MORRILTON – Magnolia picked a bad time to have one if its worse shooting night of the season.
The Panthers (23-8) saw their hopes for another opportunity to play in a state championship game wiped out Saturday night after falling 67-56 to Little Rock Mills (24-10) inside Devil Dog Arena at Morrilton.
After breezing through the 4A-South Conference with a perfect 10-0 record and blowing out three opponents by an average of 40 points in regional play, the Panthers struggled against their first two opponents before succumbing to the Comets in the Class 4A State Tournament semifinals.
Following a low-scoring first quarter that resulted in Mills leading 4-2 at the buzzer, Magnolia’s defense created three consecutive turnovers that resulted in points. The Panthers went on a 11-0 run and led by 11, 13-4, at the five-minute mark.
Mills quickly trimmed the deficit to six two minutes later.
Magnolia’s lead was seven, 20-13, with 1:06 remaining in the first half and the Panthers carried a 20-15 advantage into the locker room at the half.
Mills came alive in the third, scoring seven unanswered points at the start to go up 22-20. With the Panthers having trouble scoring, the Comets led by six points at the midway points and were ahead 34-29 after three quarters.
The Panthers got to within four early in the final period, but Mills went on to build a 14-point lead twice over the final four minutes before settling on the 11-point win.
Magnolia’s Deunta Hamilton had with 21 points, with 14 coming in the fourth period. Dylan Dismuke added 11.
Mills’ Marshall Walls also finished with 21, with 10 coming in the final quarter.
Mills advances to the Class 4A State Finals against Little Rock Hall, set for Friday night at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
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