By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Emily Landry caught the ball in the right corner and decided something big was about to happen.
For better or worse.
In crunch time of a one-point game, Landry rose up and drained a pivotal 3-pointer to give the Lady Cardinals a seemingly insurmountable two-possession lead.
“That one… I don’t know. I just had it and I took it,” Landry said. “I thought, ‘This is either going to go really good, or it’s going to go really bad.
“Luckily, it went really good.”
Landry’s clutch trey capped a big outing for the junior guard – who had a game-high 20 points – and propelled Chadwick to a 42-33 win over Walnut Grove on Friday night in a showdown of state-ranked teams at the finals of the Pleasant Hope Invitational.
“That was a huge shot by Emily at a huge time in the game when we really needed a bucket,” said Chadwick coach Jim Pendergrass. “That helped start the separation.
“She’s done that for us all year. She’s a fantastic player who brings so much to our team.”
Defense carried Chadwick to a comeback victory.
Walnut Grove did not make a field goal in the fourth quarter – all three of the Lady Tigers’ points came at the free throw line. Chadwick had its highest-scoring quarter with 15 points.
Landry’s 3-pointer came with about two minutes remaining and put Chadwick ahead for good, 36-32.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“We got defensive stops and defensive rebounds,” Pendergrass said of the fourth quarter surge. “When one team gets a little bit ahead, those possessions get bigger and bigger and more important. We got some stops there at the end.”
Chadwick also held Walnut Grove scoreless for the first five minutes of the game.
Ashtyn Anderson scored 12 to lead Walnut Grove (11-4 overall, No. 4 in MBCA Class 1 state rankings). Outside of the slow start and dry finish, the Lady Tigers went toe-to-toe with the defending Class 1 state champions.
Walnut Grove led by one at halftime and entered the fourth quarter with a 30-27 lead.
“We executed when we really needed to and played like a veteran team,” Pendergrass said. “We handled adversity extremely well.”
Friday night was a rematch from last season’s final four matchup, when Chadwick beat Walnut Grove in the semifinals on its way to winning the Class 1 state championship.
But the Lady Cardinals entered Friday’s matchup with plenty of motivation on their side, too, after losing to Walnut Grove in this same tournament last year.
“I know (Walnut Grove) really wanted it back tonight after the final four last year,” Landry said. “But we got second (place) here last year, so we were making it our mission to get first (place) this year.
“It was really competitive tonight and we definitely felt it from the start.”
Said Chadwick senior guard Ella Herd, who has now played Walnut Grove five times in her high school career: “It’s been a rivalry for a few years now. We’ve met in the playoffs and this tournament. We wanted to come out and beat them both times this year.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
Chadwick (13-3 overall, No. 1 in MBCA Class 1 state rankings) has reloaded and leveled up as the defending Class 1 champs.
The Lady Cardinals have three starters back from their title squad: juniors Emily and Macy Landry, along with Herd.
This season, Chadwick faces 17 games against schools that are in Class 3 or higher classification.
“It’s definitely been tough. Every team’s coming at us with their best and they’re going to play their best game against us,” Herd said. “We haven’t really had an easy game, but we love the challenges.”
Said Pendergrass: “That (schedule) has prepared us for moments like tonight.”
Herd is the only senior on the team, although she receives leadership help from members of the junior class. Six freshmen have joined the roster this season.
“I’ve always been one of the louder people on the team, but I can definitely tell that the team just kind of looks up to me as a role model,” Herd said. “I just try to keep my temper cool and be a good leader.”
According to Emily Landry, Herd is the consensus captain of the young squad.
“She’s 100 percent the loudest player on the team, but we look up to her. She’s our big leader,” Landry said.
Chadwick returns to action Thursday night, Jan. 22 at Mountain Grove. Walnut Grove’s next game is Jan. 20 at home versus Humansville.
Chadwick 42, Walnut Grove 33
Chadwick 8 6 13 15 — 42
Walnut Grove 5 10 15 3 — 33
Walnut Grove (11-4 overall) – Ashtyn Anderson 12, Sadie Loehr 8, Sabrina Loehr 6, Kyndal Henry 4, Maeli Holman 2, Kolbi Albert 1
Chadwick (13-3 overall) – Emily Landry 20, Ella Herd 12, Calie Johnson 4, Calli Oldenburg 4, Macy Landry 2
