Report by Blake Smith
The Melbourne Lady Bearkatz cruised to an opening-round regional tournament victory.
Wednesday night, taking on the Conway Christian Lady Eagles.
It was all Lady Katz from the opening tip, leading 25-5 after one quarter and 50-12 at halftime.
The sportsmanship clock ran in the fourth quarter, and Melbourne ran away with an 88-28 win. Kenley McCarn led all scorers with 20 points, with Jenna Lawrence right behind with 18.
The Lady Katz improve to 27-1 with the victory and advance to the regional semifinals Friday at 4 p.m., where they await the winner of Thursday’s game between Quitman and Tuckerman.
The Melbourne Bearkatz clinched their first state tournament appearance Wednesday night with a win in the opening round of the regional tournament, defeating the Maumelle Charter Falcons by a score of 65-53.
The Katz got off to a hot start offensively, establishing a seven-point lead that would be as close as the Falcons would get all night.
Melbourne led 14-7 after one quarter and 30-22 at halftime.
The third quarter brought a delay in the game, as Bearkat Layton Hennings suffered a leg injury that would require medical attention.
After a thirty-plus minute delay, the teams returned to the floor, and the Katz extended the lead to its final margin of 12 points.
Riley Gray led Melbourne in scoring with 15 points, Hennings had 13 points, and Bradie Gunther added 10.
The Bearkatz improve to 16-6 and will play Friday night at 7, where they will meet the winner of Thursday’s game between Hector and Tuckerman.
