CLASS 5A

Winded Badgers win in double OT

— Beebe didn’t have much left in the tank late in the game, but it was enough to survive in a 53-50, double-overtime victory against Watson Chapel on Tuesday during the Class 5A boys state tournament at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.

Beebe (21-6) found its second wind in the second overtime period, scoring 13 points. The Badgers had scored just five points in the previous 14 minutes, stretching back to the third quarter.

“I don’t know if it was the anxiety of the playoffs or what, but we got tired,” Beebe Coach Ryan Marshall said. “We’ve got some guys who never leave the court, but Watson Chapel also just played harder than we did in a lot of spurts.”

A 12-0 run gave the Badgers a 19-8 lead early in the second quarter. The Wildcats (13-13) cut the margin to three points by the start of the fourth quarter.

Both offenses struggled in the fourth quarter, combining for five points. The Badgers hit a free throw in the opening seconds to go ahead 36-32, while the Wildcats had a basket and two free throws in the quarter. Watson Chapel’s game-tying free throws came when a charging call on Jalen Courtney was changed to a blocking foul, and he made both free throws with 2:57 left.

The Wildcats took their first lead at 40-38 in overtime,thanks to a basket and free throws from Tevin Brown. Tanner Chapman tied the game with a jumper from the elbow that sent the game into a second overtime period. Brown led the Wildcats with 12 points.

Beebe finally began to find its shooting range again in the second overtime, jumping out to a 48-40 lead. Austin Burroughs scored his game-high 20th point to start the run for Beebe. The Wildcats were able to cut into the lead in the final seconds, but the Badgers held on.

GREENE COUNTY TECH 49, HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE 47

Clutch three-pointers helped the Greene County Tech Eagles defeat the Hot Springs Lakeside Rams in the opening round of the state tournament.

Greene County Tech trailed 35-32 heading into the fourth quarter, but Andrew Hovis, Tanner Perkins and Dylan Hartwig combined for four three-pointers to send the Rams to the second round. Hovis and Perkins scored 14 points each.

Lakeside had fought back from a 22-19 halftime deficit to take the lead in the third quarter. Ray Beresford led all scorers with 23 points.

JACKSONVILLE 74, HUNTSVILLE 43

Jacksonville (22-4) wasted little time establishing itself, taking a 15-0 lead in its first-round victory over the Huntsville Eagles (17-9).

“Having a good start like that is paramount,” Jacksonville Coach Victor Joyner said. “That first game is always the hardest, so getting that start and getting your confidence that early is great.”

Justin McCleary didn’t score at all in the first quarter when Jacksonville led 20-7, but he went on an 11-0 run over a 90-second span in the second quarter. The Red Devils led 38-10 at one point in the second quarter.

Aaron Smith led all scorers with 18 points for Jacksonville.

Garret Wieland came off the bench to lead Huntsville with 12 points.

Sports, Pages 25 on 02/27/2013

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