2A girls basketball state championship: Izard County survives Barton to claim first state title

After finishing in the semifinal round a season ago, the Cougars are state champions for the first time in school history

Tommy Land

In a game that featured 11 lead changes and 10 ties, the Izard County Cougars (32-4) came out on top of the Barton Bears (37-2) by a score of 72-66 to claim their first-ever state championship Thursday at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.

Izard County particularly stood out at the charity stripe, connecting on 82% of free throws attempted to Barton's 58%.

Barton junior Da'Mya Wilson finished as the game's leading scorer with 38 points, plus pulled down seven rebounds, while Makensie Yancey led the Cougars with 19 points. Izard County senior Quinn Johnson was named the 2A Tournament's Most Valuable Player, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Tinley Bailey also added 18 points for the Cougars, while Olivia Spray chipped in 12. Barton's Jakyra Jackson also had 19 points to cap her outstanding prep career.

Pregame

It's the first of 12 basketball state championship games features two teams competing in their first final.

Barton (37-1) has made historic improvement under second-year coach Ryan Koerdt. Koerdt led the Bears to 27 wins last season, including a state tournament berth, where the Bears fell to eventual back-to-back state champion Mount Vernon-Enola.

This season, the Bears are unbeaten against 2A opposition with their lone defeat coming to 4A Stuttgart by five points in late December. Since then, the Bears have won 22 consecutive contests and have averaged an impressive 66 points per game while enforcing the sportsmanship rule on 30 of 38 opponents. What they have done on defense is even more impressive, as they are surrendering only 31 points per game while nabbing an eye-popping 18 steals.

Everything starts with possibly 2A's best backcourt that features senior Jakyra Jackson (25.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 4 apg, 6.5 spg, 2.2 bpg) and junior Da'Mya Wilson (22.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 4 spg, 2.3 bpg), who powered the comeback victory over Cutter-Morning Star in the state semifinals. Jackson and Wilson hold multiple college offers, and Wilson has surpassed 2,500 career points with a year remaining in her prep career.

Izard County coach David Harmon has served at the school in multiple capacities for more than three decades and is getting his first taste of state with the girls basketball squad after taking the boys to the championship round in 2008. The Cougars (31-4) average just shy of 60 points per game while allowing 43, and they have won 23 straight contests since dropping consecutive matchups to Sloan-Hendrix and Harding Academy at the beginning of January.

The Cougars returned essentially everyone from last season's squad that finished as a state semifinalist, headlined by college prospects in seniors Quinn Johnson (18.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 70% FT) and Tinley Bailey (10.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg). Juniors Olivia Spray (13 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg, 70% FT) and Makensie Yancey (10 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.6 spg, 70% FT) also have shined, and Emily Stephens (2.3 ppg, 2.6 apg) brings even more senior leadership to the starting lineup.

(Updates will appear here after the game starts.)

FINAL: Izard County 72, Barton 66

Fourth quarter

Izard County 71-66, :13

Johnson is fouled by Wilson and hits both free throws, the Cougars are feeling it.

Izard County 69-66, :25

Skidmore gave the Cougars a five-point cushion after hitting two free throws, but Zaria Smith lays one in under the bucket on the ensuring possession via an assist from Jackson. Timeout Izard County.

Izard County 67-64, 1:02

Leading by three, Izard County calls time and will have the ball following a steal Cougars guard Quinn Johnson.

Izard County 65-62, 2:02

Jackson connects on one of two free throws.. The foul was committed on Olivia Spray who committed her fifth and will have to sit for the remainder of the game with 12 points.

Izard County 60-58, 3:37

Media timeout. Jackson will shoot two free throws when action returns, looking to tie it back up. There have been nine lead changes and 10 ties.

Izard County 55-52, 6:02

The Cougars began the fourth on a 5-0 run, then Jackson cuts into the deficit with a jumper and Barton takes a timeout.

Third quarter

End of third: Tied at 50

A short floater by Tinley Bailey right before the buzzer puts it at 50 all heading into the final quarter.

Tied at 48, :44

Wilson ties the game again with two successful free throws. She is up to 32 points.

Tied at 43, 3:03

Barton Coach Ryan Koerdt calls time again. Barton will inbound the ball on the Izard County side.

Barton 42-41, 4:12

Barton calls timeout. Jackson (11 points) is currently on the bench with four fouls and Wilson (27 points) is still playing with three.

Barton 41-39, 4:48

It is raining threes inside Bank OZK. Wilson is 3 of 3 for the quarter and Izard County's Quinn Johnson just drained one to cut the Bear lead to two. Timeout Izard County.

Barton 36-32, 6:17

Wilson is really feeling it. She hits two more threes, she's currently 6 of 11 from long range, and Izard County turns it over on the ensuing possession, then calls time.

Barton 29-28, 7:48

Tyaas McNeese-Sledge gives Barton its first lead since the 7:16 mark of the first quarter after converting two free throws.

Second quarter

Halftime: Izard County 28-27

After multiple ties and lead changes, Wilson – who is playing with three fouls – connects on another three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in the half but the Cougars take a one-point advantage into the break. Wilson leads all scorers with 16 points, followed by Jackson with 11. Olivia Spray and Bailey lead Izard County with eight.

Izard County 22-20, 3:17

Izard County started to pull away again, but Wilson's three from the top of the key cuts the Cougar lead back to two points. Media timeout. Izard County's Kallie Skidmore will shoot free throws when we return to action.

Izard County 17-15, 6:44

Quinn Johnson's two successful free throw attempts got the lead back for the Cougars.

Tied at 15, 7:18

Jackson ties the game with another lay up.

First quarter

End of 1st: Izard County 15-13

Jackson gets another bucket and is fouled seconds before the horn. And-one free throw is good and the Bears have cut it to a two-point game. Da'Mya Wilson (Barton) and Tinley Bailey (Izard County) lead all scorers with eight points.

Izard County 11-4, 2:06

The Bears score their first bucket since the 7:16 mark on a lay-in by Jakyra Jackson.

Izard County 9-2, 3:54

Barton scores the first two points of the game and Izard County responds with a 9-0 run. Media timeout.

We are underway.

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