FORDYCE – Parkers Chapel made just three field goals in the second half and fell short to Fordyce 43-34 in the championship game of the 2A 8 District Tournament.
The Lady Trojans saw their 11-game winning streak snapped and slipped to 17-4 on the season. The Lady Bugs improved to 22-2.
Parkers Chapel will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s 2A South Regional in Caddo Hills and will face Poyen Thursday at 4 p.m.
“I thought our girls came out and they fought tooth and nail, on the road in the finals of a tournament. I thought we put forth the effort to win the game,” said PC coach Justin Welch. “We executed on defense. I felt like we went a little flat on offense, which is going to happen occasionally. But our girls fought until the very end. As a coach, I can’t be more proud of them.”
The Lady Trojans led 27-26 going into the final quarter. Fordyce took a four-point lead with about two minutes remaining.
“I knew they could give us some matchup problems if they spread it out, so I decided to (foul) a little bit earlier than I typically do,” said Welch. “They started making their free throws. I guess they practiced on them at halftime.”
Fordyce put the game away at the line, hitting 11-of-13 free throws in the final period. The Lady Bugs had shot just 1-of-7 from the line in the first half.
Caitlyn Bulliner led Fordyce with 14 points. KK Highsmith hit 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth while Sanaa Bailey sank 4-of-5 at the line.
Taylor Fortune and Bella Frisby scored eight points apiece to lead Parkers Chapel. Ali Looney scored seven and Macie Wood added six.
The Lady Trojans led 24-20 at the half but scored just three points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth.
“I thought the girls had great energy coming out of the locker room and were ready to play. We played really solid defense on them,” said Welch. “That’s what kept us in the game when our shots weren’t falling.”