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Lady Tigers fall back to .500 after Bolivar loss
After two weeks without so much as a scrimmage, the Nevada High School girls basketball team played its third game in four days Tuesday at Bolivar.
And even though the Lady Tigers lost 61-54 — dropping two of those three games to fall to 11-11 on the season — after the game, head coach Blake Howarth was as optimistic as ever.
“Our girls are improving,” said Howarth, whose squad had a 15-day stretch earlier this month without any games due to winter weather before losing to El Dorado Springs on Saturday and beating McDonald County on Monday. “Even after that long of a layoff, from Saturday to tonight with hardly any rest, three games in four days, we played better Saturday to tonight.”
Not helping Nevada in its final road game of the regular season was the fact that Bolivar was celebrating senior night — in the middle of which senior point guard Alexis Berry scored her 1,500th career point. Needless to say, the Lady Liberators were amped for this one.
“It was their senior night, so they had that in their favor and that motivation to come out hungry, ready to attack,” said Howarth, whose team quieted the home crowd by overcoming a lackluster first quarter to take a two-point lead into halftime. “We had them frustrated after that first half.”
After starting ice cold from the floor and escaping the first quarter only down six, Nevada freshman Clara Swearingen finally connected from 3-point land early in the second to bring Nevada within five, 22-17.
On the Lady Tigers’ next possession, Tylin Heathman dished to Grace Barnes for a jumper, forcing a timeout by Bolivar.
Bailey Ast then pulled Nevada within one with a post move in the paint, then Heathman grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a jumper to give the Lady Tigers their first lead of the game, 23-22.
Nevada and Bolivar exchanged leads five more times until Swearingen connected from the top of the key with 20 seconds left in the half to give the Lady Tigers a 28-26 lead at the break.
In the third, though, their lead disappeared faster than the snow that kept Nevada out of any games for half the month.
“They took their frustration out in the first couple of minutes, and it took us a little bit to respond to that,” said Howarth, whose team opened the second half with three turnovers on its first three possessions, plus an airball on its fourth, each of which was cashed in by Bolivar on the other end. “But once again, our girls didn’t quit. I’m very proud of them that they continued to compete. We didn’t start the first two minutes, but we responded.”
Heathman ended Bolivar’s 10-0 run with a teardrop bucket, and Swearingen eventually hit two free throws late in the period to bring Nevada within four heading into the fourth.
“A lot of teams, they can crumble right there. And we didn’t,” Howarth said. “We continued to battle and play.”
The Lady Liberators (12-11) took advantage of their size and a few Nevada turnovers early in the fourth to take an 11-point lead.
Out of a Nevada timeout, though, sophomore Maddy Majors came off the bench and hit her first shot. Then Heathman got a steal off the Lady Tigers’ full-court press and fed Swearingen for a layup.
After another Bolivar turnover, Majors sank a jumper off the dribble to bring Nevada within five (53-48).
But that would be as close as Nevada would get.
Berry scored back-to-back layups to give Bolivar some breathing room, and the Lady Tigers committed a couple of late turnovers when they needed points instead.
Heathman led Nevada with 18 points, followed by Swearingen with 14. Grace Barnes and Abbey Heathman each chipped in six. Berry led all scorers with 23 points.