Can anyone stop the Mansfield Lady Tigers on their quest for gold? The Lady Tigers have gone the past couple of months without a loss while achieving goals and setting records. They swept the second half of conference play to become 2A-4 Conference Champions and then cleaned up the District Tournament to become District Champions all without losing a game during that time. Due to all of their success, Mansfield entered the Regional Tournament in Eureka Springs as the #1 Seeded team. Although they sat at the top, they knew they’d face some new challenges against new opponents they haven’t seen before. But the Lady Tigers proved yet again that they cannot be counted out as they mowed through their competition en route to winning their first 2A West Regional Championship in 35 years.
Mansfield took on Life Way Christian in the first round of the tournament and edged out the Lady Warriors in a 38-30 nail-biter. The victory gave the Lady Tigers an automatic bid to the State Playoffs, but Mansfield wanted more. In round two of the Regional Tournament, the Lady Tigers faced Yellville Summit in a semi-finals game to see who would move on to the Tournament Championship game. Yellville Summit gave the Lady Tigers one heck of a fight in the brawl for all match up, but the Lady Tigers overcame every obstacle thrown at them in the game to come out victorious with a 61-49 final. The win set Mansfield up for a shot at the Regional Championship against the Cotter Lady Warriors. Cotter earned their way to the Regional Championship game by defying the odds on the top side of the bracket and upsetting Mountainburg and number one seeded Flippin Lady Bobcats. The stage was set on Tuesday, March 1st for what would become a game for the ages. It was game on for Mansfield versus Cotter for all the marbles.
Cotter won the tip-off and both teams went to work. On Cotter’s first possession, Sadie Roberts stole the ball from a Lady Warrior and screamed down court. Unfortunately, Cotter was able to steal the ball back leaving Mansfield without any points on the turnover. The teams went back and forth to test each other’s defense until Alyson Edwards was able to power her way to the boards to get the first points of the game. Those would be the only points for about three minutes of play until Edwards again struck, sinking a three-point shot to extend the Lady Tigers lead to 5-0. The shot cost Mansfield dearly though as Edwards fell hard on her knee forcing the Mansfield star out for a couple of minutes. Skylynn Harris, who injured her knee against Life Way, stepped in to fill Edwards shoes and fill them did she ever. Harris became a wheelin’ dealin’ rebound stealin’ machine for the Lady Tigers as she took charge of the backboards keeping Cotter from getting any put-back points. With defensive aggression being the name of the game, the Lady Tigers would battle their way to the close of the first quarter with a 7-2 lead.
As the second quarter ensued, both teams began to get sloppy with the ball. Cotter turned the ball over twice right off the bat, but Mansfield could not capitalize with scores. The Lady Tigers had issues getting the ball through the net as shot after shot doinked off the rim. The missed shots allowed Cotter to remain in the mix of the game as the Lady Warriors tied the game 8-8 with 5:37 left in the half then took a 10-8 lead with a pair of free throws off a Mansfield foul. Mansfield would regain the lead with an Alyson Edwards layup, but Cotter struck right back to get the lead again 12-10. The back and forth on the scoreboard was unacceptable in the Lady Tigers’ minds and they decided to open fire with the big guns. Edwards forced her way through defenders for a board bucket and was followed by a Seven Sanderson score which forced Cotter to call a time out at the 1:57 mark. Cotter would try to score again before the half, but Edwards was again there to stuff the ball back in their face. With a halftime score of 16-12, both teams headed to the locker rooms to regroup and try to fire up an offensive game plan for the second half.
The Lady Tigers came out of the half with the same game plan as they started the game with. Play solid defense and control the clock. Mansfield extended their lead quickly as Seven Sanderson dished a pass to Alyson Edwards for two points. Edwards repaid the favor by doing the same for Sanderson, but Sanderson was fouled on the way up. Sanderson missed her free throw, but Edwards was right there for a put back and score. Since it didn’t work the first time, the Mansfield powerhouse duo tried the same pass again with Sanderson easily making the score this time. Cotter stayed consistent though and scored on baseline cuts against the Lady Tigers defense to keep Mansfield on their toes. The Lady Warriors got within one point of Mansfield with 0:53 seconds left in the quarter but that would be as close as they would get as Mansfield scored in the final seconds to end the third quarter with a score of 24-21.
A Mansfield three-point lead going into the final isn’t what the Lady Tigers wanted, but it was what they needed. They needed to feel the pressure in a big game environment like this to prove to themselves and the entire state that they weren’t merely a Cinderella story team. The tension could be felt by every player, coach, and fan in the stadium as the fourth quarter kicked off. Cotter was able to get Seven Sanderson to foul giving them a chance at free throws and the lead. The Lady Warriors shooter missed, but a Cotter teammate was there for the put pack giving Cotter a 25-24 lead over the Lady Tigers. Sanderson would get revenge by putting back a rebound score and it was game on from there. Natalie Allison, who was key in the Lady Tigers assist game, caused the stands to erupt as she cut like a razor between Cotter defenders for a layup and her first score of the night extending the Mansfield lead to three points. Cotter would come back again to score and put the game at a minimal 29-27 Mansfield lead. Anytime Mansfield would score, Cotter was right there every time to pull within a couple of points. The Lady Tigers continued to play the clock with multiple passes but a turnover by Mansfield led to a Lady Warriors score giving cotter a 32-31 lead over the Lady Tigers with only 1:16 left in the game.
Cotter called a time-out right after gaining the lead as both teams planned out their final minute. That final minute of play would, in the end, wind up forcing fans to schedule an appointment with their cardiologists the next day as both teams laid it all out on the floor. Cotter fouled Seven Sanderson quickly sending the 6’3 world wonder to the free-throw line. Sanderson would sink both free throws to regain the lead for the Lady Tigers, 33-32. The Lady Tigers would again see Sanderson go to the foul line as Cotter hit her on the way up for a put-back score tacking on the “and one”. The next Mansfield possession Cotter would foul again, this time it was Kynslee Ward who was sent to the line for two bonus points to extend the Lady Tigers lead to 38-32 with 23.2 seconds left in the game. But the game wasn’t over quite yet. Mansfield fouled Cotter giving them two free throws and the Lady Warrior hit both shots closing the game to a three-point Mansfield lead. The Lady Tigers then turned the ball over with a bad pass out of bounds with only 2.5 seconds on the clock. All Cotter had to do was inbound on their side of the court and hit a three and the game would be sent to overtime. The inbound was smooth for Cotter, but the shot was off as the game ended with a 38-35 victory and the Regional Championship trophy.
The victory was the first regional Championship the Lady Tigers have seen since 1987. To top that off, the Mansfield Lady Tigers improved their overall record to 24-7 and have earned the triple crown of being the 2A-4 Conference Champions, the 2A-4 District Champions, and the 2A West Regional Champions. The late-season winning surge wasn’t just a lucky shot or one good player. The Lady Tigers reached this pinnacle as a team. From the starters to the benches, everyone had a job to do, and they did it. There is only one trophy left to obtain for this outstanding team…state championship. Mansfield will begin that journey starting Thursday, March 3rd as they travel to the State Tournament in Junction City. Their first opponent will be the England Lady Lions with a tip-off of 7:00 pm. Lady Tigers versus Lady Lions for a big cat fight. The Mansfield Lady Tigers basketball program wouldn’t have it any other way
