The Arcadia Lady Hornets will not be heading to their third consecutive LHSAA championship.
Two years after clinching the title, the No. 3 Hornets fell to No. 2 Merryville 55-52 in the Division IV nonselect semifinals Monday, March 2 at Southeastern Louisiana’s University Center.
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Arcadia and Merryville were tied at 13 at the end of the first quarter as Lady Hornets senior Ryhanna Abney (10 points) and Lady Panthers junior Avery Cournoyer (23 points) each scored eight points in the opening frame. The Lady Panthers then went into halftime with a 26-20 lead.
Merryville exploded to start the second half, leading by as many as 17 points at one point, as one of its biggest plays of the game was a 3-pointer by Cournoyer. Senior Miranda Williams was another major contributor for the Lady Panthers, scoring 13 points.
Arcadia junior DeAsia Alexander (nine points) led her team in scoring with 16 points per contest heading into the semifinals but recorded her first points against Merryville with less than three minutes to go in the second quarter.
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One of the game’s biggest contributors was Lady Hornets junior Arianna Williams. Her two 3-pointers and a layup toward the end of the third quarter shaved Merryville’s lead to four points. Williams finished the game with a team-high 22 points.
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Arcadia girls basketball Merryville D-IV nonselect semifinals
