After El Dorado lost to Hot Springs 55-47 in the 5A South Tournament on Thursday, a solemn Lady Wildcats’ coach Jae Kell said more than once, “I hate to end the year like this.”
The loss left El Dorado one game short of earning a berth in the 5A State Tournament. Actually, the Lady Cats were about two minutes short. That was the length of the fourth quarter scoring drought that proved fatal.
“We’re going to use this as a motivation for the start of next year. Off-season is where championships are built,” said Kell. “I think they have a little fire in their belly. We’re going to take a couple days off and we’ll go back at it hard while they have that fire burning.”
The game was the last for senior Zaria Brown, who scored seven points, including a 3-pointer from nearly halfcourt to beat the first quarter buzzer.
“ZB, she has been a vocal leader on our court. She’s been an energy booster. She’s a great kid,” said Kell. “She played, probably, one of her best games tonight. She was all over the court. She made great plays. She was leading the court as a point guard. I told her, ‘What a way to go out with your best game.’ I’m proud of her. She’s done a great job this year and we’re going to really miss her next year.”