Norwood, Hicks play in All-Star game

By Scott McDonald

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

CONWAY — The East continues to dominate the West as it picked up its sixth consecutive victory in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Girls All-Star basketball game Thursday at the University of Central Arkansas’ Farris Center, going on a 27-17 run in the final period for a 68-58 win.

It was the second big victory of the year for the East Coach Harlan Davis who led Pocahontas to the Class 4A state championship in March.

“Being around great kids like we had this week, that’s what makes it fun,” Davis said. “I’ve been around a bunch of great athletes and great kids. That’s the best thing about coaching. When we won our state championship I told the team that’s because they were super kids. And when we met to pick the All-Star teams, I said we want good players but we also want great kids and just what we got. And for them to come back like they did, I don’t know if it was nerves because of the excitement or the atmosphere but they didn’t quit.”

Bailey Norwood, 5-7 post from Parkers Chapel, played for the East.

“I did pretty good. I mean, I did good for me, I guess you could say. I didn’t have any points but I had a bunch of rebounds and I had a steal,” said Norwood, a last-minute replacement who didn’t know she was on the team until she received a phone call on Saturday.

“It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of people. I made some new friends. Some girls I’m actually going to college with, I met. Overall, it was really fun. It got me back into shape while I was there. So, yes, I’m so happy I got the phone call.”

In 10 minutes of play, Norwood had three rebounds, including two offensive boards.

“Actually, I played a pretty good amount for … me. Almost everybody on the team that I played with was going to play college ball. So, they were very good, very well experienced,” said Norwood. “It was a really good experience. It was really fun. It made me step out of my comfort zone a little bit because everybody that was on the team I had never met. I didn’t know anybody.”

And it was the two Harding University signees that led the East’s charge as Rose Bud’s Carissa Caples and Izard County’s Kennedy Cooper combined for 31 points, eight rebounds and four steals to help lead the East back from a 16-point deficit in the first half.

Caples was named the game’s most valuable player and Cooper was awarded the East’s most outstanding player. Fayetteville’s Maya Mayberry, the daughter of former Arkansas Razorback guard Lee Mayberry, was named the most outstanding Player for the West.

“When we fell behind so much in the first half, I honestly thought we could come back and win this with hustle,” Caples said. “I never did feel like we were going to get too far down or lose. I just knew that we could come back.

Though Caples ended a near four-minute scoring drought to start the contest when she hit a 3-pointer at the 4:25 mark for the first points of the night, the East couldn’t find the goal for the next four minutes while the West went on a 13-0 run behind seven points by El Dorado’s Mekaylan Hicks. After Caples hit her second 3-pointer, the West took a 15-6 lead into the second period.

The East cut the gap to 15-11 by the 5:23 mark of the second period but the West responded with a 12-0 run, getting a 3-pointer from Ashlynn Taylor of Valley Springs, then two free throws by Kellie Lampo of Jessieville to make it 27-11 with 2:35 left and then took a 29-17 advantage into the third.

It was the East’ third-period team that began to make the team’s comeback. Cooper was among those five and got two rebounds right at the start and Nemo Vista’s Maggie Mahan began to force the action on offense.

“We weren’t getting any rebounds and I knew I had to come in and do something about that,” said Cooper, who at 6-2 was one of the taller players in the contest. Cooper scored eight of the East’s 11 points in the third, cutting her team’s deficit to 34-28 by the break.

Caples hit three free throws and Cooper knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game to start the second half, then Ashlyn Ellis scored on a lay-up to tie the score at 36-36 with 4:23 left in the fourth period. Shannon Throgmorton of West Fork hit a 3-pointer to put the West up 41-27 but the East scored the last four points of the period, tying the score at 41-41 on free throws by Caples.

A free throw to start the fifth by the West put them up 42-41. Mahan hit two free throws at the 7:37 mark for a 43-42 East lead, its first since 3-0. The scored was tied one last time at 44-44 when the East began to pull away, leading by as many as 12 in the final 2:40.

The West did cut the gap to 64-58 with 46 seconds left but got no closer.

Caples finished with 17 points to lead the East and Cooper finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Mahan added 10 points.

Hicks and Fayetteville’s Lauren Holmes each scored 10 points to lead the West.

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