Big game from Hazley can’t save Lady Devils

Big game from Hazley can’t save Lady Devils

Lady Rams beat West Memphis girls in Paragould

WM School District PARAGOULD — West Memphis’Aryah Hazley has been providing nearly 60 percent of her team’s offense since the 5A-East Conference season started.

While that’s an astounding statistical achievement, it has done very little to boost her team’s won-loss record. Once again on Friday night, Hazley was a oneman attack, scoring 21 of her team’s 32 points (or 65.6 percent of the team’s production) in West Memphis’ 54-32 loss at Paragould.

Amazingly, Hazley kept her team in it through the first half, scoring 16 of her team’s 20 points as the Lady Devils trailed just 2016 at halftime. But it was just too much to ask of the junior point guard the rest of the way as Paragould (17-8 overall, 7-5 in the conference) outscored Hazley and the Lady Devils 34-12 in the second half.

“We’re just not getting enough offense out of the rest of our players,” said a dejected West Memphis coach Sonja Tate after the game. “Aryah is scoring all the points, but you just can’t play a team game and expect one person to do it all.”

The loss put a severe damper on the Lady Devils’ state tournament hopes. With two games left in the regular season, West Memphis (12-10. 5-7) must win its two games this week and then hope it gets some help in order to secure the fourth and final state tournament berth.

The Lady Devils are two games behind Mountain Home and Paragould, both of whom stand at 7-5. The Lady Devils must beat Greene County Tech on Tuesday at home and then win at Mountain Home on Friday.

Then they have to hope for the best.

The Lady Devils got outrebounded 20-13 at Paragould and made just 9 of 26 field-goal attempts in the first half while the Lady Rams countered with 60 percent shooting for the game.

Still, it took three quarters for the hosts to shake loose from Hazley.

“Hazley’s a special player. She’s something else,” said Paragould head coach Jay Cook. “We knew she would be an issue for us because she can just take over a game. We like to play man-to-man defense, but sometimes you have to swallow your pride and admit there are some players you can’t hold one-on-one.

We had to play some zone at her.”

Twice early in the second half, the Lady Devils came within two points of Paragould, once on a steal from Hazley and then another from two free throws from sophomore Ta’Nya Burnett, which made the score 26-24 Paragould.

But that’s when the Lady Rams pulled away.

They built a 37-29 cushion at the end of three quarters, but Paragould outscored the Lady Devils 17-3 in the final quarter to put it away.

“We don’t have enough people who say, ‘hey, give me the ball,’” said Tate.

“It’s just tough when you don’t have enough players you can depend on.”

Burnett provided 4 points for the Lady Devils while Terrica Inmon, Tierra Bradley and Cortasia Hollins all had 2 apiece.

Paragould’s Taylor Beasley led all scorers with 18 points while sister Zoey Beasley added 11 and Alex Brangard hit for 8.

By Billy Woods