Fair Grove claims first Pink & White championship

kairaymer-2214-3

By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Believe it or not, there was still a championship that the Fair Grove Lady Eagles hadn’t won – even in this golden run.

That missing piece was finally captured on Tuesday, as Fair Grove won its first Pink and White Lady Classic championship.

For players like senior Abbey Green, the accomplishment was something they’ve sought since childhood.

“My older sister never got the chance to play in it, but the kids before her did. I was always here, watching this,” she said. “We were never able to get that trophy until today. Being able to get that trophy now, especially as a senior, it’s amazing for my group of girls and this whole team.”

Fair Grove, the two-time defending Class 3 state champions, added another accolade with the prestigious holiday tournament championship by beating a red-hot Hillcrest squad 55-37 in the White Division finals.

Four Fair Grove players scored nine or more, led by Brooke Daniels’ 15 points.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

The Lady Eagles were in control from start to finish, leading by eight after the first quarter and 32-16 by halftime.

Fair Grove won all four of its Pink and White games this year by double-digits.

“It’s a four-day marathon,” said Fair Grove coach Gary Greene. “You have to deal with tired legs and quick turnarounds and no prep time.

“But when you’re coaching a group like this, you don’t have to worry about that stuff. Tired doesn’t beat them. It never has.”

Abbey Green said winning the Pink and White was a talking point amongst the team ever since the 2024 brackets were released.

“We talked about it every single time we went to the gym. We’re like, ‘We’re almost there, guys. We almost got this one,’” she said. “We have everything else, so getting this one was quite the goal for us in the weeks leading up to it.”

To bring his team extra luck, Greene wore his “lucky” purple checkered pants on Tuesday. He’s worn them only one other time – in Fair Grove’s state semifinal victory last year that propelled the Lady Eagles to a second straight state championship.

“The players wanted me to get a purple suit. I told them, ‘Gary doesn’t wear suits,’” Greene said. “I agreed to purple pants, but you can’t just buy purple pants anywhere. So I went on eBay and got these.

“I thought if it was worth five or 10 more points, let’s do it.”

Hillcrest (10-1 overall) suffered its first loss of the young season. Sa’niya Johnson and Serenity Johnson each scored eight to lead the Lady Hornets.

Hillcrest was the breakout team of this year’s tournament. As the No. 7 seed, the Lady Hornets pulled off upsets of No. 2 seed Nixa and No. 6 seed West Plains to reach the championship game.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME

“It’s impressive to watch what they’ve done,” Greene said. “I told their coach (Justin Gerald), ‘Belief is very powerful.’ To me, they showed that all week and it took them to the championship game.”

Hillcrest returns to action on Jan. 9 at home versus Rolla (10-2 overall).

Fair Grove will play at Marshfield, who finished third in the White Division, the same night.

The Lady Eagles are now 10-2 overall and don’t seem satisfied with their past accomplishments – numerous as they are.

“To me, they’re hungrier,” Greene said of this year’s squad. “They’re hungry to finish well. They know what they’ve done, and they’re not satisfied yet. It seems strange with all the success they’ve had but look at what they did in volleyball. You don’t go 41-0 if you’re not hungry.”

Fair Grove 55, Hillcrest 37

Fair Grove 17 15 14 9 — 55
Hillcrest 9 7 6 15 — 37

Fair Grove (10-2 overall) – Brooke Daniels 15, Ashton Bell 14, Abbey Green 11, Camdyn Hart 9, Shea Skouby 4, Emma Padgett 2
Hillcrest (10-1 overall) – Sa’niya Johnson 8, Serenity Johnson 8, Lillie Moore 7, Jamyra Parlette 6, Caitlin Summers 6, Nevaeh Shockley 2

Related Posts

Loading...