There was disappointment following Wednesday’s 7A state tournament loss to Springdale.

But there was a feeling of pride, too.

The Mavericks cracked the playoff barrier for the first time since 2014 and, with less than four minutes to play, Southside had a chance to take the lead, something that eluded them all game.

But Springdale’s Marquesha Davis had an answer, and 27 points, to help the Lady Bulldogs eke out a 56-48 win over scrappy Southside.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Southside coach Steve Brown said. “I thought we had a good game plan coming in. She’s (Davis) a very talented gal. She’s as good as we’ve seen this year.”

Davis scored 10 of her 15 first-half points in the first quarter as the Lady Bulldogs (19-9) jumped ahead quickly, 12-3.

But Southside found its footing and, thanks to Kelly Carson and Moorea Kleck, crept to within seven (26-19) at the half.

“It was exciting to even get to come to state, because we haven’t been all three years I’ve been here,” Carson said. “I really had a good feeling about this game, so it was nice to go into a game and actually play with them.”

Springdale 56, Southside 48 (Girls)

Southside 7 12 18 11 — 48

Springdale 16 10 15 15 — 56

Springdale (19-9): Davis 27, Gause 7, Sysavanh 5, James 3, Caldwell 2.

Southside (4-22): Carson 18, Minchew 12, Kleck 10, Rainwater 9, Jones 4, Smith 3, Graham 2, Rice 1, Fondren 1.

Even when Davis fired an ill-advised 3-pointer trying to stop the bleeding, her teammate, Ashlyn Minchew, rebounded her miss and scored to give the Bulldogs a 45-41 lead.

Kleck wheeled around a screen and hit a driving layup to pull the Mavericks within two (45-43) with 4:31 left, and after another Davis bucket, Montana Smith launched a 3-pointer from the left baseline that drew nothing but cotton, pulling the Mavericks within 47-46 with 3:49 left to play.


“We got within one point,” Carson said. “I think if we had gotten the lead, we all would have had that second rush of wind.”

Brown said the same thing.

“I liked where we were,” Brown said. “We had another chance, an isolation play, that we didn’t get. We ran a play at (Davis); she had four fouls and I thought if we can get her out we had a chance.”

Davis intercepted a Maverick pass, drove the length of the floor for a layup, and Springdale eventually extended its lead to 10.

“Survive and advance,” Springdale coach Heather Hunsucker said. “Coach Brown does a really good job. I was proud of our team’s execution down the stretch. I thought we got just enough stops in the last four minutes, and just enough rebounds, to close that game of.”

Carson finished with a team-high 18 points. Kleck added 10 and Hannah Rainwater scored nine.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh, we’re so close now.’ But that girl, that Davis, she’s such a good ballplayer,” Rainwater said. “She just took it from us.”
