Lady Tigers crash boards to edge Valle

POTOSI — Clutch plays along the offensive glass rescued the Arcadia Valley girls basketball team on Saturday after it had squandered a late 9-point lead to pesky Valle Catholic at the MAAA Tournament.

Kimmy Clark and Anna Thomas shared top scoring honors with 17 points each, and the Lady Tigers prevailed 56-50 in the first round to punctuate a season sweep over their Small-School division rivals.

Peyton Mounce contributed 12 points for 7th-seeded Arcadia Valley (11-9), which advanced to meet North County on Tuesday. Two free throws from the junior forward extended her team’s advantage to 47-38.

Valle Catholic (7-12) rallied quickly in search of its fifth straight victory with six points in a span of five seconds. Gretchen Koller’s conventional 3-point play preceded a corner three by sophomore Sydnie Weiler.

Two of the next three Arcadia Valley possessions ended in turnovers, and senior Alexa Kuenzel propelled the Lady Warriors to a 50-49 lead by sinking four consecutive attempts from the line.

However, Arcadia Valley closed the game with a 7-0 run. Kristen Williams powered in the go-ahead basket with 1:21 remaining after corralling a missed free throw, and Clark added an insurance putback on her 12th rebound.

Sophomore guard Colleen Brake scored 10 of her team-high 13 points before the intermission for the Lady Warriors. Natalie Grass secured 11 rebounds while matching Weiler with eight points.

Thomas turned the first of her five steals into the game’s initial basket, and would create numerous fast break chances for the Lady Tigers with her active perimeter defense.

Arcadia Valley focused its attack inside to Clark and Mounce for back-to-back field goals, resulting in an early 17-7 lead. A pair of transition layups by Thomas restored a 27-21 halftime margin.

Lacie Luttrell highlighted a 9-0 Valle run with a 3-pointer, and Brake tied the contest at 19-19 with her second of three triples.

Valle Catholic  14   7   9  20 – 50

Arcadia Valley – Anna Thomas 17, Kimmy Clark 17, Peyton Mounce 12, Kristen Williams 8, Sami Price 2. 3-point FG – Thomas. (FT: 17-24)