Fuller, Sharla Dean and Rachel Dycus off the varsity team but who brought up Olivia Gray, Elizabeth Coker and Taylor Lasker. "You've got to do three things play hard, play smart and play together, and tonight we did not play smart as far as fouling.

"But I feel better."

Ola built a 12-8 lead after one quarter to 24-14 at the break. The second half, though, was a wash as Fuller scored 16 of her game-high 17 points in the third and fourth quarters.

"We just talked at halftime about how this game was winnable and we needed to play hard, as a team and quit fouling, which we didn't do, and that's what beat us," Frizzell said.

The Lady Mustangs made seven of eight from the foul line in the third quarter and hit just one field goal as Mayflower cut the lead to 36-28 on Coker's jumper from the left side. Fuller hit from the top of the key to open the fourth, and Dean made two free throws to pull Mayflower within 36-32. Ola answered with Brooke Adams from the right side, but Kerri Fortson scored from the lane for Mayflower to make it 38-34 with 6:51 left.

But the Lady Mustangs got five straight points in thwarting the run and kept the lead around double figures the rest of the way.

Mayflower hit just nine of 21 from the line.

Ola finished the regular season 15-8.

"They are strong and physical," Lady Mustang coach Damon Teas said of the Lady Eagles. "We did a good job with free throws and easy baskets."

Sarah Briley led Ola with 15 points. Fortson, just a sophomore, added 15 for Mayflower.

"We've got a good nucleus back," Frizzell said. "I've just got to find a point guard. If we can do that, we'll be competitive. I guess I've got to pull one out of a hat."