High school basketball report

Thursday, January 31, 2013

— Henson closes in on 2,000

Payton Henson is nearing a milestone.

Henson, a 6-8 senior forward for Siloam Springs, needs six points to reach 2,000 points for his career.

He should surpass the 2,000-point mark Friday when the Panthers play at Springdale Har-Ber in a 7A/6A-West Conference game.

“The thing about Payton is that he gets his points without taking a lot of shots,” Siloam Springs Coach Tim Stewart said.

“He’ll get a quiet 30 points.”

Henson averages 25 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game for the Panthers (15-3, 5-2). He recorded a career-high 40 points in the Panthers’ season opener against Prairie Grove.

“He gets into the flow of the offense,” Stewart said. “Not only is he a good shooter, but he gets his share of tip-ins and hustle points.

He’s always working hard.

... I think it’s impressive that he can finish a game with only 15 shots while scoring 36 points.”

Coleston Rakestraw, with 1,664 points, was the school’s previous record holder for career points.

Henson signed a national letter of intent to play at Tulane last fall.

OSCEOLA BOYS Nine in a row

With his team holding a 1-10 record earlier this season, Osceola Coach Frankie Gathen was considering some drastic personal moves.

“I thought the game was becoming too fast for me and passing me by,” said Gathen, who coached the Seminoles to state titles in 2001 and 2002. “It was making me think I should retire.”

Thanks to Seminoles’ recent success, Gathen’s thoughts of retirement have been replaced by images of hoisting another trophy.

Osceola (10-10, 9-4) won its ninth consecutive game Tuesday, beating Corning 57-46 in a 3A-3 Conference game. The Seminoles have no chance of overthrowing league leader Manila ( 16-6, 10-3) for the conference crown, but they can earn the league’s No. 2 seed with a home victory over Harrisburg on Friday night.

“We’re not going to win 32 in a row like my team in 2001 did,” Gathen said. “But if we can 10 or 11 more in a row, we may win another state championship.”

Osceola’s change in fortunes can be attributed to the addition of two players after the semester break.

Point guard Quaylen Estell missed six weeks with a chipped bone in his left tibia and a deep bone bruise to his left knee. Tamas Bruce, a 6-6 post player, became eligible at the start of the second semester.

Gathen said Estell is averaging eight assists per game and that Bruce “has got some skills.” Estell scored 19 points in Tuesday’s victory, while Bruce added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s made us a lot different and better team,” Gathen said.

SHORT SHOTS

Concord is one victory away from clinching the 1A-2 South boys title after Tuesday’s 75-35 victory over Rural Special. The Pirates (28-5, 12-0) picked up 20 points from both Jacob Roark and Ethan Hebert in the victory. The Pirates play host to Bradford tonight and play at West Side Greers Ferry on Friday.

Harding Academy won its 11th consecutive game Tuesday night.

The Wildcats (17-6, 7-0) defeated Bald Knob 58-31 behind 12 points from Will Francis. The victory clinched the 3A-2 title for the Wildcats.

Junction City, fresh off of a victory over Stephens in the final of the Dual State Tournament, picked up a 63-58 victory over Strong in 2A-7 East action Tuesday. The Dragons improved to 13-4 and 9-0 in league play.

Autry Allen’s 38 points helped Class 3A defending state champion Earle stay in the thick of the 3A-3 race Tuesday. The Bulldogs defeated Piggott 70-63.

Brandon Brady racked up 15 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds in Pulaski Academy’s 55-27 victory over Little Rock Christian on Tuesday. Teammate Lawson Korita added 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Bruins’ leading scorer was Marcus Wallace, who had 17 points.

Wednesday’s games BOYS BEEBE 60, FORREST CITY 35 Tanner Chapman led the Badgers (14-5, 6-1) with 18 points in a victory over the Mustangs (12-7, 6-1) in 5A-East action at Beebe. Austin Burroughs added 16 for Beebe, which led 27-21 at the half and 42-29 after three quarters.

CONWAY ST. JOSEPH 62, HECTOR 34 Andrew Beck’s 17 points helped the Bulldogs (24-2, 9-0) stay perfect in 2A-4 East play.

MAUMELLE 78, DOVER 72 Kendall Donnerson scored a team-high 25 points to lead visiting Maumelle to a 4A-4 victory. Shawn Williams had 18 points for Maumelle (14-9, 10-1), which led 40-33 at halftime, and Cole Thomas and J.B. Minix added 10 points each.

GIRLS BEEBE 74, FORREST CITY 58 Jamie Jackson led the Lady Badgers (16-5, 7-0) with 30 points in a 5A-East victory over the Lady Mustangs (8-12, 2-5) at Beebe. Kalela Miller added 20 for Beebe, which led 37-28 at the half. Mary Burks scored 14 points to lead Forrest City.

Sports, Pages 23 on 01/31/2013