Prairie Grove came into the boys 4A-1 district semi-final matchup with Pea Ridge determined to slow the game down and win a low scoring contest. It worked -- for a half.
After trailing 21-17 at intermission, the Blackhawks started the third quarter with an aggressive defense, forcing six Tiger turnovers while scoring the first 8 points of the half to take the lead. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the 'Hawks had outscored their opponents 31-14 in the final two periods to coast to a victory that sent them into the district finals for a rematch with Huntsville.
From the outset, Prairie Grove was so determined to avoid running with the 'Hawks, more than two minutes passed after the Tigers got the initial possession on the opening tip from 6'7" center Dylan Soehner before they even took a shot. Though the Tigers threw a multitude of passes around the perimeter, they could not find an opening and their initial shot was off the mark with the defensive pressure so strong. The 'Hawks turned it over on their end with the Tigers quickly resorting to their "freeze the ball" strategy while making numerous passes before an errant shot was again gathered in by Pea Ridge.
With the clock approaching the mid-way point of the first quarter with no score, Blake Sheppard broke through for a driving layup and a 2-0 lead. The Tigers' Soehner finally got a pass he could score from inside to knot the score at 2-2. The tie was short lived as Sheppard shot a trey from the right corner for a 5-2 advantage.
Soehner again got an entry pass that led to an easy shot off the glass, but the 'Hawks' Joey Hall broke loose in the last minute for a running floater and a 3-pointer to jump his team ahead 10-4. Britton Caudill tossed in a free throw to set the first quarter score at 11-4.
It began to look like the 'Hawks were ready to steamroll the Tigers when Zach Davis ripped a 3-pointer just 7 seconds into the second period to go up 14-4. However, the 'Hawks would not score again until the last 40 seconds of the half with Soehner scoring three times in the paint with Smith and Gallagher also scoring from close in to give the Tigers a solid lead. Prairie Grove also hit five of six free throws during that 15-point Tiger run as they went ahead 19-14. Hall broke the 'Hawks' drought with a trey but an offensive rebound by Prairie Grove in the final second put the underdogs ahead by 4, 21-17 going into the break.
The Blackhawks came out of the half-time break with defensive fire and the game soon flipped to Pea Ridge. The 'Hawks forced the Tigers into seven consecutive turnovers, holding them scoreless while scoring 8 unanswered points to gain a lead they would never relinquish.
Caudill started the comeback by getting the ball underneath and scoring over the 6'7" Soehner. A deft pass from Zach Davis on the 'Hawks' next possession led Caudill to score on a layup and tie the score at 21-21. After another Tiger turnover, Davis passed inside to Sheppard, who then flipped to a cutting Caudill who laid it off the glass for another score. Sheppard stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored on a layup as Pea Ridge led 25-21 with just over 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
Prairie Grove broke their scoring drought with a layup at the 2:50 mark, but Hall answered with another trey, before he was fouled on the next possession for a chance to score 2 more from the line. Hall aced both shots to put the 'Hawks up 30-23 with just over a minute left in the third. The Tigers scored on an inside shot as well as a 3-pointer before quarter's end, but a 10-foot floater by Hardy kept the 'Hawks ahead as they led 32-28 headed into the final period.
Trundle started the final quarter with a pair of free throws, and after the Tigers sank a lone free throw, Cole Wright struck deep from behind the arc to give Pea Ridge its biggest lead of the game at 37-29 with six minutes left. The Tigers' Soehner managed to drop in a layup and make a charity toss, but Pea Ridge responded by putting in two layups with Trundle and Caudill doing the honors. Hall gave the 'Hawks their first double digit lead of the day by making both ends of a one and one for a 43-32 lead with just over two minutes left.
Pea Ridge then went to a delay game with the 'Hawks working to shrink the clock. While Hardy racked up a free throw, the Tigers put in a field goal and free throw to cut the lead to 44-35 with just over 60 seconds left. With the clock winding down, the Tigers had to come out on defense which allowed Sheppard to score in close with 0:59 left for an insurmountable 46-35 lead. Davis drove in for a layup with 40 seconds left but the Tigers failed to score on their trip down the floor. The last half minute of action saw the 'Hawks dribble near mid-court with the Tigers also content to let the clock run out.
Seven 'Hawks got in on the scoring with Hall leading the way with 15. Sheppard and Caudill both scored 9, with Davis having 5, Trundle 4, Wright 3, and Hardy 3.
Sports on 02/25/2015