Lady Cougars keep winning, now ranked third in state

A big second half propelled the Lady Cougars to victory in dominant fashion Monday night in Rector, as they eased past Turrell 62-44.

The girls in blue outpaced their foe 34-21 after intermission to come away with the win. However, the first half was a different story.

"We started the game out slow," Lady Cougar head coach Matt Rabjohn said. "We missed a lot of open shots which is uncommon for us, especially in our own gym."

Rabjohn said he didn't have to motivate his team prior to the second half.

"I didn't have to get on them much at halftime. These girls knew they weren't playing like they're capable. They came out in the second half determined to play better and get the win. That type of determination, you just can't coach. You either have it or you don't."

The Lady Cougars trailed 13- 9 after the first quarter before going into the break with a 28- 23 advantage.

Rector was led by Hannah Parsley's 29 points. Parsley, who was named the Female Athlete of the Week by the Jonesboro Sun, continued her string of outstanding performances. The Cougars also got a big lift off the bench from senior Sarah Fannin, who finished with 10 points. Fannin connected on four of her five shots from the floor.

"I don't really know what else I can say about Hannah," Rabjohn said. "She's just a great player. They ran a box-and-one on her all night and she still put up big numbers. "

Sarah Fannin did an outstanding job for us off the bench. She's been working hard in practice and it showed. She gave us that spark that we needed."

Also scoring for Rector were Hillary Calhoun 8, Amber Haynes 7, Allison Smart 3, Destinei Heathcott 3 and Racheal Gipson 2.

The Lady Cougars improved to 18-5 overall and 7-3 in 2A-3 conference play. The squad is ranked third in the state in girls 2A according to the Arkansas Activities Association.

"We're thrilled to have that kind of ranking," Rabjohn said. "These girls have worked hard and deserve all the credit in the world. We weren't just given this ranking. We went out and earned it every night we stepped on the court."

Being so highly regarded also means teams are looking to upset Rabjohn and company.

"We've got a bullseye on us, no doubt," Rabjohn said. "With what we did last year and the way we've been playing this season, teams are gunning for us. We're going to get everyone's A-game. We just have to go out every night and be consistent in how we play."

Junior girls top Turrell

The Junior Lady Cougars came away with a hard-fought 38-33 win in their meeting with Turrell Monday night.

Rector used stingy defense to get out to a 9-1 lead after the opening frame, but Turrell bounced back, closing to within 19-15 at intermission. The young Lady Cougars maintained a 27-23 lead heading into the final frame.

"They made a run late and I thought we did a good job of keeping our heads in the game and not getting rattled by it," Rabjohn said. "That shows how far this team has come. There was a time, we'd play ourselves out of a game when a team came back on us. Now, the girls have gotten more confident on the floor and respond better to pressure."

Heather Scott led Rector on the night, netting a game-high 12 points. Also scoring for the youngsters were Allison Duncan 8, Emily Cornelison 6, Kristie Hardin 4, Rhoda Classen 4, Amanda Bradford 2 and Brittany Lockhart 2.

Lady Cougars rout Riverside

The Lady Cougars were in top form last Thursday night at home, as they demolished conference foe Riverside, 60-31.

Rector led 14-9 after the first and 24-18 at the half, but the real damage came in the third quarter.

The Lady Cougars outscored Riverside 19-5 in the third and appeared to have taken their guests complete out of the game. Rector went into the fourth ahead by 20 points, 43- 23.

The home team left the court at the half with momentum on their side, as a long baseball throw from Amber Haynes found its way to Allison Smart underneath the Rector basket for a buzzer-beating bucket.

The Lady Cougars pounded the boards all night, imposing their will upon Riverside. Gipson finished with a double-double to lead Rector, notching 16 points and ripping down 12 rebounds, seven of which were on the offensive end of the court. Parsley and Calhoun scored 12 and 11, respectively. Also scoring where Smart 8, Fannin 7, Haynes 3, Stephanie DeMent 2 and Heathcott 2.

The Lady Cougars subdued the Riverside offense with an unforgiving zone defense.

"We switched to zone late in the first half and they never re- ally adjusted to it," Rabjohn said. "It worked for us, so we kept using it."

Rabjohn was pleased with his team's effort, primarily the performance by Gipson.

"Racheal Gipson played the best game of her life. She was the spark plug tonight. She played hard the entire game and really gave us a strong presence down low."

Junior girls claim OT win

Cornelison connected on two free throws, her only two points of the night, with 27 seconds remaining in double overtime to propel the Junior Lady Cougars over Riverside, 27-25. The two squads ended the fourth and first overtime period knotted up at 25 each. The first quarter came to a close with a 5-5 tie. Rector led 15-8 at the half, but fell behind 18-17 going into the fourth.

Bradford led the Junior Lady Cougars with 11 points. Other scorers were Scott 6, Classen 4, Hardin 4 and Cornelison 2.

Parsley pounds Maynard

Parsley notched a career-high 40 points last Tuesday, as Rector mangled the Maynard Lady Tigers, 68-32. Parsley's tally, which is among the very best ever at RHS, was more than the entire Maynard squad.

"That was one of the best performances in school history," Rabjohn said. "There's no doubt she's a special player. She's already proven that. This just adds to it. It was one of the best single performances I've ever seen at any level. It was just amazing."

Rector jumped out to a 26-11 lead after the first quarter. By the half, the advantage had grown to 43-16. The Lady Cougars were out in front 59-26 heading into the fourth.

Smart added 10 for Rector in the win. Also scoring for the Lady Cougars were Gipson 7, Haynes 4, Calhoun 3, Rebecca Dodd 2 and Elizabeth Loveless 2.

Junior girls fall to Maynard

The Junior Cougars, who were successful in extra play last Thursday, fell in overtime to Maynard on Tuesday, 29-28. The squads ended the fourth ties at 25. Rector led 12-8 after the first frame, but fell behind 16- 12 at intermission. Maynard led 20-18 going into the fourth.

Duncan paced Rector with 10 points. Other scorers were Bradford 6, Scott 6, Cornelison 4 and Hardin 2.

The Lady Cougars traveled to Marked Tree Tuesday night. The girls are scheduled to visit Turrell Thursday.