'Hawks defeat Tigers by 2

Defense played a key role in Pea Ridge conference clash with Prairie Grove Tuesday night all the way up to the last buzzer. Pea Ridge Blackhawks struggled to score in the first half only having 15 points at the break and only hitting one 3-pointer in the first half, which is one of the strengths of this team.

Pea Ridge's defense kept them in the game shutting down Prairie Grove's top two scoring threats, but coach Trent Loyd was not pleased at the half.

After a couple of second half adjustments, the Blackhawks took the lead mid-way through the third quarter, but after a long 3-pointer by a Prairie Grove player at the buzzer put the Tigers in the lead by 1 going into the final quarter.

Finally, the Blackhawks' shots started to fall. Threes by Zach Davis, Wyatt Holtgrewe and Gage Kelso put the Blackhawks in the lead in the final minutes. After a couple of missed free throws, the Blackhawks needed one more stop to hang on for a big victory and they did just that winning a big conference game 38-36 on the road.

Logan Rose led the 'Hawks in scoring with 11; Gage Kelso had 8. Blake Shepherd and Zach Davis each had 6. Wyatt Holtgrewe chipped in 3 and Bryce Beckman and Tristan Trundle each had 2.

The Blackhawks are 8-9 on the season and 3-2 in conference. They are on a three-game conference winning streak and a five-game winning streak altogether.

Sports on 01/22/2014