Basketball 'Hawks take two of three at Regions

Move on to State

The Blackhawk boys basketball team cruised to a 4A North Regional opening round victory, besting Subiaco 54-38 to qualify for the State Tournament.

A slow start hampered the 'Hawks but they made a strong run before losing to district rival Berryville in a hot fought 58-55 semi-final contest Friday. The 'Hawks then went on to beat Booneville in a low scoring 42-40 game Saturday to take a narrow victory and earn the regional third seed into the State Tournament which starts Wednesday in Brookland.

In the opening round game, the 'Hawks had to play a Subiaco team known for their quickness and shooting ability. The Trojans had just lost their prior game to the state's top-ranked Pottsville by only 2 points, and were a formidable opponent.

Pea Ridge worked the ball into postman Mike Mahoney, who scored then was fouled three straight times going to the basket. Mahoney foiled their defensive strategy by sinking all six free throws, giving the 'Hawks an 8-0 lead with 5:30 left in the opening period.

The 'Hawks were then slowed with a rash of turnovers, committing four which helped the Trojans get back into the game. A trey by Allison toward the end of the period was the margin the 'Hawks had as they led 11-8 going into the second quarter.

Nick Coble exploded for 5 points in a 12-second span, nailing a trey then scoring on a jump shot in close to give Pea Ridge a 16-8 advantage. Kobe Rose was two for two from the line, but turnovers again hit the 'Hawks helping lead to three layups by Subiaco's Taylor and Janga and a free toss as the 'Hawk lead shrank to 18-15 with 6 minutes left in the half.

Coble hit a free throw which was followed up by a 3-pointer by Carson Rhine as the 'Hawks jumped back ahead 22-15. Coble traded layups with Subiaco to retain the 7-point margin. However, a layup by Janga and then a 3-pointer by Subiaco right after a 'Hawk turnover tightened it back up as Pea Ridge led only 24-22 with 1:50 left.

Allison's jump shot along with a Mahoney layup offset a lone free throw by the Trojans to give Pea Ridge a 28-23 lead at intermission.

The 'Hawks suffered another streak of turnovers, losing four in the third period, but dogged defense prevented Subiaco from taking much advantage. Meanwhile, the 'Hawks were lighting it up behind the arc with Allison and Coble both knocking down two bombs each as Pea Ridge surged to a 39-27 lead after three quarters.

Subiaco resorted to fouling in the final period, but the 'Hawks ripped nine of 10 from the line to prevent any chance of a Trojan comeback. Rose was four of four, Allison was two for two with Rhine hitting three of four. Mahoney, Coble and Allison each scored in the paint as Pea Ridge outscored Subiaco 15-9 in the last period to take a final 54-38 victory.

Berryville 58, Pea Ridge 55

The 'Hawks came out of the gate cold shooting, falling behind 8-0 in the first four minutes, but made a valiant run at the end to almost pull off the upset in semifinal action.

The Blackhawks missed their first eight shots and suffered a pair of turnovers as the highly partisan Bobcat crowd roared their approval. Kobe Rose quieted the crowd a little with a 3-ball to cut into the lead, and after Rose added another trey with Nick Coble sinking a pair of his long shots of his own and with 38 seconds left in the quarter, the score was tied at 12-12. A Bobcat free throw in the last 6 seconds gave Berryville a 13-12 lead after one.

Pea Ridge misfired on their first five shots of the second quarter with the Bobcats nailing their own three while converting four of four free throws to jump out ahead 20-12 with 6 minutes left in the half.

Rhine stopped the streak, popping in a trey to cut the lead to 20-15. The Bobcats hit their own trey, however, adding a layup and pair of free tosses to run out to a 27-17 lead. Mahoney's two for two from the line blunted the run a little.

Finally with 3 minutes left in the half, the 'Hawks finally scored inside, with Coble adding a layup moments later. The 'Hawks had not scored a field goal inside the three-point line until late in the half. Holtgrewe scored another layup late in the half with Mahoney adding a goal inside along with a pair of free throws to get the offense rolling. However the Bobcats were able to keep pace, keeping a 7-point lead, 34-27 at the break.

Mahoney scored twice inside in the early going of the third period along with two free throws by both Mahoney and Coble. The Bobcats countered with two treys and a pair of layups to increase their lead by one, 44-35. The complexion of the game changed after the 'Hawks forced a pair of turnovers on the Bobcats and used layups by Mahoney (2) , and Allison to melt the lead to 44-41 with 3:10 left in the quarter. Two turnovers slowed the 'Hawks and a Bobcat trey stopped the 'Hawk comeback. Allison made two from the line to set the score heading into the fourth at 47-43 in favor of Berryville.

The 'Hawks got past Bobcat defenders for a lair of layups early in the fourth period, but Berryville hit a trey and three free throws to get their lead back out to 7 at 54-47. However, a Mahoney shot in the paint and a Holtgrewe layup cut it back to a 3-point deficit at 54-51. Holtgrewe then executed a steal and drive the length of the floor to lay it in, and after another 'Hawk takeaway, Holtgrewe dropped in another layup to give Pea Ridge their first lead of the night at 55-54 with just 1:15 left in the game.

A key turnover in the final seconds, and a Bobcat putback after a missed shot proved to be the difference as the 'Cats got away with the 58-55 victory.

Pea Ridge 42, Booneville 40

The 'Hawks won a hotly contested game with Booneville, edging out the region's No. 4 seed by a bucket.

The first quarter was a low scoring affair with the Bearcats emerging with an 8-7 lead at the end of the period. Nick Coble scored all three of the 'Hawks' field goals with Hayden Holtgrewe contributing a free throw. Booneville got a pair of buckets from Cobb and single shots by Riley and Lawson for their points.

The two teams fought on even terms in the second period with both squads dropping in 10 points, leaving Booneville ahead at the half 18-17. Coble had a trey and field goal to spark the offense, with Wes Wales adding a field goal and Kobe Rose a free shot. Booneville had three treys (two by Cobb and one by Weaver).

The 'Hawks made their move in the third quarter, outscoring Booneville 12-8 to assume a 3-point lead headed into the fourth quarter. The 'Hawks got treys from Coble, Carson Rhine, and Rose for most of the scoring while Holtgrewe added a field goal and free throw. The activitity put the Blackhawks on top 29-26.

The Bearcats Bradley, who had not scored a field goal all evening. hit a trey and a pair of goals in close to rally Booneville. Rose frustrated Booneville with two shots behind the arc with Mahoney scoring twice in the paint to withstand the Bearcats comeback attempts. The Hawks three free throws in the period proved to be crucial,two by Holtgrewe and one by Mahoney.

Booneville's Cobb added a trey, field goal, and free throw but no else on the floor for the 'Cats could connect as the buzzer sounded with the Hawks securing the win and the #3 seed.

The victory sends the 'Hawks into first round state tournament action against the 19-10 Dumas Bobcats. The game is at 2:30 Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Brookland High School in eastern Arkansas.

Sports on 02/28/2018