SPRINGDALE — When push came to shove Friday inside Bulldog Gymnasium, Siloam Springs came up with the big plays it needed to win while Springdale was left scratching its head.

The Panthers opened up a sizable lead in the second half on the Bulldogs and hit 11 of 11 free throws down the stretch to seal the game in a 65-53 7A/6A-West Conference win.

For Siloam Springs, it was a bounce-back performance after losing at home to Rogers High 55-53 in overtime on Tuesday.

“As much as I brag on them being a mature team, we don’t bring the same energy every night,” Siloam Springs boys basketball coach Tim Stewart said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on the rest of the year.

“As a coach, sometimes Xs and Os aren’t as important as that passion and energy.”

Payton Henson once again led the Panthers (17-4, 7-3 7A/6A-West) with a double-double effort of 25 points and 11 rebounds, but a key sequence in the fourth quarter with Henson out of the game pushed Siloam Springs in the right direction.

With 4 minutes 53 seconds remaining, Henson left the game with an issue with a contact lens in his left eye. Over the next 73 seconds, the Panthers went on a 5-0 run to go up 51-44 after a driving basket by Austin Comiskey and a 3-pointer from Reece Goddard.

“When (Henson) went out, me being a senior, I knew I had to step up and make some plays,” Comiskey said. “I made sure to get to the hole and finish, so he could have time to get his contacts in and get back out there.”

Henson, with a new contact lense in, later returned and hit six of six free throws down the stretch. The Panthers hit 23 of 28 from the foul line.

It was discovered later that Henson actually played the last part of the fourth quarter with two contact lenses in his left eye.

“We were joking with him, that’s why he hit those free throws down the stretch,” Stewart said.

Siloam Springs led 24-21 at halftime and got eight points from Henson right off the bat to start the third quarter and build a seven-point lead. A 3-pointer from Raul Leyva made it 40-30 with 1:25 left in the third.

The Panthers led 42-34 going into the fourth.

Springdale (15-8, 7-3) got as close as 46-44 when DaShaun Stark hit a 3-pointer. But the Bulldogs had more plays come up short than not in the fourth. Stark missed a dunk in the fourth, the Bulldogs had several key turnovers and went 3 of 7 from the free-throw line.

“When you come up empty on those, it really puts a dagger in you,” Springdale coach Brad Stamps said. “I believe Siloam was the most aggressive team on the floor tonight, maybe more mentally engaged than we were.”