CONWAY — The Conway Wampus Cats made the necessary halftime adjustments and claimed a 71-67 victory over Fort Smith Southside.
Conway (14-10, 5-7) controlled the first quarter, rushing out to a 20-12 lead. But the Rebels grabbed the momentum in the second half, crashing the offensive glass and surging ahead 33-31 by halftime. But the Wampus Cats shored up their interior defense and rode hot second-half shooting for the victory.
Justin Leon, Conway’s 6-6 forward, sparked the Wampus Cats’ third-quarter run, scoring eight points in less than three minutes. Twice during the run, Leon stepped out and hit 17-footers. Dominic Taylor followed the second one by going the length of the court for a layup, and Tim Boyd’s three-pointer made it 53-45 late in the quarter.
James Grubbs came off the Conway bench to score 12 points - including eight points in the fourth quarter - and log important minutes in the lane against bigger opponents. He scored consecutive baskets to give the Wampus Cats a 59-52 lead, and his tip-in made it 65-54 with four minutes to play.
Three-pointers by John Hunton and Andrew Hindman brought the Rebels close in the final minute, but Boyd hit two free throws for Conway with 5 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Boyd scored a game-high 22 points, while Leon added 20 points and 13 rebounds. Hunton led Fort Smith Southside (2-10, 6-19) with 20 points, while Hindman added 18 and Moore 12.
Sports, Pages 22 on 02/16/2013