The Naylor Lady Eagles pose for pictures with the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 championship plaque Friday night in Holcomb. (Brad Hurt/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

HOLCOMB -- The Naylor Lady Eagles began their mental preparation for Friday's MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 final before they even left their hometown.

After encouraging and motivating each other throughout the day, the Lady Eagles took to the court against rival Neelyville and cruised to a 54-22 win.

"We came to school this morning and I got everybody pumped up," Cheyenne Hollowell said. "All through the day it was 'game day.'"

With the win, the Lady Eagles advanced to Wednesday's sectional game against Class 2 District 2 champion Van Buren, which will take place at 6 p.m. at Three Rivers Community College.

Hollowell led the Lady Eagles (23-2) with 17 points, including six each in the first and third quarters.

The Lady Eagles, who started slowly in their opening game of the tournament against Senath on Tuesday, made sure they didn't repeat that mistake against the Lady Tigers, jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game and leading 21-2 after one quarter.

"I think the girls came ready to play tonight," Naylor coach Stephana Deckard said. "I felt like everybody did their job, everybody played their role. They know that any team can knock you off if you're not on your guard."

Brooke Baccus hit a pair of 3-pointers to help open up the lead in the first quarter, and the Lady Eagles pressured the ball on the defensive end of the floor, resulting in a total of 18 turnovers for Neelyville (13-13).

"It sure wasn't the ending we wanted it to be," Neelyville coach Becky Hale said. "It's very disappointing but I couldn't be more proud of these girls." Seniors Jessica Prosise, Tiffany Pirc and Libby Parish all played their final game in a Neelyville uniform.

"They've given me 100 percent all the time and there's no words I can say," Hale said of her senior class.

The Lady Eagles took a 30-12 lead into halftime as the Lady Tigers struggled with turnovers, committing 10 in the half.

The Lady Eagles gave themselves multiple opportunities to score by crashing the offensive boards.

The dominant performance the Lady Eagles gave on the court showed how much they had prepared themselves before the game. It also rewarded their effort in doing the little things off the court that often go unnoticed during a game.

"A lot of people put a lot of work into it that doesn't always get seen on the floor," coach Deckard said.

Cheyenne Ragsdale and Baccus each added 11 points for the Lady Eagles while Hailee Deckard finished with six.

Deckard said she and her teammates felt like this win was especially important after missing out on the postseason a year ago.

"Obviously it means a lot, because last year we didn't get to play. Coming out here we had a point to prove, so it was a big win for us," she said.

While she only scored six points in the game, Deckard did it with her defense, coming up with a pair of steals in the third quarter and turning each of them into a layup as part of a 7-2 run that extended the lead to 50-18 with 1 minute remaining in the quarter.

Baccus said the team got its emotional lift in this game from its fans, who showed up in support of their team as they have all season.

"It's good, definitely, with a big crowd," she said. "We had very good fan support tonight, and it helps us out when everyone else gets into it and pumps us up."