Famous comedian and podcast host, Joe Rogan, once said “Someone else’s success doesn’t equal a failure for you”. On Saturday, March 9th the Mansfield Lady Tigers entered the 2024 Arkansas 2A Championship as an underdog against the heavily favored defending champion Mount Vernon-Enola Lady War Hawks. Once the scoreboard read 0:00, the Lady Tigers stared down a final score of 50-44 in Mount Vernon-Enola’s favor. The loss stood as Mansfield’s sole defeat in their 2023-24 season and left the Lady Tigers holding the 2A State Runner-Up trophy. Although there is no doubt that Mansfield lost, those who watched the Lady Tigers battle with the Lady War Hawks from all over the state on public television, on the internet, and in person will tell you that no matter who won or lost, neither team would have anything to hang their heads about this season.
The battle for the Arkansas 2A State Championship was possibly the game of the year in all classifications. The Lady Tigers jumped to an early 5-0 lead on Mount Vernon-Enola, but the Lady War Hawks pulled in tight to a 12-12 tie at the end of the first quarter. Mansfield’s offensive attack ran into a wall in the second quarter as Mount Vernon-Enola smothered every shot opportunity that the Lady Tigers had. The Lady Tigers put up a mere seven points in the second quarter while Mount Vernon-Enola began to warm up in the paint to power their way to a 26-19 lead going into halftime. Although Mansfield was down at the half, the Lady Tigers were not going to lay down and quit. The Lady Tigers outscored Mount Vernon-Enola 13-11 in the third quarter and brought the game back to a 40-40 tie with 5:22 left in the fourth quarter. The Lady War Hawks and Lady Tigers continued to battle it out down into the final minute of the game where Mansfield came within two points of another tie, but with time quickly running out were forced to foul to stop the clock. Mount Vernon-Enola took full advantage of the fouls at the free throw line sealing the Lady Tigers’ fate and ending the 2A State Championship with Mount Vernon-Enola holding the State Title with a final score of 50-44.
Mansfield’s State Championship hopes and perfect season came to an unfortunate end, but the Lady Tigers cannot be ashamed of their overall success in the 2023-24 season. Mansfield made it to the 2A State Championship for the first time since 1986 and an undefeated 32-0 record. The Lady Tigers and Mount Vernon-Enola were in fact the only two undefeated teams in the entire state across all classifications when they met up for the 2A State Championship. The Lady Tigers filled the Mansfield trophy case with the 2023 Bill Frye Invitational Championship, the 2A-4 Conference Championship, the 2A-4 District Championship, the 2A West Regional Championship, swept the 2A State Tournament held on their own court, the 2A State Runner-Up trophy, and a 32-1 overall record. The overall resume laid out by the 2003-24 Mansfield Lady Tigers definitely places them in the conversation of the best girls basketball team in Mansfield history.
The team as a whole achieved great success, but there were multiple individual achievements that made Lady Tigers history also. Seniors Kynslee Ward and Alyson Edwards eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in their careers. Who can forget senior Harlie Fuller setting the new state and school record for three-point shots made in a State Tournament when she set the nets on fire with nine threes in the Lady Tigers quarterfinals game against Marshall. The Lady Tigers had three players who averaged points in double digits in each game with Kynslee Ward averaging 15.6 points per game, Kaylee Ward averaging 14 points per game, and Alyson Edwards averaging 13.5 points per game. Edwards and Kaylee Ward also ruled in the rebound game with Edwards averaging 9.2 per game and Ward snagging 9.5 per game. Kynslee Ward broke the school records for most three-pointers in a season (89), steals in a season (164), and steals in a single game (10). Ward’s younger sister, Kaylee Ward, broke her own school record in blocked shots in a season going from 112 in 2022-23 to a whopping 156 this season. Kaylee also broke her own record of blocks in a game going from 10 blocks in a game last season to 12 this season. Trinity Triska moved up to second on the school’s all-time list in assists with 150 this year. While these individual records are astounding, Coach Bowman insists that there’s more than meets the eye with this year’s team. “We had key contributions coming off the bench in major games this season,“ said Bowman. “Our bench really stepped up in games against Acorn, Pea Ridge, and the State Semifinal game against Izzard County. The teams success took all ten players to be successful this year, especially in practice”.
In post-season accolades, Mansfield boasted nearly their entire roster as some of the top-tier players in the state. Kynslee Ward was selected as 2A All-State, 2A All-State Tournament Team, 2A West All-Star, and 2A-4 All-Conference. Alyson Edwards and Kaylee Ward were awarded 2A All-State and 2A-4 All-Conference. Harlie Fuller earned All-State Tournament Team and 2A-4 All-Conference. Raine Hecox, Trinity Triska, and Shelbie Fuller all earned 2A-4 All-Conference accolades. The Lady Tigers will lose five of their ten-player roster to graduation this upcoming spring as Kynslee Ward, Alyson Edwards, Harlie Fuller, Raine Hecox, and Cole Smith will trade in their basketball shoes for diplomas. Losing such talent will be a rough shot to the chin for the program, but the remaining Lady Tigers and Coach Ethan Bowman know that this year’s success is just the beginning. Although the seniors were key in this year’s historic run, younger players such as Kaylee Ward, Trinity Triska, Shelbie Fuller, Meghan Emery, and Isabella Escalante know what it takes to get there and are likely already drawing out their map to Hot Springs again. With them, next season will be an up-and-coming freshman class that will bring an extra boost to the 2024-25 senior Lady Tigers squad. Mansfield will not play in the 2A next season as they will move up to the 3A. But if you ask any of the Lady Tigers about moving up to a higher classification, they’ll tell you that they welcome the new challenge.
