Panthers Outgun Saints

Siloam Springs Junior Nails 3-Pointer To Take Late Lead

Austin Heard, left, a Bentonville senior guard, defends against Gravette’s Terence Pierce during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game in Gravette.

Austin Heard, left, a Bentonville senior guard, defends against Gravette’s Terence Pierce during the first quarter of Tuesday’s game in Gravette.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

— In a game of big shots, Reece Goddard hit the biggest for Siloam Springs on Tuesday against Shiloh Christian.

Goddard, a junior guard, hit a 3-pointer with 5.5 seconds remaining to give the Panthers break a tie and give Siloam Springs a 74-71 lead.

Raul Leyva then forced a turnover of Saints guard Hunter Pauling and scored with no time left for the 76-71 win at Panther Activity Center.

With the game tied at 71, Saints guard Darian Harris was called for an offensive foul with 31.9 seconds left turning the ball over to the Panthers.

The Panthers ran the clock down and tried to look for a lob to Dylan Gray. When the Saints took that away, Siloam Springs pushed the ball inside to All-State forward Payton Henson. The Saints double-teamed Henson who kicked out to a wide-open Goddard at the top of the key.

“They clogged the middle,” Goddard said. “I was feeling it, so I shot it.”

Goddard finished with nine points on three 3-pointers. Henson led the Panthers with 26 points, while Gray had 12 and Leyva 11 off the bench.

The Panthers led by 38-37 at halftime and 54-53 going into the fourth quarter.

“Our kids kept fighting,” said Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart. “It was one of those games where there wasn’t a flow, and it seemed like Shiloh would always hit a big shot right when they needed it. Give them a lot of credit. They’re going to be a really good team in the 5A-West.”

The Panthers pulled ahead 71-64 late in the fourth when Harris was fouled and Stewart was issued a technical foul. Harris sank four straight free throws and Ryder Anderson hit a 3-pointer to tie the game and give the Saints a seven-point possession. They wouldn’t score another point. Harris finished with 29 points, while Anderson had 21, including five 3-pointers.

The loss was the Saints’ fourth straight.

“That’s three games in a row we’ve been within a possession in the final seconds,” said Shiloh Christian coach Brent Hester, referencing losses to Bentonville and Fort Smith Southside. “Our kids are learning. They’re learning through some losses. We could have scheduled some cupcakes, but we scheduled tough teams and are trying to get better.”

SILOAM SPRINGS 76, SHILOH CHRISTIAN 71

Shiloh Christian 19 18 16 18 — 71

Siloam Springs 23 15 16 22 — 76

Shiloh Christian (2-4): Darian Harris 29, Ryder Anderson 21, Alex Kostel 5, Andrew Daniels 5, Hunter Pauling 4, Daniel Matthews 3, Trenton Crawford 2, Ben Burke 2.

Siloam Springs (4-0): Payton Henson 26, Dylan Gray 12, Raul Leya 11, Reece Goddard 9, Nick Seliga 6, Austin Van Poucke 5, Austin Comiskey 4, Shane Carlson 3.

Girls

Siloam Springs 51, Shiloh Christian 48

Bailee Owens scored 21 points and Siloam Springs held on for the win in the girls game. Morgan Miller added 10 points for the Lady Panthers (3-1), while Mayse Pippin scored nine.

Owens hit three 3-pointers and scored 16 of her points in the second half.

Siloam Springs built up a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter after a basket by Owens but could never put Shiloh Christian away.

Shiloh Christian’s Jessica Coffman missed a desperation 3-pointer as time expired.

Richelle Cooper led Shiloh Christian (4-3) with 11 points. Lauren Roth added 10 points for the Lady Saints, while Alexis Jones had nine.

SILOAM SPRINGS 51, SHILOH CHRISTIAN 48

Shiloh Christian 8 6 14 20 — 48

Siloam Springs 12 8 12 19 — 51

Shiloh Christian (4-3): Richelle Cooper 11, Lauren Roth 10, Alexis Jones 9, Veronica Adams 6, Cayden Sears 6, Jessica Coffman 3, Callie Harris 3.

Siloam Springs (3-1): Bailee Owens 21, Morgan Miller 10, Mayse Pippin 9, Baily Cameron 6, Shelby Turner 2, Ashlin Stock 2, Krista Lopez 1.