FORT SMITH — Defense became the main reason Bentonville’s boys basketball team clinched a berth in the Class 7A State Tournament.
The Tigers held Fort Smith Southside scoreless for the final six minutes en route to a 40-37 victory over the Rebels in a rescheduled A-West Conference game Monday night. The win earned Bentonville postseason appearance for only the third time in 21 years.
“There’s no doubt that our defense did it,” Bentonville coach Jason McMahan said. “There were two or three possessions late in the game where we played defense for more than a minute, and we stopped them every time.”
Bentonville (14-11, 5-6) took the lead for good when Jon Roy’s jumper in the lane put the Tigers ahead 38-37 with 3 minutes, second remaining. Austin Heard added two free throws with .4 seconds left, and Southside 22-3, 10-2) missed a chance to tie when D.K. Hillian’s 3-point attempt from the right wing was short.
“I am proud of our coaching staff for what we’ve done with such young players this season,” McMahan said. “In turn, I wantedthis (state tournament berth) so bad for our seniors because that’s where it means the most.”
Southside’s final points came when Hillian’s bucket with 6:01 remaining gave the Rebels a 37-34 lead. Southside had other chances to score, but nothing was going the Rebels’ way at that point.
The loss also kept Southside from clinching a share of the conference title. The Rebels’ lead over Fort Smith Northside drops to one game with two games remaining, including a game Friday against the Grizzlies at Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Senior Austin Molitor, who was playing only his second game of the season, gave Bentonville a boost on defense. Molitor came up with a steal and took a charge in a critical stage of the game.
“Austin is finally getting back to being healthy from football season,” McMahan said of Molitor.
Nick Smith was the only Bentonville player in double figures with 11. Cameron Adams had 10 points to pace Southside.
Bentonville returns to action tonight with a regularly scheduled 7A-West game at Springdale High.
Lady Tigers’ Comeback Attempt Falls Short FORT SMITH - Bentonville’s chance of stealing a 7A-West Conference basketball road victory fell a little bit short Monday night in a 45-43 loss to Fort Smith Southside.
Niki Wilson’s 3-pointer from the left wing pulled Bentonville (16-9, 4-7) within two with 4.1 seconds left. The Lady Tigers then had a chance to win the game after Southside (14-9, 8-4) threw the ball away on a downcourt pass with 2.2 seconds left.
Montana Lewis threw a long pass into the frontcourt, where Brooke Mabeus picked up the ball near the top of the key. Her 24-footer at the buzzer failed to connect.
Southside led by as many as 14 points midway in the third quarter and enjoyed a 41-30 lead on Keley Moore’s 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 27 seconds left. That bucket, though, was the last one the Lady Rebels hit, and it gave Bentonville the chance to make the game close.
Bentonville plays its final 7A-West road game tonight with a trip to Springdale High.
Sports, Pages 7 on 02/22/2011