SILOAM SPRINGS — Siloam Springs senior basketball players Raul Leyva and Austin Van Poucke only had six points combined in the Panthers’ 59-57 win against Springdale on Friday.

But playing without two key players — senior guards Shane Carlson and Nick Seliga — against the Bulldogs, Leyva and Van Poucke’s minutes became invaluable to Siloam Springs.

“Raul and V.P. stepped up,” Panthers coach Tim Stewart said. “We’re two men down. They battled, battled and could’ve caved in. We’re just so proud of the kids’ toughness.”

Both Leyva and Van Poucke battled foul trouble most of the night but remarkably neither fouled out. Van Poucke picked up four fouls in the first half alone while Leyva had three and picked up another in the second half.

Leyva’s two free throws with 30.3 seconds remaining put Siloam Springs on top for good.

“They still got into position to try and take that charge or try to get that rebound,” Stewart said. “They didn’t let the fouls determine how hard they played. That’s big. They didn’t play scared.”

The Panthers also got valuable minutes from Stephen Holroyd, who entered the game in the second half when Dylan Gray had to leave the game because of blood on his jersey.

Carlson missed his sixth straight game because of a back injury. Seliga was out with an illness.

Play of the Night: Senior forward Payton Henson didn’t have his best night against Springdale, but his steal and breakaway dunk in the fourth quarter proved to be a momentum-changing play. Henson’s two-handed slam put the Panthers within 54-52 with less than three minutes remaining. Siloam Springs tied it up on their next possession and took the lead after that.

Players of the Games: Sophomore Bailee Owens’ hot shooting helped the Lady Panthers catch fire and go on an 18-0 run in their 51-40 win against Springdale. Owens hit four three-pointers and finished with 16 points. “She’s a pure shooter,” said Siloam Springs coach Brett Sanders. “I’m glad it came through for her tonight.”

In the boys’ game, Dylan Gray led the Panthers with 19 points and had three 3-pointers.

Notable: Siloam Springs junior Reece Goddard scored 10 points for his second straight game with double-digits in the scoring column. Goddard had 19 in Siloam Springs’ win against Rogers on Tuesday. ... Lady Panthers junior Morgan Miller averaged 20.5 points per game this past week with 23 against Rogers and 18 against Springdale. ... The Panthers’ three conference wins total 36 points in the power ratings system. Ten points for each win, plus two points for each game against a 7A school.

The Lingo: “What we’ve been talking about is win the little battles. Take it inch by inch. Like (Friday night), we won enough of the little battles we won the game. These games aren’t life and death. These are measuring sticks to see where we’re at. Tonight we measured out pretty good.”

Tim Stewart

Siloam Springs boys coach

Up Next: Siloam Springs travels to Fayetteville on Tuesday. Fayetteville’s boys beat Rogers 73-23, while the Lady Bulldogs lost to Rogers 45-39.