PEA RIDGE — The Pea Ridge boys Blackhawk varsity basketball team kept its league record unblemished with a pair of victories last week.
Coach Charley Clark’s league leading ’Hawks cruised by Gentry 60-45 on Tuesday last before walloping Berryville 68-40. The wins lifted the ’Hawks to a 4A-1 record of 4-0, with only Farmington left to share Pea Ridge’s unbeaten status.
“There are four teams in the 4A-1 who could take conference and district honors this year,” Clark said. “We could win it this year but, then again, so could Farmington, Prairie Grove or Shiloh. We beat Shiloh at home by 23 early in the season but they are a lot better than they showed us then. Since then, they have beaten Prairie Grove by 10 and were barely beaten by Farmington in a close game.”
”I like our chances this year but it won’t be easy,” Clark concluded.
Game Reports Jan. 4: Pea Ridge 60, Gentry 45
The ’Hawks took the Pioneers on the road as Kasey Cooper exploded in the first period, personally outscoring Gentry 15-12 as Pea Ridge surged to a 20-12 first-quarter advantage.
The lanky senior forward connected on two 3-pointers and three regular goals, sandwiched around three-of-three free throw shooting. A 3-pointer by Ethan Higgins and a bucket in the paint by Cameron Thompson helped fuel the onslaught.
Cooper kept up his hot ways in the second quarter by hitting one from downtown once as well as converting two of two free throws to go with another field goal. Cooper’s 7 points were supplemented by a pair of 3-pointers from Jacob Hall and Dakota Woodward as well an inside bucket by Thompson.
Gentry outscored their guests by a basketball as the Pioneers went into the half only trailing by three, 35-32.
The ’Hawks’ vaunted defense put the lid on Gentry in the third quarter as the Pioneers could only muster 10 points. With Thompson breaking loose for four field goals inside, Cooper’s 3-point bomb, Woodward’s field goal and Levi Roughton’s free throw pushed the ’Hawks firmly ahead, leading the Pioneers 49-42 headed into the finaleight minutes.
Pea Ridge’s stifling defense limited the Pioneers to a paltry 6 points in the final period. The ball-savvy ’Hawks forced Gentry to begin fouling to try and get the ball but the ’Hawks converted seven of the charity shots with Cooper, Woodward and Thompson all making a pair with Thompson jamming through two more field goals as the ’Hawks won going away.
Cooper led all scorers with 27 points with Thompson canning 18, Woodward 7, Higgins 4 and Roughton 1.
Jan. 7: Pea Ridge 68, Berryville 40
The ’Hawks were able to clear the bench with its steam rolling of the Bobcats in a district tilt.
With the ’Hawks applying tough defense to Berryville to limit them to just 11 points in the opening period, the Pea Ridge inside/outside scoring tandem of Cooper and Thompson accounted for all 17 of the first quarter scores. Thompson scored a pair of buckets underneath while sinking a pair of free throws while Cooper lit it up from the outside, ripping three 3-pointers along with another basket.
The ’Hawks got further ahead in the second quarter, outscoring the ’Cats 17-9 to go into half-time sporting a 34-20 advantage.
Cooper led the way again, scoring another 3-pointer as well as a regular field goal with Jacob Hall tossing in 5 points via a bucket and three free throws. Thompson matched his two field goal effort of the first quarter with Joe Adams sinking a shot in the paint with Levi Roughton converting a free throw.
The ’Hawks ran the ’Cats out of the gym in the third quarter as five different ’Hawks connected from the floor. Cooper’s three buckets and a free throw, 4 points each from Thompson, Ethan Higgins and Joe Adams with Woodward hitting from beyond the 3-point line served to catapult the ’Hawks into an overwhelming 56-30 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Pea Ridge reserve players took care of all the scoring in the last period, led by a 3-pointer and pair of free throws by Hall, free throw and basket by Winn, with Tidwell and Tillman each scoring a goal.
Cooper led the scoring with 23 points followed by Thompson with 14, Hall 10, Adams 6, Higgins 4, Woodward 3, Winn 3, Tidwell 2, Tillman 2 and Roughton 1.
Sports, Pages 9 on 01/12/2011