LATE THREE LIFTS FAYETTEVILLE

FAYETTEVILLE — Shots were not falling all night for the Fayetteville girls basketball team. Fort Smith Northside’s Aahliyah Jackson, one of the top players in the 7A-West Conference, was having her way on the opposing end. Fayetteville faced a nine-point deficit with five minutes left and appeared to have little hope against conference leader Fort Smith Northside on Friday night. But the Lady Bulldogs stormed back with a furious finish, and Lauren Holmes’ three-pointer with 4.2 seconds lifted Fayetteville to an improbable 57-54 victory in Bulldog Arena. “Northside’s zone is really good, and they do such a good job of making you make shots, and we didn’t make them early,” Fayetteville Coach Vic Rimmer said. “But the key of the night had nothing to do with coaches or anything like that. It had to do with my kids’ heart. They fought with everything they had, and to come back and beat a team like that is something.” Rimmer implored his Lady Bulldogs to keep a quick pace the entire game. In the closing minutes, the hectic style paid off. Fayetteville went from a 48-39 deficit with 5:07 left to a 52-50 lead with two minutes to go. Grayce Spangler started the rally with a three-point play. DeShundra Morgan, who led the Lady Bulldogs with 13 points, hit another three-pointer to pull Fayetteville within 50-48. Baskets by Maya Mayberry and Jasmine Franklin completed the comeback, giving Fayetteville (15-6, 6-2 7A-West) a 52-50 lead, its first since 11-10 in the first quarter. “To be honest I just let them play, and they executed like a mature basketball team,” Rimmer said. Jackson, the Northside senior who signed to play at Texas A&M, carried the Lady Bears (22-2, 7-1). Jackson finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, connecting on 11 of 14 free throws. But after Jackson and her teammates frustrated Fayetteville most of the game with their perimeter defense, things changed down the stretch. “Give [Fayetteville] credit, they hit some big shots,” Northside Coach Rickey Smith said. Holmes’ game-winning three-point shot with the score tied 54-54 was just in front of the Lady Bulldogs’ bench. “She had missed a few, and she had made a few,” Rimmer said. “The thing with her is she has no conscience, and she just nailed it.”

LATE THREE LIFTS FAYETTEVILLE

Photo Credit: NWADG

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