No Easy Buckets: Maumelle and Parkview Trade Blows in a Gritty Doubleheader

Free Throws, Grit, and One Possession: Lady Hornets Hold Off Parkview in a One-Point Thriller

The Maumelle Lady Hornets and Parkview Lady Patriots gave us exactly what a non-conference matchup should look like, gritty, imperfect, emotional basketball where every possession mattered and nothing came easy.

From the opening tip, it was clear this one wouldn’t be pretty on the stat sheet. Shots were hard to come by for both sides early, with each team struggling to find rhythm offensively. Parkview’s A’Miya Goolsby immediately made her presence felt without lighting up the scoreboard, attacking the glass, finding teammates, and setting a defensive tone that kept Maumelle from ever getting comfortable. On the other end, Ava Fowlkes and Kaylin Bean did just enough to give the Hornets a slim early edge, using hustle plays and second chances to manufacture points when clean looks weren’t there.

As the game settled in, free throws became a quiet storyline, and a frustrating one. Both teams left points at the line, and the margin for error grew thinner with every miss. Still, Maumelle found small ways to separate. Bean continued to do a little bit of everything, cleaning the glass and converting around the rim, while Fowlkes consistently attacked when the Hornets needed someone to calm things down.

By the time the fourth quarter arrived, Maumelle had built what felt like a manageable lead, but Parkview wasn’t done. Goolsby leaned fully into her role, creating chaos without scoring much herself, and Kristyn Cooper caught fire when it mattered most. The Patriots chipped away possession by possession, turning defensive pressure into quick buckets and suddenly making every Maumelle decision feel urgent.

The final two minutes were pure tension. A missed rebound turned into a second-chance layup. An assist turned into another easy bucket. Just like that, Parkview was right there. Fowlkes stepped to the line late and calmly knocked down two free throws that felt massive in the moment. Cooper answered by sinking all three shots after being fouled on a three-pointer, pulling the Patriots within one.

Hope flickered for Parkview after a late steal, but a turnover ended that chance. A controversial whistle followed, time expired, and the Lady Hornets walked away with a hard-earned 38–37 win.

It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t pretty. But it was resilient. And in games like this, resilience is everything.

Final Score: Maumelle 38, Parkview 37

Depth vs. Grit: Hornets Come Up Short in Physical Battle with Parkview

From the opening tip, this one felt different.

Maumelle wasted no time setting the tone, knocking down two quick triples from Bubba Johnson and Kam Alexander to jump out early. Ashton “A2” Shelton immediately made his presence felt inside, battling for loose balls, winning jump balls, and attacking the paint with purpose. On the other end, Parkview answered with physicality of their own, highlighted by a charge drawn under the basket by Kolby Bell after a beautiful pass from Jacob Lanier, a familiar face for Hornet fans, now suiting up for the Patriots in his senior season.

The first quarter was scrappy and physical, with momentum swinging back and forth. Bubba Johnson continued to attack downhill, Jackson Walker erased a shot at the rim, and Ayden Hansberry quietly began putting together what would become a huge night. By the end of the first, Maumelle clung to a 13–11 lead, with Hansberry nearly flawless offensively and Bubba leading the Hornets with seven early points.

Parkview found its rhythm in the second quarter, leaning on ball movement and depth. Josh Wills and Bryan Williams made themselves felt, while Kennon Johnson kept Maumelle afloat with a floater and a tough three off the glass that tied the game at 18. The Patriots, though, began to separate late in the half. Lanier finally got on the board with an and-one, Williams buried a momentum-shifting three, and despite a late steal and layup from Shelton, Parkview took a 28–24 advantage into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Parkview struck first again, and while Maumelle continued to fight, the third quarter belonged to Jacob Lanier. He absolutely controlled the game, scoring at all three levels, facilitating, and punishing every defensive mistake. Reese Shearon answered with a big three off an Ashton Shelton assist, Kennon Johnson knocked down a clutch shot and created a steal, and the Hornets executed a gorgeous inbound sequence that ended with Jackson Walker finishing at the rim, no dribbles needed.

But Lanier kept answering. A technical, a deep three, and bucket after bucket pushed the Patriots’ lead out to eight heading into the fourth. Lanier scored 16 points in the third quarter alone, missing just two shots in the process.

Maumelle never folded.

Bubba Johnson hit a tough jumper right in Lanier’s face. Kennon Johnson buried multiple threes late. Kam Alexander knocked one down from deep. Caleb Horton cleaned up a missed shot with a massive putback that cut the deficit to two with under ten seconds left, giving the Hornets one final chance.

In the end, free throws and depth made the difference. Parkview rotated twelve players. Maumelle leaned heavily on six, with only limited bench minutes. Lanier calmly sealed it at the line, and a last-second three attempt fell short.

Final score: Parkview 64, Maumelle 60.

This was a loss, but not one without meaning. Maumelle competed possession-for-possession against a deeper, more experienced roster, showed toughness, execution, and growth, and made Parkview earn every single point. The Hornets didn’t back down, and nights like this matter come February.

Two games, two very different flows, but the same takeaway, both teams competed possession by possession, adjusted on the fly, and showed real growth on both ends, even when depth, fouls, and late-game pressure tested every ounce of them.

KFletch 🖤