Valley outlasts Beauregard in girls area title game; boys stunned by Elmore County
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
VALLEY — Entering the girls’ 5A Area 7 championship game, a Beauregard High School team riding a five-game winning streak and playing its best basketball eagerly looked to claim its crown from rival Valley High School.
Instead, junior guard Kayden Dooley’s 13 fourth-quarter points and a smothering defensive effort helped lift the Lady Rams (17-5, 4-0) to a 53-46 home win over the Lady Hornets (16-8, 2-2) on Feb. 10.
In a game defined by wild momentum swings, VHS girls’ head coach Eberne Myrthil decided to hold his trump card for as long as he could until the moment called for it. That came late in the game as VHS fought to hold onto its narrow lead.
“We didn't press in the first half, but we came out and showed it in the fourth quarter, and that really created some turnovers. We tried to hold it all the way until then. And I'm very impressed with the way we played defensively,” Myrthil said. “I’ve got to give it up to Beauregard’s coach over there. He's doing one heck of a job, and they played us tough all three games. Hopefully we can see them in the regional [tournament].
Dooley, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, dazzled yet again when her team needed her the most. Even after her heroics in a game filled with standout performances, she was already focused on the next task at hand.
“We’re really just focused on the sub-regional, because the last two years we’ve lost. So, we’re just trying to get past that point,” Dooley said. “We’ve just got to practice hard, be locked in at practice and be ready to play.”
Despite having a chance to win the game in the final minutes, BHS girls’ head coach Trent Powell recognized his team played with reckless abandon at times as they chased their first area title since the 2022/23 season.
“We get after it, but sometimes we go at a pace that's a little too fast for us to sustain,” Powell said. “If we could have shot free throws well today and taken care of the ball a little better, I think this could have been a different outcome. But we honestly didn't give ourselves a chance because we either turned the ball over or couldn’t get a shot.”
To start the game, points were difficult for either team to come by as turnovers and intense defensive presses halted any possible momentum. Behind Jamiah Johnson’s three-point shooting, the Lady Rams broke that stalemate to win an extremely physical final three minutes and end the first quarter with an 11-6 lead.
After falling behind due to inconsistent play, it appeared the Lady Hornets would erase that deficit after converting more of their layups and fast-break opportunities. However, the Lady Rams erased that hard work as constant fouls and a choppy game flow played to their advantage down the stretch.
Down 28-20 coming out of halftime, BHS overcame VHS’ smothering defensive effort and efficient fast-break offense behind Kalise Culbertson and Lindsey Moulton’s scoring abilities. By the time the third quarter ended, the Lady Hornets had cut the deficit in half and set themselves up in striking distance.
Facing the uncomfortable reality of a shrinking lead, it appeared the Lady Rams received breathing room in the fourth quarter after Dooley scored five points within the first 70 seconds. Yet that relief was short-lived as BHS snagged enough defensive rebounds and found openings in VHS’ zone defense to come within a possession of a tie late in the game.
Ultimately, Dooley and Johnson’s clutch shooting from the free-throw line and from three-point range in the final two minutes ultimately put the Lady Rams over the top as the clock slowly drained away.
Dooley led all scorers with 24 points for the Lady Rams while Johnson contributed 14 points. Culbertson paced the Lady Hornets with 19 points, and Moulton chipped in 10 points.
Valley stunned at home by Elmore County
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
VALLEY — On paper, Elmore County High School had little hope as they traveled to Valley High School for the boys’ 5A Area 7 championship game having lost both regular season games to the Rams and being one of the state’s lowest-ranked 5A teams according to MaxPreps.
Instead, ECHS (8-19, 1-3) flipped the script as they scrapped and clawed their way to an improbable 55-51 upset over VHS (11-12, 4-0) on Feb. 10.
Although the Rams dominated physically early on, they found themselves locked in a battle as the Panthers’ guards slashed in from the wings and found pockets of space for uncontested shots. After those initial problems, VHS came alive around the four-minute mark and began closing those soft spots defensively to tie the game at 11 entering the second quarter.
That late momentum faded as the Rams struggled to create separation and were forced to mostly take jump shots and force passes up court. Those long passes eventually turned into turnovers, and issues defending the three-point line in the final three minutes of the second quarter led to VHS being down 27-20 at halftime.
Following the break, it appeared the Rams had gotten themselves back into the game with three buckets in the first two and a half minutes that put them level with ECHS. However, the Panthers rallied and carved out a five-point lead by driving into the lanes and forcing VHS to put their bodies on the line.
Down 40-35 entering the fourth quarter, the Rams slowly shrunk the deficit to one point entering the final three minutes as Erin Frazier and Ladarius McCray combined to score 12 points. Yet their efforts fell just short, with ECHS’ Gage Davis’ six free throws in the closing minutes proving to be the difference.
Frazier paced the Rams with 13 points, while McCray contributed 12 points. Davis led all scorers with 18 points for the Panthers, and Seth McGhee chipped in 12 points.
VHS boys’ head coach Robert Cotton declined an interview request after the game.
