Leslie |.......8....14.....16 ...16 ....--- 54
Vilonia |... 14 ...15 ... 15 .....8 ....--- 50
LESLIE: McEntire - 28 pts, Cates - 19 pts, Fendley 5 pts. Guards: Lockerby, Russell, Tester C, Tester B.
VILONIA: Atkinson 21, Briley 15, Manning 14. Guards: Hartwick, Lawrence, Briley, Adock.
Total Fouls: Leslie 10 - Vilonia 8.
The Vilonia Eagles turned what appeared · a dull victory into an exciting loss Friday afternoon.
Seemingly headed towards a berth in the semifinals of the Joe T. Robinson Girls Tournament at Barton Coliseum, the Eagles lost their touch in the last nine minutes.
" I thought Vilonia would never stop hitting," said Leslie Coach Jerry Passmore.
"We've been a good second half ball club all year, but I didn't know whether we could pull this one out."
In other quarterfinal games, Ashdown, the runner-up in last year's tournament, breezed past Cushman, 74-48; England downed Portland, 53-47, and Plummerville edged Calico Rock 44-42.
Things Go Wrong
Vilonia led by nine points when things seemed to lose their perspective. The The Eagles started missing shots they had hit the first half, and Leslie started controlling the boards.
Maybelle McEntire, a good-looking blond, scored 13 points in the last 10 minutes. It was Miss McEntire's 10-footer with two minutes left that put Leslie ahead to stay, 48-46. A few seconds later Candace Cates crushed Vilonia's hopes when she slipped underneath for a basket. The segment gave the Leslie Bulldogs enough time to regroup, and win, 54 - 50.
"We overloaded our zone, and worked more around the baseline."
"There was nothing much we could do with that first half. I think Vilonia hit 55 per cent, and we hit 27. We just hoped they would cool off in the last half, an that our girls would start hitting better."
Vilonia had been in control all the way. At times it appeared the Eagles might burst the game open, but it neve came about.
' They Just Went Cold '
"I guess they just went cold," said Passmore. "Vilonia had a real fine team. We were lucky to win. At no time did Vilonia over power us, they just played a good offensive game, and for a whole it looked as though it might be enough for them to win."
This is Leslie's furthermost advancement in the Joe T. Robinson Tournament since 1963, when the Bulldogs upset Bradley one point in the championship game. Incidently, that was Jerry Passmore's first year at Leslie.
Written by: James Thompson, Arkansas Gazette Staff
Copyright 2016. LST Consulting Group, LLC representing the mutual interests and historical and pictorial preservation of Leslie, Arkansas basketball teams, known as the "LESLIE BULLDOGS". All Rights Reserved.
