The varsity boys basketball team overcame a raft of turnovers in the opening round of the annual Battle at the Ridge Basketball Tournament, but more of the same led to a 1-point loss in semifinal action with the 'Hawks eventually claiming the third place trophy in last Saturday's finals.
Trent Loyd's cagers committed nine turnovers in the first seven minutes of the opening round against McDonald County, scoring but one goal in the process. Though trailing 19-5 with with 40 seconds left in the first, Nick Cobles' 5-point outburst in the closing seconds sparked the 'Hawks to come back and outscore the Mustangs 61-34 the rest of the way for the victory.
In the semifinals, the turnover problem reasserted itself with the 'Hawks losing possession 13 times with the Robinson Senators having but four in the first three quarters. Trailing by nine headed into the fourth period, the 'Hawks rallied and came within a single point in the final seconds but couldn't get over the hump, losing 43-42.
In the third-place game, the 'Hawks were better protecting the ball, helping them conquer Providence Academy 57-52 to claim their second trophy in as many weeks.
Game accounts
Pea Ridge 66, McDonald County 53
The 'Hawks came out flat against the Mustangs with Will Feemster's 3-pointer the only offense that was produced in the first seven minutes. McDonald County's big man Conner Reece was a force inside, driving for four layups to spark the visitors to a 16-3 lead before Coble could break the drought with a dunk with a minute remaining. The Mustangs widened the lead with a layup and free throw to 19-5. But a trey and layup by Coble in the final 14 seconds cut the gap to 19-10 at the buzzer.
Noah Peterson hit a trey and layup to go with a Will Feemster free throw to help get the offense going but the Mustangs responded with a pair of 3-pointers to keep the lead at 11 at 25-16. Scores by Brandon Whatley and Landon Allison were matched by the Mustangs to preserve the lead for the neighbors to the north with 2 minutes left in the half.
Coble tossed one in from behind the arc to cut the deficit to 6, but McDonald County matched the effort. Whatley's layup was also matched by the guests with the deficit still at 9 with less than a minute left. A timely steal by Coble led to an Allison layup was the final score of the half with the 'Hawks trailing 34-27.
The Mustangs took advantage of another 'Hawk turnover at the start of the third quarter to regain a 9-point bulge, but a rebound putback by Wes Wales and accompanying free throw cut the deficit to 6 at 36-30. Feemster and Wales pulled off steals to thwart the Mustang offense with Carson Rhine forcing another turnover which altogether kept them for scoring for over 3 minutes. A pair of treys by Coble knotted the score at 36-36 with 3:13 left in the third.
Alex Wilkerson and Coble dropped in layups to offset two scores in the paint by the Mustangs as Pea Ridge moved ahead 43-41 with a minute left. Whatley scored the final point of the quarter from the line but the Mustangs hit two from there as the score tightened to 44-43 headed into the decisive last quarter.
A 'Hawk turnover was followed by a foul, which led to a 44-44 tie in the opening seconds of the last period. Feemster scored on a rebound shot with Wales dropping in a layup and free throw to give Pea Ridge their best lead of the day at 49-44. The Mustang scored again but fouled Peterson and Allison who responded by swishing all four shots for a 53-46 lead.
A McDonald County free throw was overcome with another Wales score in the paint with an accurate shot from the line after the foul giving the 'Hawks a 9-point lead at 56-47. The Mustangs scored a pair of freebies but Rhine did the same seconds later to maintain the lead. The last two minutes of the battle became a free throw contest with Pea Ridge canning nine of 12 to ice the contest. Coble, Rhine and Allison all chipped in with the buzzer sounding with a 66-53 Blackhawk victory.
Little Rock Robinson 43, Pea Ridge 42
The 'Hawks' offense was again stymied by ball handling mistakes, suffering five turnovers while only producing a pair of field goals in first quarter action against Robinson. Peterson's trey and Wales' offensive putback along with Feemster's two free throws put 7 points on the board with the Senators using a pair of treys and three shots inside to jump ahead 13-7.
While the guests put through two field goals to begin the second quarter, the 'Hawks just had more turnovers as they fell further behind 17-7. Wales broke the slump by scoring twice underneath to cut the lead to 17-11. A Senator layup upped their lead but free throws by Whatley and Peterson and a 3-pointer by Coble shrank the Robinson lead to four at the half, 21-17.
Coble started the third quarter scoring with a layup, and then the 'Hawks were locked down on defense as the visitors ran nearly 3 minutes off the clock unable to penetrate the perimeter. At that point, however, a combination of 'Hawk turnovers and three Senator layups along with a pair of free shots by the guests shoved Robinson back ahead 29-19
Wales again blunted the surge by scoring twice underneath but 6 points by the Senators in 90 seconds put the 'Hawks in an even deeper hole, trailing 35-23. Whatley stepped up to score a bucket and two free throws to get Pea Ridge closer and a final free throw by Coble sent the teams into the final time frame with the Senators on top 37-28.
The Blackhawks came out hot on defense and prevented Robinson from scoring a single point until the final two minutes of action. Whatley scored twice and Coble once to tighten the score but three more turnovers hampered the comeback as Pea Ridge still trailed 37-34.
Robinson finally got untracked, scoring a goal and free throw to expand the lead in spite of Peterson's free throw, leading 40-35 with just 1:11 left in the game.
Coble made a huge shot from behind the arc with 55 seconds left to cut the lead to 2 and a Coble layup 20 seconds late cut it to just one at 41-40 with 30 seconds left. Robinson got a big score on an offensive rebound with 28 seconds left and a Coble layup with 7 seconds left was not enough to turn the tide as Robinson took the game 43-42.
Pea Ridge 57, Providence 52
The 'Hawks got an early lead on their south county rivals, fell behind at the half, then stormed back hard in the third quarter to take a narrow 40-41 lead into the fourth quarter. As they had in each previous game in the tournament, the 'Hawks won the fourth quarter, and in this case, the game at 57-52.
Coble had a hot hand early on, hitting a trey and two buckets for 7 points in the first. Allison had a 3-pointer, Wales a goal and free throw, and Whatley a score underneath to boost Pea Ridge to a 15-12 lead.
The 'Hawks' hot start turned ice cold in the second quarter with the hosts hitting but a lone field goal, a trey by Coble. Whatley hit three of four free throws to help but Providence put through 11 points to go into intermission leading by a narrow 23-22 count.
The 'Hawks were as hot in the third as they were cold in the second, ramming through seven field goals to resume the lead. The Patriots were nearly as hot as they were only outscored 19-17 in the period, but it was enough to give the 'Hawks a 41-40 lead after the third. Coble dropped in three goals, with Rhine adding a goal and a trey and a double trey effort by Peterson. Wales added two free throws to finish the drive for the lead.
The 'Hawks' ability from downtown proved the difference as three shots went down from behind the arc from Coble, Rhine and Peterson. Allison dropped in two field goals with Rhine ripping two free throws to round out the scoring, as Pea Ridge prevailed 57-52.
Sports on 12/12/2018