Lady Lions fall hard in second half, losing 42-22 to top seeded Nettleton

Manila's Lady Lions stood firm with top seeded Nettleton in the quarterfinals of the 65th Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament before a second half meltdown ended in a 42-22 loss to the Lady Raiders Monday afternoon, Dec. 26, at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro.

Nettleton held a slim 9-6 lead after the first quarter, thanks mainly to the scoring of senior Jennifer Towne, who scored six of the Lady Raider's nine first period points.

Manila fought back in the second period, and finally took the lead, 14-13, with 3:08 left in the half on a driving lay-up by sophomore Deven Burrow. A free throw by Kailen Shelton increased the Lady Lion lead to two points before Kristen Wise hit a 10-footer with 1:12 left before intermission, giving Manila a 17-13 advantage at the half.

The second half belonged entirely to Nettleton, as the Lady Lions began to get into serious foul trouble. Leading scorer Shelby Wallace, who picked up four fouls in the first half alone, fouled out late in the third period. Manila, who outrebounded Nettleton at will in the first half, saw the tables turned in the second half, being outrebounded 35-10. The Lady Lions, who began the game with only eight players, had to finish the game with just four players on the floor as three other Manila players would all foul out in the final quarter.

The Lady Raiders outscored Manila 19-0 in the third quarter to bolt to a 32-17 lead heading into the final frame, and extended their run to 27-0 before Manila finally broke the drought, scoring five points late in the fourth quarter.

Lexi Belliew, who attacked the boards with a vengeance in the second half, led Nettleton with 11 points while Towne finished with 10.

Wallace led Manila with nine points before fouling out. Shelton scored four, Kirsten Adcock, who hit six treys in the Lady Lion's first round victory, was limited to just three points, while Wise, Burrow and Taylor Teague added two points apiece. Adcock was chosen to the NEA Tournament team.

The Lady Lions will return to action Jan. 5, when they play host to conference rival Harrisburg.