FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville boys basketball coach Kyle Adams wanted the inaugural game in the new Bulldog Arena to be special. But when Adams scheduled longtime rival Fort Smith Northside to open the new season, it turned out to almost be more than the Purple’Dogs bargained for.
Despite building a double-digit lead in the first half, Fayetteville saw Northside storm back to take a four-point lead with 4 minutes, 26 seconds left to play. But the Bulldogs showed their veteran poise down the stretch, using a 7-0 run to regain the lead and got key free throws from Cameron Paschke and Tyler McCullough to help pull out a 65-60 season-opening win against the Grizzlies.
“Anytime we play Northside it’s a battle,” Adams said. “Coach (Eric) Burnett always does a great job with his guys and their style is so unorthodox from everything we see.
“I was really pleased with it being our first game how we hung in there. We got down but we battled back and that was a sign of that senior leadership. Two years ago, we couldn’t have won a game like this.”
Fayetteville (1-0) struggled to find its shooting touch in the early minutes, but Ja’Wan Smith led a scoring spree late in the first quarter as the Bulldogs took a 20-14 lead. Northside would fall behind 30-19 before a 15-2 run got the Grizzlies (1-1) back in the game for good just before half.
The back and forth battle between former 7A-West Conference rivals continued into the second half, with neither team able to take full control until Fayetteville’s final push in the closing minute.
“We did a lot of good things and some not so good things,” Burnett said. “Fayetteville has a lot of guys back from that team they had last year. So to come up here and play them like this, it’s a positive.”
McCullough and Smith had 17 points each for Fayetteville.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Thanksgiving Day when they begin play in the Rumble on the Ridge in Forrest City. Fayetteville faces Memphis Southwind at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the first round.
FAYETTEVILLE 65, FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 60
FS Northside 14 20 10 16 — 60
Fayetteville 20 15 12 18 — 65
FS Northside (1-1): Patterson 14, Dorsey 11, Jones 10, Barron 7, Richardson 7, Eckes 6, Triplett 3, Dye 2.
Fayetteville (1-0): McCullough 17, Smith 17, Waitsman 8, Watkins 6, Gooderl 6, Boyd 5, Paschke 5, Williamson 1.
Girls
Fort Smith Northside 58, Fayetteville 47
For the most part of Tuesday’s season opener, the Fayetteville girls hung right with Fort Smith Northside. But add in the start of the third period and you have a different story.
Fayetteville managed to battle the Lady Bears to a tie through intermission before a rash of turnovers to open the second half led to a 19-4 FS Northside run, pretty much sealing the deal on any possible Lady Bulldogs upset bid.
“I don’t know if they turned up the intensity or we panicked, but I was disappointed for our girls because we played them so hard for the entire game,” Fayetteville coach Vic Rimmer said. “But that was the story right there, was that part of the third quarter.”
Northside have made things easier on itself, if not for 17 missed free throws.
“We’re usually good at free throws,” Lady Bears coach Rickey Smith said. “Our girls were disappointed because we didn’t shoot the ball well. But we’re glad we had the opportunity to play Fayetteville in their new place, where they’re going to have the state tournament.
“Fayetteville played good and we just had one of those typical Northside runs.”
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE 58, FAYETTEVILLE 47
FS Northside 14 8 24 12 — 58
Fayetteville 12 10 11 14 — 47
FS Northside (3-0): Myers 15, Jackson 14, Cummings 11, Hanson 10, Caldwell 4, Shephard 2, Bunch 1, McDonald 1.
Fayetteville (0-1): Prude 16, Moore 8, Howard 7, Schuldt 4, Edie 4, Allen 2, Austin 2, Crockett 2, Brewer 1.