Blackhawks sweep Pioneers on Colors Day

Senior Lady Blackhawk Blakelee Winn, No. 22, reacts to a Gentry Lady Pioneer defender during the Colors Day game Friday, Jan. 15, 2021.
Senior Lady Blackhawk Blakelee Winn, No. 22, reacts to a Gentry Lady Pioneer defender during the Colors Day game Friday, Jan. 15, 2021.

— The Pea Ridge Blackhawks completed a sensational week of basketball by sweeping the Gentry Pioneers in Colors Day festivities, the boys thumping their cross county rivals 58-23 with the girls moving to 5-0 in the 4A-1 with a 54-45 victory over the Lady Pioneers.​

​The boys, still feeding off the energy of their dramatic come from behind victory over conference leader Farmington last week, jumped on Gentry 9-0 and were never threatened. They cruised into the halftime break with a huge 37-8 lead. The girls, who had built up a 20-point lead midway in the third quarter, had to withstand a 3-point shot barrage by the visitors in the final going to make off with the final victory, running their overall record to 14-2 on the season.

Girls’ coach Heath Neal said that “the girls were in control most of the way, but we just could not make that big breakout. We left a lot on the floor in our victory over Farmington earlier in the week, but they did what they had to do tonight to win again.”

Game report:

Boys

Pea Ridge 58, Gentry 23

The Hawks’ always salty defense shut out the visitors in the first half of the first quarter while getting two buckets from sophomore Bric Cates, a basket and free throw from senior Greydon Edwards, and a score from the field by senior Malik Bagsby in the 9-0 run out. After the Pioneers stopped the bleeding with a bucket and 3-pointer, senior Joe Adams took a pass from Edwards to sink a layup with Bagsby cleaning the glass for two offensive rebounds to score twice and send the Hawks into the second quarter with a solid 15-5 lead.

Senior David Andrus began the scoring in the second period with a shot underneath, with the Pioneers answering with a solo free throw. Junior Jared Brewer fired in a pair of 3-balls in rapid succession to bounce the Hawks out in front 23-8 and the rout was on. Andrus dropped in a rebound for a score with Brewer pitching one into junior Korbyn Moberly who scored with 3:15 left in the half, giving the Hawks an imposing 27-8 lead.

The imposing lead became near insurmountable when Edwards passed to a sprinting Bagsby who laid it off the glass for a score, Brewer ripping his third trey, Bagsby bagging a free throw while Moberly scored off a rebound, with Adams getting an assist from junior Will Anderson to put the hurt on the Pioneers as Pea Ridge led at the break 37-8.

The Pioneers scored but a solo goal and lone free throw in the face of a scrambling Hawk defense. The pressure Pea Ridge exerted led to the Pioneers suffering six turnovers in their scoreless streak that encompassed the last 6:40 of the quarter.

Cates led off the third quarter with a steal and layup with Bagsby banking back in a rebound shot to put Pea Ridge ahead 41-8. Junior Trey Reed then drained a trey with Adams fighting for an offensive rebound that he converted for a score as the Hawks were still surging, leading 46-8. With the defenses easing up on their guests, the Pioneers knocked down a pair of 3s and two free throws but a Moberly shot from behind the arc and an Adams’ rebound score pushed the score to 51-16 headed into the fourth quarter and igniting the mercy rule, shortening the fourth quarter.

Gentry managed to score a trey and pair of free throws in the greatly time reduced fourth period, but senior Cooper Tillman scored twice, once on an offensive rebound, and once on an assist from his brother senior Samual Tillman to blunt the mini-rally. Sophomore Josh Walker hit a final trey for the Hawks with the Pioneers scoring the last basket of the game to set the final score at 58-23, a lopsided victory.

Ten Hawks scored in the balanced attack, with Bagsby leading the way with 11 points. Brewer had 9, with Adams getting 8, Moberly 7, Cates 6, Andrus 4, C. Tillman 4, Reed 3, Walker 3 and Edwards 3.

The Hawks were scheduled to play at Berryville Tuesday night and have a game at home Friday hosting Shiloh of Springdale. Shiloh comes into the game 5-8, 0-3 in the 4A-1. The Hawks are 5-7, 2-2 in the district.

Girls

Pea Ridge 54, Gentry 45

The Lady Hawks ran their league mark to 5-0, best in the 4A-1 District with their tightly-fought 54-45 win over the Lady Pioneers.

Coming off a monumental win over defending state champion Farmington earlier in the week, the Blackhawks were a bit slow out of the gate offensively. However, their defense was solid in a game which they threatened to blow open several times before settling for the final win.

The Hawks got off to a good start with senior Blakelee Winn foregoing a shot to pass into senior Ravin Cawthon who dropped it in for a 2-0 lead. The Pioneers came right back with a score to tie it up, but Winn scored underneath to regain the lead at 4-2. Gentry responded with a free throw but Winn sailed through the paint to bank in a layup and increase the lead to 6-3, which went to 7-3 after a senior Aidan Dayberry free throw with 3:59 left in the first period. The heavy underdog Pioneers got a big shot in the arm when their guard shot through two treys in succession to give the guests a 9-7 lead with just over a minute left in the quarter. Senior Hayley West, who had just come into the game, erased the Pioneers’ good fortune and lead 15 seconds later when she drained her own trey to put the Hawks back ahead at the buzzer 10-9.

Cawthon started a rally with a 7-footer to start the second period, with Dayberry and Winn rolling in layups to put the Hawks on top 16-9 with 4:40 left in the half. A Dayberry shot from behind the arc a minute later gave the Hawks a double digit lead at 19-9 with 3 minutes left. Gentry somewhat blunted the charge with a trey of their own, but it would be their only score of the quarter.

Junior Lauren Wright and sophomore Sydney Spears scored on rebound shots, with Winn ripping a free throw then dropping in a layup just before the halftime buzzer as the Colors Day crowd roared their approval of a 26-12 halftime advantage.

Winn pitched out to Dayberry to start the third quarter with the senior athlete nailing a trey. Junior Bella Cates delivered on a high arching layup over taller Pioneers with Wright and West throwing in shots from downtown to offset a Pioneer trey and free throws, as the Hawks had built up a 20-point lead, 37-17 with 4:00 left in the third. Spears would score moments later to raise the lead to 39-17, the Blackhawks’ high water mark.

At this point, the Pioneer coach decided to concentrate shooting 3s and driving the goal to reap some free throws and it worked to shrink the Hawk advantage. Gentry hit three goals, a trey and two free throws to more than offset a goal by Dayberry as Pea Ridge saw their lead drop to 41-28 headed into the final quarter.

Winn led off the fourth quarter with a layup to increase the lead to 15 at 43-28 but the Pioneers came back with a trey and two free throws to shrink the Blackhawk lead to 43-33 with a little over 6 minutes left. Winn then a shot from downtown to boost the lead to 13, but the Pioneers had an answer, hitting their own trey to get back within 10 at 46-36 with a little over four minutes left in the game.

A minute passed with neither team scoring until Wright swished two of two free throws for a 48-36 advantage with 3:28 left. Gentry was determined to make a game of it, knocking down another trey with 3 minutes left, immediately fouling Wright afterwards to get a chance to regain possession. Wright was cool at the line, frustrating Gentry’s strategy by stroking two of two to keep the Hawks safely ahead 50-39.

Gentry then hit their fourth straight 3-pointer and, after the Hawks misfired on a trey, a Pioneer free throw closed the game to within 7 at 50-43 with just over two minutes left in the contest. The guests then fouled Winn who kept the pressure on Gentry by sinking both attempts to get the lead to 9 with 1:43 showing.

Gentry went to the line with a minute left, hit the first but missed the second to cut the lead to 8, but Winn made a great assist to Dayberry who scored in close to restore the lead to 10 at 54-44 and end any doubt as to the final outcome with just 48 seconds left in the game. Gentry made a free throw and a layup just before the buzzer but it was merely academic as the Hawks secured the victory and kept their No. 1 seed hopes alive for the district tournament.

Winn led the scoring with 16 points with Dayberry also in double figures with 13. Wright scored 9, West 6, Spears 4, Cawthon 4 and Cates 2.

Neal’s 4A-1 West Hawks are battling a pair of 4A-1 East teams this week. They were to be on the road again Tuesday night against Berryville (3-5, 0-2) then they are to come home again Friday with Shiloh (12-2, 2-0) coming to town.

Next week looms large as the Hawks will invade undefeated Harrison on the 29. The 10-0 Goblins are 4-0 in the 4A-1.

For more photographs, go to https://nwamedia.photoshelter.com/gallery/2021-Pea-Ridge-Photos/G0000fXI8y6EAAH0/C0000qoIfheGUBh4.