LADY BEARCATS WIN LEAGUE OPENER, BATTLE ON THE BORDER

The Booneville Lady Bearcats remained undefeated, opened conference play with a win, and won their second tournament title last weekend.

They did so with a limited amount of resistance, beating Cedarville 57-21 in the 3A-4 opener for both schools, and dropping Future School 52-30 in the finals of the Battle on the Border tournament hosted by Arkoma, Okla.

At Cedarville Friday night the Lady Bearcats (9-0, 1-0) threw a first quarter shutout and would score the first 18 points of the game.

Cedarville managed eight second quarter points but the Lady Bearcats had opened a commanding 33-8 lead by the intermission.

Including six during the 18-0 run to start the game Leigh Swint scored eight of her team high 13 points in the first half.

Joleigh Tate and Hayley Roberts both had a 3-pointer and a basket during the starting run as well.

Defense fueled most of the attack as the Lady Bearcats combined for 19 steals, with Heaven Sanchez (shown) and Swint recording five each and Roberts three.

On her way to 11 points, Lexi Franklin scored eight points from the 4:17 to the 1:43 mark of the second quarter.

A 3 by Brooke Turner pushed the lead to 31 with 4:52 left in the third quarter and it eventually reached 36 at 46-10.

From there Carah Miller was responsible for eight points and J.J. Keatts scored her first points of the season.

On Saturday night – the Lady Bearcats fourth game of the week and seventh in 12 days – it was more of the same.

Sanchez, who would later be named the tournament MVP, scored the first five points of the night as part of a game opening 7-0 run.

Turner hit a pair of 3s late in the first quarter and the lead was already double digits at 13-2.

By halftime it reached 23 as Swint, who was named to the All Tournament team, were responsible for another 10 points to close the half.

Tate, who was also named to the All Tournament team, scored seven third quarter points and was finished with nine on the night, to go with her nine rebounds.

Layla Byrum also hit a pair of 3s in the quarter as the lead grew to 48-16.

With no mercy rule in Oklahoma the final quarter was a regulation one and saw the Lady Rockets post a 14 point quarter to trim the final margin to 22.

There were 19 Lady Bearcat steals in the game with Sanchez, Swint, and Tate all making four thefts.

The Lady Bearcats play next tonight at Cosssatot River. It is their only game of the week.