Recapping the 4A Championship Game

Preview   It was no surprise that the two best teams in the 4A classification met up in the championship game. The De Queen Lady Leopards and the Pulaski Academy Lady Bruins entered this contest with a combined record of 70-1, each squad easily defeating all of their conference opponents.   Despite De Queen being the one team with the lone loss, Pulaski Academy was considered a bit more of a favorite to win the title, especially after going undefeated on the year, the only team in Arkansas high school girls' basketball to have a perfect regular season.   Both De Queen and Pulaski Academy came a long way to get to this point and it was a fantastic game.   Recap   No one could gain an advantage on the scoreboard in the first quarter. The opening period ended with the score of 12-12, but De Queen used their strong on-ball defensive pressure to jump out to a big 10-point lead heading into the half, holding the Bruins to 8 points in the second.   If you know anything about this Pulaski Academy team, you know that this team will not go away. The Bruins cut down the Leopard lead to 2 points in the third quarter.   In the fourth quarter, Pulaski Academy was still not going away, using their length to make a tremendous impact on the glass and when scoring in the paint. Once the score knotted up at 50, that made the Leopards perk up. De Queen went on a 10-2 which pushed the Bruins out of reach of the lead.   The De Queen Leopards would hold on to win 62-54 over the Pulaski Academy Lady Bruins, winning their first championship since 2003 and just the second in school history.   Key Performances from De Queen Players    [player_tooltip player_id='875466' first='Shalyn' last='Lyle']'s performance in the championship game earned her the MVP award. She had been playing in foul trouble for most of the game, sitting with 4 in the second half. Despite that, her coach trusted her not to get that final foul, which paid off.   In only 24 minutes, Lyle put up 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. The senior was stuffing the stat sheet, playing well on both sides of the ball. She went 1/2 from 3-point range and 5/7 from the field, finding a lot of offensive success when attacking the basket.   On the other end, Lyle was playing aggressive on-ball defense. She may have been too aggressive when she was in foul trouble, but she still caused turnovers and forced bad shots. As a unit, De Queen held Pulaski Academy to an abysmal 12.5% from three, and Lyle was a big part of that.   [player_tooltip player_id='875466' first='Shalyn' last='Lyle'] will be a great player at the next level and I know she must be glad to have a championship under her belt in her final year of high school basketball.     Like her sister, [player_tooltip player_id='875473' first='Jessie' last='Lyle'] had a solid performance in the 4A title game. Overall, she has played well in her lone season in De Queen, but she leaves a legacy in that Leopard jersey.   Lyle put up 12 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists. She did not shoot particularly well from the 3-point line, only knocking down one triple, but did go 2/5 from inside the arch. Lyle played aggressively on the offensive end, drawing contact and making her way to the free throw line. Despite her shooting woes, Lyle went 5/5 from the charity stripe.   [player_tooltip player_id='875473' first='Jessie' last='Lyle'] will join her sister as they go to Arkansas Tech this fall. Like her sister, she will be a fantastic player at the next level.     [player_tooltip player_id='819148' first='Emma' last='Chambers'] was the leading scorer of this game for De Queen. She may not have shot the best from the field, but she made her impact at the free throw line.   Chambers posted 13 points and 2 rebounds in the win while going a perfect 7/7 from the charity stripe. Most of her struggles shooting were from outside, but she did shoot 3/5 from mid-range and in the paint.   Her work at the free throw line was because of her aggressiveness on the offensive end. She attacked the basket hard, ignoring contact and looking to score each trip down.   This performance by [player_tooltip player_id='819148' first='Emma' last='Chambers'] is a positive one that she can carry into next season where she is expected to be the primary scorer next to [player_tooltip player_id='999832' first='Landri' last='Liggin']. She can also use the performance to energize her play this spring and summer for her AAU squad.     [player_tooltip player_id='999832' first='Landri' last='Liggin'] has been one of De Queen's most consistent weapons on both ends of the floor. She is a solid outside shooter, paint scorer, and game-changing defender, and she proved that on the Lady Leopards' biggest stage.   Liggin had 11 points, 3 rebounds, and a ridiculous 7 steals in the title victory over Pulaski Academy. She hit 1 3-pointer and went 4/9 from inside the arch. Liggin was also giving her team second-chance scoring opportunities, pulling down 2 offensive rebounds.   On the defensive end, the junior was responsible for forcing almost half of the Bruins' turnovers. She played suffocating on-ball defense, picked off passes, and easily stripped ball-handlers.   De Queen does not win this game with [player_tooltip player_id='999832' first='Landri' last='Liggin']'s effort on the defensive end. Her two-way play has been fantastic and it will continue to be her calling card next season.    [player_tooltip player_id='1244312' first='Ellie' last='Morphew'] (2026 5'6" F/C)- De Queen's 2026 class makes up the majority of its production, especially in the starting lineup. Morphew is a bit undersized for a center, but she outworked the Lady Bruins on the boards. She grabbed 12 rebounds, with 4 coming on the offensive end. She also scored 6 points, shooting 3/5 from the field. Morphew's hustle and determination were game-changers.   Key Performances from Pulaski Academy Players    Though Pulaski Academy fell short in the championship, [player_tooltip player_id='1093288' first='Greenlee' last='Elmore'] gave it her all. She led all scorers in this game and used her athleticism to crash the glass.   Elmore finished the game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals while shooting 10/23 from the field. She hit a 3-pointer but most of her scoring came off drives and her work on the offensive glass. Elmore did snag 4 offensive boards. The sophomore also went to the free throw line and was perfect at the stripe.   Elmore's play on the defensive end elevated her team in stretches of the game. She was reading plays perfectly, snagging passes out of the air and taking them the other way for easy fastbreak buckets.   [player_tooltip player_id='1093288' first='Greenlee' last='Elmore'] is one of the best players in the 2027 class for a reason. Pulaski Academy will be in good hands next year with the sophomore and all of the other young players on this roster.     [player_tooltip player_id='1093280' first='Randi' last='Stewart'] was highly active on both sides of the ball against Pulaski Academy. She continued to prove why she is a top 10 player in the 2027 class.   Stewart put up 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. She shot 6/13 from the field, knocking down a triple and 3 free throws. There was not much De Queen could do when Stewart had her sights set on the basket. She drove hard through traffic and finished easily through contact. Stewart also grabbed 3 offensive rebounds.   The sophomore's play on the defensive end made a major impact on her team. She was hard to keep off the glass while having a nose for the ball once a shot went up, becoming a shot-blocking threat.   [player_tooltip player_id='1093280' first='Randi' last='Stewart'] is another reason why this Lady Bruin team will probably be back in this game next season. With her two-way play, this team is dangerous.    <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/lindsey-johnston/">[player_tooltip player_id='1186787' first='Lindsey' last='Johnston']</a>- Johnston has been sort of an unsung hero at times for Pulaski Academy this season. Despite that, she made one of the biggest impacts in this game. Her largest impact was not scoring, but she snagged 10 boards, with 8 coming on the offensive end. For all 32 minutes, the Leopards could not keep her off the glass, providing second-chance scoring opportunities to her team almost every trip down the floor.   Review and What's Next   Pulaski Academy struggled to shoot against this Lady Leopard squad, but they still crashed the glass hard and made some plays on the defensive end. Though this team came up short, they have the talent to be back in this game next season. Most of the players on this squad have been together since their elementary school days, so their chemistry is one of the best in the state.   Even without [player_tooltip player_id='1051956' first='Madison' last='Sanders'], [player_tooltip player_id='454410' first='Sophia' last='Boyd'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1186787' first='Lindsey' last='Johnston'], I think this team will continue to remain a contender for the 4A title. Senior leadership is highly important, but they have youth who will lead this team in the future. [player_tooltip player_id='1093280' first='Randi' last='Stewart'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1093288' first='Greenlee' last='Elmore'] will headline next season for the Bruins, but Ellie Robken will have an impact, especially after being the lone player off the bench for Pulaski Academy in the title game. [player_tooltip player_id='1190594' first='Sophie' last='Hutcherson'] is another player who has had solid moments and she is due for more playing time.   For De Queen, they are also losing some veteran leadership. They lose the Lyle twins, but they have a strong junior class who will step up in 2025/26. [player_tooltip player_id='819148' first='Emma' last='Chambers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='999832' first='Landri' last='Liggin'] will be the primary scorers and [player_tooltip player_id='1244312' first='Ellie' last='Morphew'] will continue to hold it down in the middle for the Lady Leopards. Juniors Kate Lindsey and Azulenny Ponce played in the championship alongside sophomore Lynli Liggin and they will all have impacts next season. The freshman center Heavenly Picking only played 2 minutes in the title game, but she will be one of the more intriguing young players in the 4A classification next year.

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