Monday Dec. 3, eight teams entered the court two-by-two. As the week wore on, and the bracket was completed, two teams remained. Saturday night, those teams, Vilonia’s Lady Eagles and the Cabot Lady Panthers, faced off in the finals of the Cabot Pre-Holiday Basketball Tournament.
Vilonia beat Cabot soundly to take the title. The score: 46-28.
The opening two quarters confined play to mostly defensive tactics with the Lady Eagles taking a 14- 10 first quarter advantage, and then a 16-13 halftime lead.
The Lady Eagles came out of the dressing room in a fit of fire. Audrey Moran scored 11 of her 12 points in the third quarter. McKenzie Gray added two 3-pointers and McKenzie Morris tossed in a pair of free throws to end the third with a 17 point lead.
Not about to give in, the Lady Panthers continued their pressure defense and narrowed the lead, but the Vilonia squad held on to finish the game 46-28.
Gray had 12 points. Ashlyn Hightower added 9 and Morris added 6. Macie Loggins and Laci Rios added 4 and 2 respectively.
A relatively new Lady Eagles team, now 6-0, has surprised many after losing 4 seniors last season. The Cabot tournament followed a first place finish in the St Joseph Tournament in Conway. The road to the St. Joe victory included defeating Mayflower, Guy, and handing Perryville a 30-point loss to clinch the tournament championship.
A nail biter past Nettleton and a healthy victory over Watson Chapel brought the Vilonia team to the Cabot Pre-Holiday Tournament winner’s circle. Cabot displaced Pulaski Academy and Beebe to earn their shot in the championship game.
After more than two weeks on the road, the Vilonia boys and girls teams play at home Tuesday night, Dec. 11, as they take on the Beebe Badgers. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.
Story Courtesy of Angie Rios.
Vilonia Lady Eagles Upset Defending 7A Champs on Home Court
Photo Courtesy Roger Riley
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