Lady Dawgs take bite out of Summersville in district opener

VAN BUREN — The Van Buren Lady Dawgs put on an absolute clinic Tuesday night in their Class 2 District 2 opener.

The Lady Dawgs scored the game’s first seven points and never looked back on the way to a 56-23 win over Summersville.

“We still have a long way to go in this tournament,” Van Buren coach Torrie Ricker said. “Now we’re just looking for the next great game. Ellington is a great team, they play really good basketball. Kaylee King is really hard to guard. But I’m confident in my girls and I wouldn’t trade one of them for anybody else. So whatever we’ve got to do to get the job done, we’re going to do it.”

With the win, Van Buren (11-15) earns a matchup with top-seeded Ellington in Thursday’s district semifinals.

The Lady Dawgs kicked off the game’s scoring with a 3-pointer from Ella Wilbanks on the way to the early 7-0 lead — while on defense, Van Buren limited Summersville to just six points in the entire opening period.

“We’ve beat Summersville twice this season, but I know from experience that we can’t afford to overlook any player or team,” said Van Buren’s Ella Wilbanks.

The Lady Dawgs led by 19 points at halftime

Meanwhile, Van Buren’s defense was aggressive on the boards and constantly causing turnovers, then converting those turnovers into quick baskets — several by Kinsley Murphy, who took the ball head strong into the zone, laying in a last-minute layup to end the third quarter.

Wilbanks led the Lady Dawgs with 17 points, while Madison King and Murphy added nine and eight points, respectively. Mabry also had several assists to help keep the offense moving.

Van Buren and Ellington will meet in the district semifinals Thursday at 6 p.m., with the other semifinal between East Carter and Alton to follow.