Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolverettes Win 7AAA Conference in 'Nail Biter'

Prescott's Wolverettes ended their regular season on a high note, whipping two tough rivals: De Queen and Mena.

The wins give the Wolverettes a 13-1 record in the 7AAA conference, along with the outright conference championship, and a 25-2 mark overall.

This is the fifth consecutive year the Wolverettes have either won or shared the league title.

PRESCOTT 77

DE QUEEN 40

The Wolverettes got their week off to a good start by absolutely demolishing the Lady Leopards 77-40.

This is the first time in at least four years Prescott has managed to sweep De Queen on the court, and this year's crew swept the spots off the Lady Leopards.

From the opening tip, the game was no contest. The Wolverettes set the pace they wanted and kept it up for the entire game.

Period one ended with Prescott firmly in control 17-7, but the Wolverettes were just getting warmed up.

The track meet began in earnest in the second frame with the Wolverettes pouring in 28 points, literally doing anything they wanted against De Queen.

The Lady Leopards put up a meager battle, but saw a 45-19 score on the board as they headed to the locker room at the break.

The situation didn't improve for the Lady Leopards in the second half  it, in fact, got worse as the team was only able to score 21 points for the remainder of the game.

For the home team, though, it was smooth sailing and full steam ahead as the Wolverettes continued pounding away at their helpless opponents.

The third quarter came to an end with Prescott up 64-35.

The Wolverettes shot well from the free throw line, connecting on 12 of 15 attempts, while the Lady Leopards hit a scant five of 12.

Traci Graham was deadly from the field as she led all scorers with 33 points, including four treys.

Andrea Cossey was next up, ripping the cords for 20 points, including a trio of three pointers.

She was followed by Jeania Hayne, who netted 14 on the night.

De Queen's leading scorer was J. McClelland with 18, including five threes.

PRESCOTT 42

MENA 40

After an easy win over De Queen, the Wolverettes had to fight for their lives when Mena came to town.

The Lady Bearcats had revenge on their minds and planned on getting even with Prescott for beating them in their backyard on Jan. 21.

It came down to a pair of free throws with three seconds before the Wolverettes earned a hard-fought 42-40 victory.

The win was also the fourth straight for Prescott over Mena since the Cats joined the league.

Prescott's defense again only allowed seven first period points, but the Wolverette offense could only manage 12 against Mena, as the Lady Cats came to play.

The Wolverettes were able to push their lead to double digits, only to see the Lady Cats claw their way back into the game.

In fact, each time Prescott began pulling away, Mena battle back.

Halftime arrived with the Wolverettes up 27-21.

Quarter three saw the Lady Cats come out smoking and cut Prescott's lead to two at 34-32.

Fans got their money's worth in the final eight minutes as the two teams fought tooth and nail for the win and league crown, as both had entered the contest with 12-1 conference records.

As time wound down, neither team was able to put the other away, and with three seconds left the score was tied at 40-40.

However, Graham was fouled and sent to the line with two shots. Ice water flowed through her veins as she drained both to give Prescott the lead.

A desperation shot at the buzzer was no good by Mena, giving the Wolverettes the win and conference title.

Cossey was the only member of the team, however, to break the double-figure barrier. She ended the game with 22 points, including six three-pointers.

Kahl led Mena with 12.

Free throws literally won the game for Prescott as the Wolverettes connected on eight of 10 at the line. The Lady Cats were only able to convert three of seven.

The victory assures Prescott's senior girls of a trip to the regional tournament.

However, the Wolverettes want to return to the regionals as the district champs once again.

Prescott's girls will play at 7 p.m. Thursday, with the district tourney being held at Bismarck.