It was a much-anticipated match in the state quarterfinals between Little Rock Baptist Prep and Paris on Wednesday on the campus of Harding Academy. Many media outlets have predicted a finals match between between Prep and Hackett on Saturday in the 3A final. On Wednesday, both Prep and Hackett advanced to their respective semifinals matches with 3-0 victories in the quarterfinals.
Paris came out of the starting blocks fast in the first set against Prep, but lost control of the set late and eventually lost a close set giving Prep a 1-0 lead in the match. Perhaps more importantly, Paris appeared to lose a lot of emotional energy with the loss and was never able to fully recover. The Lady Eagles competed well in both the second and third sets, but as the match progressed late, the Lady Eagles were giving up points on defense that they had not early in the match.
Baptist Prep will play Crowley’s Ridge Academy in one semifinal today at Harding Academy. Hackett, who soundly defeated Little Rock Episcopal on Wednesday, will now play Hoxie who escaped a much-improved Atkins team in the quarters. The stage is set for a potential predicted match-up between Hackett and Baptist Prep who have been the two best teams in 3A this season.
The Lady Hornets take the court today at 1 p.m to play Hoxie for a berth in Saturday’s championship final. Baptist Prep will take on Crowley’s Ridge Academy at 3 p.m. for the other finals berth on Saturday. The 3A championship match between the semifinals winners will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
