Lady Lions season ends in quarterfinals

HARRISON - One of the most successful Manila Lady Lions basketball seasons came to a close, two games short of its goal when the Harding Academy Lady Wildcats defeated Manila 56-48 in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A State Tournament at North Ark Community College in Harrison.

Manila completed a season which saw them win the 3A-3 Conference regular season and conference tournament titles going undefeated. Manila also won the 3A Region 2 title defeating Salem, Bergman and Melbourne to earn a number one seed in the State Tournament. Manila finishes with a record of 29-7.

Harding Academy 56, Manila 49 - Quarterfinals

In a battle of two solid teams, the Lady Wildcats would win the fourth quarter to take the win and upset the Lady Lions.

Harding Academy led 13-10 after one period and 29-23 at the break. Manila would storm back in the third quarter as Lucy Farmer and Chloe Helms both scored six points each to forge a 39-39 tie heading to the final period.

The Lady Wildcats would, however, outscore Manila 17-10 in the final frame as junior Emery Wilson scored seven of her 16 points in the period. Fellow junior Claire City scored a team high 17 points for Harding. Freshman Kinsley Swindle added 11 points for the Lady Wildcats.

Farmer kept Manila in the game early scoring 14 of the Lady Lions 23 first half points. Farmer scored a game-high 23 points, Helms added 11 points, while Hadlie Goodson and Madysen Deeds both scored six points. Senior Jenna LaRose scored three points in her final game of her Manila career.

Manila 61, Greenland 26 - First Round

Manila came out with a barrage of three pointers in the first half and went on to overwhelm the Greenland Lady Pirates in the opening round of the Class 3A State Tournament. Manila scored 17 points in each of the first two periods to build a 34-12 lead at the half.

Farmer had four three-pointers and Bailey Wilson had two three-pointers in the first half as Manila built a 22-point lead. Manila led 48-24 after three quarters and outscored Greenland 13-2 in the final period.

Manila’s Wilson kept scoring in the second half dropping 11 more points to ring up a game-high 17 for the Lady Lions. Farmer added 11 points, while LaRose pitched in with 11 points. Goodson added nine points, while Deeds had eight points and Helms had two points. Manila finished the game with nine made three-pointers to four for Greenland.

The Lady Pirates, who finished with a record of 19-14, got nine points from senior Carley Siler.