CLINTON - Pillow Academy took care of business with ease against an overmatched opponent and now braces for its toughest foe of the season.
After running right over Tensas (La.) 67-36 Monday in the first round of the MPSA Overall Tournament, the Lady Mustangs (37-2) square off at 8:15 tonight against defending Overall champion Brookhaven (36-1) at Mississippi College.
The winner advances to Friday's semifinal round; the loser is done for the year.
Tensas, the No. 4 seed from Class A, saw its season end at 23-9, as Pillow grabbed a quick 8-2 lead and never looked back.
"After we got going, our girls realized they couldn't match up with us," Pillow coach Durwin Carpenter said. "This game was probably easier than our Monday practices, but it helps from the standpoint that we got a chance to get used to playing and shooting in this gym."
Tensas, which has just one senior on its roster, had no answer inside for stopping PA senior center Meagan Webb, who pumped in a game-high 16 points in just 19 minutes of action.
Webb scored eight of her team's 20 first-period points and wound up with 14 at the half. She played sparingly in the second half and finished with four rebounds and four steals.
Senior point guard Clansey Flautt scored six of her eight points in the first period to help the Lady Mustangs get off to a fast start.
Pillow led 20-7 at the end of the first period.
Senior guard Katie Buford opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, and sophomore Betsy Nelson hit another trey at the 2:19 mark to help Pillow to a 36-18 halftime advantage.
The Lady Mustangs finished off Tensas by outscoring it 14-4 in the first five minutes of the third. They led 54-24 at the end of the third.
Carpenter rested his starters in the fourth, and Pillow still managed to outscore the Lady Chiefs 13-12.
Buford finished with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and five steals. Flautt had four steals and four rebounds to go with her eight points.
Sophomore guard Lauren Coleman turned in an all-around solid outing off the bench, scoring eight points while grabbing a team-high six rebounds, getting four steals and dishing out three assists.
Sophomore center Mary Elizabeth Harper had nine points, five rebounds and two steals.
The Lady Mustangs hit 32-of-73 (44 percent) from the field, while holding Tensas to 30 percent and forcing 20 turnovers.
The Pillow girls have won two Overall titles in Carpenter's first 10 years at the school and have won five total. One more would give Pillow a record sixth Overall title in girls' basketball.
But before the Lady Mustangs can think about making history, they must find a way to get past four-time state AA champion Brookhaven. The Lady Cougars got a first-round bye in the 12-team tournament that features the top four teams from the MPSA's three classifications.
After Monday's win, Carpenter said he didn't have a full scouting report on Brookhaven, but that he knew the Lady Cougars had four senior starters back from last year's team that went undefeated en route to winning Overall.
Tonight's game will be broadcast on the radio on either 99.1 FM or 96.9 FM. The exact station wasn't set at press time.
