ESTEM 46, STAR CITY 26

The eStem Lady Mets took their frustration out on the Star City Lady Bulldogs in the first round of the Class 4A girls state basketball tournament. EStem, a Little Rock school that was the No. 4 seed from the 4A-East Regional, routed Star City 46-26 at Bearcat Arena. EStem made six three-pointers in the first half and led 30-15 at halftime. The Lady Mets lost to Lonoke in the third-place game Saturday at the 4A-East Regional to fall to the No. 4 seed, which was motivation enough for the Lady Mets on Wednesday. "It was energy," eStem Coach Josh Hayes said. "We had high energy before the game. We had a good game plan." Mariah Adams, a senior guard, led the Lady Mets with 13 points. The Lady Mets hit four three-pointers in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Alexandria Johnson's three-pointer before the end of the quarter made it 20-7. In the second quarter, eStem pushed its lead to 27-13 on sophomore guard Haley Franklin's three-pointer. Junior guard Makayla Miller, who finished with 10 points, capped the Lady Mets' three spree in the first half to make it 30-15. Star City was held to four field goals in the first half, and no Lady Bulldog had more than four points in the opening two quarters. The Lady Mets extended their lead to 33-15 with 5:58 remaining in the third quarter on junior forward Kristina Garlington's three-point play. Adams ended the third quarter by bouncing an inbounds pass off sophomore Kaylee Eifling, and her ensuing layup made it 38-21. Adams scored the first six points for eStem to stretch her team's lead to 44-22 with 1:45 remaining. Freshman guard Maddie Anders led the Lady Bulldogs (22-10) with eight points. EStem moves on to the Class 4A quarterfinals to face North No. 1 seed Berryville at 4 p.m. Friday. Hayes said his team will stay in Jonesboro for the day off today to prepare for the Lady Bobcats. "I'm glad we're staying," Hayes said. "Staying overnight is huge."

ESTEM 46, STAR CITY 26

JEREMY MUCK

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 3/1/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Star City High School Athletics