VAN BUREN — Austin Heard gave Bentonville a much needed spark Tuesday night.
Heard scored 19 of his 23 points after halftime, and the senior hit two critical free throws in overtime to lift Bentonville to a hard-fought 75-70 overtime victory against Shiloh Christian in a first-round game at the Citizens Bank Classic at Van Buren High.
Bentonville will play the Fort Smith Southside-Charleston winner Thursday at 5:30 p.m., while Shiloh gets the loser at 4:30 p.m. today.
Heard scored the Tigers’ last seven points of regulation, and he hit a pair of free throws with 49.3 seconds left in overtime that gave the Tigers a 73-69 lead.
Nick Smith led Bentonville with a 29 points and the 6-foot-8 senior scored 16 points after halftime, most on layups.
“Austin is one of our best players the last three years, and that is what you hope for out of a senior,” Bentonville coach Jason McMahan said. “He got timely baskets at the rim and hit some big free throws. Nick just dominated the glass, and that was big. It’s nice to have seniors that can do that.”
Heard gave Bentonville a 67-61 lead with a free throw with 38.9 seconds left in regulation, but Shiloh’s 6-6 senior Darian Harris hit three free throws and Daniel Matthews hit a 3-pointer from 28 feet with 15 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Harris, who has signed with Creighton, finished with a game-high 35 points, while Matthews had 24. Shiloh led by eight points at one point in the third period.
“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” Shiloh coach Brent Hester said. “We couldn’t guard them. Nick Smith was just too much to handle, and they were much bigger and more physical. But we have two special guards in Darian Harris and Daniel Matthews.”
Harris gave the Saints a 69-67 lead early in overtime, but the Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to take control.
BENTONVILLE 75, SHILOH CHRISTIAN 70 OT
Shiloh 16 9 18 14 3 — 70
Bentonville 13 10 20 24 8 — 75
Shiloh (2-2): Harris 35, Matthews 24, Smith 6, Pauling 3, Burke 2.
Bentonville (1-0): Smith 29, Heard 23, Head 6, Bachman 6, Drechny 4, Dixon 3, Guillory 2, Estrada 2.
Girls
Gentry 48, Shiloh Christian 40
Gentry broke open a close came with a 10-2 run to start the second half as the Lady Pioneers pulled away for a first-round victory.
Gentry will play Farmington on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the semifinals. Shiloh plays Springdale High at 6 p.m. today.
Tara Arnold led Gentry (3-1) with 22 points, while 6-foot-4 senior Heather Marshall added 16 points. Marshall scored eight points during the third period run as the Lady Pioneers to a 43-32 lead four minutes into the third period.
Richelle Cooper paced Shiloh Christian (3-1) with 14 points, while Alexis Jones added 9.
GENTRY 48, SHILOH CHRISTIAN 40
Shiloh 12 9 9 10 — 40
Gentry 12 8 13 15 — 48
Shiloh (3-1): Cooper 14, Jones 9, Sears 6, Adams 5, Coffman 4, Roth 2.
Gentry (3-1): Arnold 22, Marshall 16, Flesner 6, Hammond 3, Thomas 1.
Farmington 59, Springdale High 34
Farmington jumped out to a 12-2 lead and the Lady Cardinals never looked back in advancing to the semifinals.
Farmington will play 4A-1 Conference member Gentry on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Haley Maxwell led three Farmington players in double-figures with 23. Rene Scheyder added 12, while Kristi Duchanois added 11.
Farmington led 36-21 at halftime, but Springdale (1-1) cut the lead to 46-34 early in the fourth period on a basket by Karen Perez. The Lady Cardinals ended the game on a 13-0 run, keyed by seven points from Scheyder.
Perez and Baiyinnah Taylor finished with 11 each for the Lady Bulldogs.
FARMINGTON 59, SPRINGDALE HIGH 34
Farmington 20 16 8 15 — 59
Springdale 9 12 9 4 — 34
Farmington (4-0): Maxwell 23,Scheyder 12, Duchanois 11, Scales 7, Rhame 4, Blackburn 2.
Springdale (1-1): Taylor 11, Perez 11, Jurgens 10, McPherson 2.