As the Arkansas 2A State Tournament began, many around the state didn’t know where the town of Mansfield was, let alone who the Lady Tigers were. While the town of Mansfield holds 1,097 in its city limits, their opponents in the first two rounds of the tournament were larger and well-known in the state. Cities like England (2,445) and Fordyce (3,329) were supposed to breeze past the “no name” Lady Tigers according to the critics. But Mansfield’s players have spent their entire careers with a chip on their shoulders and are always happy to be the underdogs. The Lady Tigers went into the State Semifinals as underdogs yet again against the Mount Vernon-Enola Lady Warhawks. Town size wouldn’t matter as the two great programs vied for a spot in the 2A State Championship game.
Both teams started off with their nerves playing the game as they traded turnovers and missed shots. Kaylee Ward put the Lady Tigers on the board first with a long two-point shot, but turnovers continued to rule the next two minutes of play. After a drought of scoring in the game, Natalie Allison hit a free throw to make it a 3-0 score but that was it for another few minutes until Kynslee Ward hit another short jumper. Mount Vernon would hit a long-range three-pointer at the buzzer to score their first points of the game but it was an all-defensive first quarter with the score setting at 5-3 in Mansfield’s favor.
Mount Vernon would score first in the second quarter with three straight three-pointers to take a 12-5 lead. The game was getting physical and the Warhawks pressure defense caused multiple turnovers by the Lady Tigers which only fueled Mount Vernon’s momentum. Even when Mansfield was able to get shots off, they weren’t able to connect with the basket. Mount Vernon on the other hand couldn’t miss as they extended their lead to 19-5 over Mansfield with 1:32 left in the half. That score remained the same as time ran out in the half as the Lady Warhawks held Mansfield scoreless in the second quarter and sent the Lady Tigers into halftime down 19-5.
The second half began the same way as the first quarter with both Mansfield and Mount Vernon swapping turnovers. It was the Lady Warhawks who kicked off the scoring with a three-pointer to go up 22-5 forcing Mansfield to call a timeout. Natalie Allison hit a jump shot and then a layup to score the Lady Tigers first points in over a quarter. Mount Vernon would hit a three-pointer but Kaylee Ward broke loose for a layup to keep the Lady Tigers in the game. Turnovers and fouls continued to fall against Mansfield which skyrocketed the Lady Warhawks with momentum and points in the game. The Lady Tigers would hit a late scoring spree, but still had a long way to go as the third quarter ended with Mansfield down 31-14 to Mount Vernon.
Fireworks by Mansfield began with back-to-back Skylynn Harris three-pointers for the Lady Tigers. Mount Vernon would answer with two threes and a layup though to douse Mansfield’s offensive spark. Down by 19 points, Mansfield’s luck didn’t improve with the Lady Tigers having a player foul out. Kynslee Ward and Alyson Edwards kept trucking though as Ward put in a layup and Edwards sank a free throw. Unfortunately, no matter how much fight the Lady Tigers had, Mount Vernon was just too strong, sending the Lady Warhawks back up to a 23-point lead. Kynslee Ward drilled a three-pointer and Skylynn Harris hit a jump shot in the closing minute, but Mount Vernon’s lead continued to stretch with free throws as Mansfield fell to Mount Vernon with a 50-30 final score.
The Lady Tigers may have lost their semifinals game and missed a shot at the State Championship, but they definitely set a standard for the Lady Tigers future teams. The 2023 Lady Tigers finished their season with a 29-5 overall record and as the 2A-4 Co-Conference Champions, the 2A-4 District Champions, the 2A West Regional Runner-Ups, and made it to the Final Four Arkansas State Tournament. Seniors Skylynn Harris, Seven Sanderson, Natalie Allison, and Brooke Adams have earned more accolades in their Mansfield basketball careers than most other schools as a whole could imagine which sets them up as one of the most dominant groups in Lady Tigers history. The future of the program is dazzling too as the Lady Tigers look to return Alyson Edwards, Kynslee Ward, Raine Hecox, Harlie Fuller, Trinity Triska, Kaylie Lowery, Meghan Emery, and Kaylee Ward while also moving up a talented freshman group next year. One thing is for sure, the Mansfield Lady Tigers are definitely now known by the state of Arkansas now and will continue to be known for many years to come.
