Webbers Falls girls end season with consecutive losses

The Webbers Falls Lady Warriors, under head coach Jordan Garner in his first year with the girls, finished their season with a 15-6 record after losing their second regional playoff game, a 46-32 setback Friday to 13th-ranked Allen in Quinton.

Meanwhile, the Webbers Falls boys, under first-year head coach Jim Glover, wrapped up a 10-12 season with a 56-45 loss Thursday at Konawa.

Allen 46, Webbers Falls 32

After a season of ups and downs, the Lady Warriors fought hard, exceeding preseason expectations.

“I was really impressed,” Garner said of his girls. “I was just really impressed. I’m just proud because it felt like we got better everyday, every game. I felt like we competed, because we were undersized, our biggest girl is probably 5’5” or 5’6”. But what we lacked in size and rebounding, we made up for by shooting the ball pretty well. Over the season, I think we had four girls shoot 32% or better from the threepoint line, and that’s pretty good.”

The Allen Lady Mustangs were able to spread it around in the first quarter, with four players contributing to their total of 11 points, which gave Allen an 11-8 lead.

In the second stanza, Webbers Falls’ Anistyn Garner made a bucket, a trey and two free throws for seven of the Lady Warriors’ 10 points, for a 23-18 count at intermission.

But the score slipped out of reach in the third period, as Allen outscored the Lady Warriors 8-2 to forge a 31-20 lead going into the final frame.

Webbers Falls fell further behind in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 15-12, as the Lady Warriors’ season came to an end with a final score of 46-32.

GaWebbers Falls 8 10 2 12 – 32 Allen 11 12 8 15 – 46 WEBBERS FALLS – Anistyn Garner 12, Cheyanne Herrier 6, Bayley Haraway 6, Teralynn Colston 3, Samantha Griffith 3, Bridgette Baer 2.

Riverside 84, Webbers Falls 8

Riverside Indian School was on a mission in Thursday’s opening round of regional play. And when it became apparent Webbers Falls wasn’t going to be competitive, Garner decided to rest his starters so they would be at their peak for Friday’s game.

To be sure, Riverside is a formidable opponent, one that recruited nationally and was known for its top-tier talent. Add to that the fact that they recently were downgraded to Class A from Class 3A, and the disparity was apparent. Despite this, Riverside did not stop its assault. Riverside scored in double figures in every quarter, while limiting Webbers Falls to single digits, and led by more than 40 points by halftime, a deficit that continued to grow.

Competitors themselves, the Lady Warriors wanted to get back into the game, but Garner told them that, unfortunately, protecting the Lady Warriors’ resources was the best course for the team in the long run.

As the second half began, Webbers Falls made the decision to bench its starters and give some of the less-experienced players a chance to get some experience. That decision was made with the understanding that Riverside was simply too strong, and the Lady Warriors wanted to give their younger players a chance to gain valuable experience while their starters had the chance to rest before their next game.

However, the Lady Braves had no such plans, and they continued to play their starters and pressed the Lady Warriors relentlessly. It was a tough loss for the Lady Warriors, but they held their heads high. And as they looked to the future, they vowed to come back even stronger next season.

Webbers Falls 2 4 2 0 – 8 Riverside 18 31 18 17 – 84 WEBBERS FALLS – Teralynn Colston 5, Lextyn Chappell 2, Bayley Haraway 1.