Arlington, Riverdale each come up short

Arlington had to feel in control.The Red Devils limited Old Fort to just 14 points almost midway through the third quarter.But once the dam broke and the floodgates opened, No. 5 Arlington had no answer.The Red Devils shot poorly from the foul line in the fourth quarter and committed 27 turnovers in a 47-39 Division IV sectional semifinal loss to sixth-seeded Old Fort at Van Buren High School Thursday."Give Old Fort credit," Arlington coach Jimmy Nicholson said. "They pressured us and got us in spots where we were trappable. We didn't take care of it. We lost their shooters. We knew (Old Fort's Cameran Cleveland) could shoot it and she didn't miss many tonight."Arlington finishes the season at 8-14."They pressured us and got into us," Nicholson said. "We're a young team and we showed it at times. We didn't take care of the ball like we did in the first half. Some of that is maybe fatigue and their pressure. Their physicality gave us problems down the stretch."Arlington was up by eight at the break and extended the lead to 25-14 after buckets by Madi Russell and Leah Durliat.On the other end, Cleveland canned a 3 before Kennedy Guth picked a steal and score. A bucket by Mackenzie Fortney brought the Stockaders (8-15) within four.Old Fort added the final six points of the quarter too, including a triple by Ryanne Benner to even the game at 27 after three quarters."I think we kind of got the jitters out," Old Fort coach Tim Ritzler said. "The first half, I thought we played some good basketball. Our defense was good. We were making good decisions on offense. We had a few uncharacteristic turnovers. We just didn't make shots."Arlington couldn't snatch the momentum back early in the fourth quarter. Guth split two free throws to open the scoring. On the miss, Alexis Ward grabbed the rebound and scored. Arlington tied the game at 30 on a triple by Mea Alexander. But, Old Fort pushed ahead 35-30 on a Cleveland 3.The Red Devils continued to fight as they tied the game at 35 after five straight points by Alexander. But, Old Fort delivered one more body blow to finally put Arlington away. Guth scored, Ward splashed in two free throws, and Cleveland drilled a 3-pointer after being wide open to give the Stockaders a 42-35 lead with 3:20 to go."They made open shots," Nicholson said. "They were stronger than us and got to the hoop. I thought there were times late where we got steals, but weren't strong enough to take it to the basket."The Red Devils got within five twice, but Old Fort forced enough turnovers and made just enough free throws to win it. After making all six free throws it attempted in the first three quarters, Arlington made just 4 of 11 attempts in the fourth quarter."We handled the ball and got the ball moving in the first half," Nicholson said. "We found the open player. We struggled to find the open player in the second half. They didn't give us many open players."Fortney finished with 15 points for Old Fort while Cleveland registered 13 points."I thought our defense was good all night," Ritzler said. "Give Arlington credit. They hit a bunch of 3s in the first half... They shot the ball well. We were able to get some turnovers and easy buckets and I think that got us going offensively."Alexander and Russell each scored 13 points for the Red Devils. Russell is the lone senior for Arlington."We were riding three freshmen out there for a long time," Nicholson said. "Madi did a great job as a senior leader. She helped us lead this team."In the second game, No. 8 Riverdale couldn't overcome the 30 points scored by No. 9 Calvert's Alyssa Rishty in a 49-42 loss."We prepared a little bit for the screens," Riverdale coach Mickie Bonham said. "We were getting picked off the screens and not recovering like we wanted to. (Rishty) was finishing at the rim."The Falcons wrap up the season at 7-16. Riverdale started the season with just nine players, but ended the season with just seven after a transfer and injury."We did get a lot of opportunities," Bonham said. "We just couldn't finish."Riverdale trailed 28-18 at halftime, but had a good start to the third quarter. The Falcons got within six points, but scores by Rishty and Josie Kancler pushed the advantage back to 10.The deficit was 37-30 after three quarters. Rishty opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play, but Riverdale fought back. Atleigh Vent scored before 3s by Harlee Gonzales and Kinsey Shull suddenly cut the margin to 40-38."We started face-guarding (Rishty)," Bonham said. "She's a nice ballplayer. She attacks the hole well. We were trying to close the gap a little bit and get the help side in there. We wanted to keep her from finishing in the lane."But as she was most of the night, Rishty was there to save the day for Calvert. She splashed in a triple before Mikkena Kancler made two free throws to boost the advantage back to 45-38. Rishty added two free throws to help fend off a tough Riverdale team."She's a great basketball player," said Calvert coach Paul Shoemaker of the sophomore. "I think the rest of our girls compliment her well. They're able to get to the hole, kick it out to her, and do some things. That got her some open looks."Calvert led 16-8 after one quarter and extended the lead to 22-10 at one point after a driving layup from Rishty. The Falcons didn't go away quietly as scores by Shull and Mariah Bonham helped Riverdale get within 10 points at the break."We put up the shots," coach Bonham said. "They just weren't falling for us tonight. Sometimes that happens."Riverdale out-rebounded Calvert, 46-31. Bonham paced Riverdale with 14 rebounds while Vent and Shull each snared 11 boards apiece."We did not rebound the ball very well," Shoemaker said. "We will work on that."Gonzales scored 15 points while Shull tallied 10 points for Riverdale. The Falcons have three seniors - Maddie Biltoft, Liberty Cummings, and Morgan Carteaux."The beginning of the game, our shots just weren't falling," coach Bonham said. "We missed easy bunnies and that has a lot to do with it. When you keep missing over and over, you get down."