The Pea Ridge varsity boys and girls basketball teams made their final conference road trip with a pair of games at Huntsville. After the girls blew out the Lady Eagles 60-31, the boys made an early lead stand up in a hard fought 57-53 victory.
The girls' victory kept them in a first place tie with Farmington for the 4A-1 West Division lead, with the boys going 2-0 this season against the eventual champion of the 4A-East Division.
Pea Ridge Girls 60, Huntsville 31
The girls faced a Lady Eagles team that used deep shooting to stay up with the Blackhawks. Huntsville scored 11 in the first quarter, with nine of the scores coming from three shots from behind the arc. Gabby Adams and Katelyn Swope popped in treys of their own and with Blakelee Winn adding a bucket and two free throws to go with a layup by Hollyn Davis, Pea Ridge held on to a narrow 12-11 lead after one period.
The second period saw the Lady 'Hawk defense turn up the heat with the offense feeding off that to blast past the Eagles, scoring 16 points as opposed to their hosts' 5. Aidan Dayberry came off the bench to fire in a pair of deep 3s, with Maria Socha hitting behind the arc while Winn, Adams and Alissa Short came up with regular baskets. Adams added a lone free throw as Pea Ridge broke out on top at the half, 28-16.
Pea Ridge kept a lid on the Huntsville offense, limiting them to just 7 points in the third quarter. Dayberry carried the offensive load, accounting for all four Pea Ridge field goals, one of them from downtown. Adams went four for four from the line with Winn making both her shots from the charity stripe, pushing the Blackhawks further ahead, leading 43-23 at the third quarter buzzer.
Winn and Adams both recorded single field goals and a pair of successful free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, with Alissa Short also adding a bucket. Samantha Bott and Josey Goldberg came in and recorded free throws with Samantha Yeagar pleasing the visiting crowd with two long bombs from behind the 3-point line. Though substituting heavily, the 'Hawks racked up a 17-8 advantage in the final quarter to post a final 60-31 victory.
Dayberry led all scorers with 15, followed by Adams 14, Winn 12, Yeager 6, Short 4, Swope 3, Socha 3, Davis 2, Bott 2 and Goldberg 1.
Pea Ridge Boys 57, Huntsville 53
The road finale was a hard-fought contest with the 'Hawks never able to put distance between themselves and their rival, and with the Eagles never quite able to get over the hump in their second loss to Pea Ridge this season.
Defense was at a premium with clear shots hard to come by. Wes Wales used his size to great effect, coming up with two goals close in to lead the attack. Landon Allison nailed a trey and free throw with Carson Rhine swishing a pair of free throws with Noah Peterson's one free shot as the 'Hawks led 11-10 at the first buzzer.
The 'Hawks' leading scorer Nick Coble flipped in a pair of treys to help the 'Hawks ease out to a 28-21 lead at the half. Coble also drained a pair of free throws with Rhine contributing a trey of his own. Wales and Peterson scored goals with Brandon Whatley chipping in with a free throw to aid in the rally.
The pace picked up in the third quarter, and while Huntsville won the quarter 15-14, the 'Hawks still led by 6 -- 42-36 -- headed into the final period. Will Feemster and Coble each knocked down a long shot and regular goal to lead the response, with Wales adding two free throws and a score inside.
The Eagles tried to mount a come-from-behind rush, but the 'Hawks countered enough to keep Huntsville in check as they posted the final victory. Rhine came up big with two accurate shots launched from behind the arc with Wales continuing to score, adding a goal and three free throws. Coble and Landon Allison converted a pair of free shots in the final minutes and the Blackhawks eventually closed out the Madison County boys.
Coble led the scoring with 15 points with Wales and Rhine close behind with 13 and 11, respectively. Allison added 6, Feemster 5, Peterson 2 and Whatley 2 to round out the offense.
Sports on 02/13/2019