SPRINGDALE — If Fort Smith Northside continues to play this well on the offensive end of the basketball court, look out.
The Grizzlies extended their winning streak to five games Friday, with the latest hot hand coming at the expense of Springdale Har-Ber in a 74-65 win in Wildcat Arena.
The final score wasn’t indicative of how things went, though, because Northside made sure from the start that the game wouldn’t be all that close. The Grizzlies did it with plenty of offense, making four of their first seven 3-point attempts and 13 of 18 from the floor overall.
By the time the Wildcats (3-22, 2-9 7A-West Conference) knew what had hit them, it was too late as Northside had a 28-12 lead midway through the second quarter before extending the margin to as many as 23 points after halftime.
“We have been shooting the ball well over the last five games and that’s why we’ve been winning,” Grizzlies coach Eric Burnett said. “I’ve got to give my guys credit because they’ve hung in there this season, and now they’re making some shots.”
Har-Ber had a two-headed offensive explosion of its own taking place, as Jason Holmstrom scored 26 points and Matt Bradley poured in 25. But the big night from two players wasn’t near enough to overcome Northside.
“Defense has got to be a priority,” Wildcats coach Adam Simmons said. “We’ve been saying that all year. It’s got to bother you when you get scored on.
“I’m not taking anything away from Northside because they shoot the lights out of it. But when you know that, you’ve got to get on your man and find a way to stop him.”
While Har-Ber relied on Holmstrom and Bradley for almost all of its offense, the Grizzlies (13-13, 8-3) spread the wealth around. Michael Stevenson scored 15 points, DeShaun Rice added 14 and four more Grizzlies finished with at least eight points in a balanced attack.
“The name of the game is to put the ball into the hole, and we’re doing that right now,” Burnett said. “When you score, you’ve got a chance to beat somebody.”
Northside’s lead grew to 54-31 in the third quarter before a late push in the final quarter got Har-Ber to within nine on the final field goal of the game just before the buzzer.
In the boys junior varsity game, Har-Ber defeated Northside, 41-33.
Boys Prep Basketball
7A-West Conference
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 74
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 65
Northside 16 22 20 16 — 74
Har-Ber 7 22 13 23 — 65
Northside (13-12, 8-3): M. Stevenson 15, Rice 14, Berard 11, B. Stevenson 10, White 8, Jones 8, Church 3, Triplett 3, Burns 2.
Har-Ber (3-22, 2-9): Holmstrom 26, Bradley 25, Berry 5, Rice 3, Herrell 3, Bladdick 2, Rainey 1.