FAYETTEVILLE 55, NORTH LITTLE ROCK 49 (OT)

Coriah Beck's quick answer to North Little Rock's only basket in overtime put Fayetteville ahead to stay as the Lady Bulldogs ousted the defending state champion and advanced to Saturday's semifinal round. Beck slipped past the Lady Charging Wildcats' defense and scored inside to give Fayetteville (20-4) a 50-48 lead, then Claudia Bridges followed with a running baseline jumper to make it a four-point game. North Little Rock freshman Amauri Williams was fouled and hit one of two free throws, but a technical foul allowed Sasha Goforth to hit two free throws with 1:33 remaining. "The look in our kids' eyes as we went into overtime, I was so pleased," Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer said. "They were so ready to get back out on the court. It was like unfinished business all of a sudden because we should have won it in regulation. "One of the things both teams had to do well -- and did pretty well -- was transition defense. We had to get back to stop them, and they had to get back to stop us. In one breach of their transition defense, Coriah getting that layup was huge." Fayetteville closed out the first half with a 9-0 spurt for a 35-26 lead and led 46-39 after Goforth hit two free throws to start the fourth quarter. However, that turned out to be the last points the Lady Purple'Dogs scored in regulation. North Little Rock (18-10) then rallied and tied the game at 46 on an inside bucket by Williams midway through the fourth quarter. Both teams had chances to take the lead but couldn't convert those opportunities into points. "We had them on the ropes," Rimmer said. "We had a three-possession lead and going downhill at them. They did a terrific job of getting stops in a row and putting the ball in the basket. "They switched defenses on us, and it confused us a little bit. We got a little stale there, and once we did that they got some confidence and hit some shots." Goforth finished with 18 points to lead Fayetteville while Beck was right behind with 17. Arin Freeman led North Little Rock with 16 points, while De'Mayla Brown chipped in 10. -- Henry Apple • @nwahenry North Little Rock^11^15^13^7^3^--^49 Fayetteville^15^20^9^2^9^--^55 North Little Rock (18-10): Freeman 16, Brown 10, Neal 8, Williams 8, Tucker 7. Fayetteville (20-4): Goforth 18, Beck 17, Bailey 5, Bridges 5, Saitta 5, Releford 5.

FAYETTEVILLE 55, NORTH LITTLE ROCK 49 (OT)

Photo Credit: Fayetteville High School Athletics

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