Buzzer Beater Redux

MONK’S 3-POINTER GIVES TIGERS WIN OVER BULLDOGS

Payton Willis of the Bulldogs guards Malik Monk of the Tigers at Tiger Arena, Bentonville High School in Bentonville on Jan. 31, 2014.
Payton Willis of the Bulldogs guards Malik Monk of the Tigers at Tiger Arena, Bentonville High School in Bentonville on Jan. 31, 2014.

BENTONVILLE - Malik Monk has made it hard for those faint at heart to be near Bentonville’s boys basketball games these days.

The sophomore guard beat the buzzer for the second time in as many games, nailing a 3-pointer from the top of the key as time expired and gave the Tigers a 52-49 victory over Fayetteville in 7A /6A-West Conference action before a standingroom-only crowd inside Tiger Arena.

“These are going to kill me at a young age,” Bentonville coach Jason McMahan said. “I’m just glad we ended up on the right side of them, though.”

McMahan said he told his team to make sure Fayetteville (10-10, 3-4) wouldn’t have a chance for another shot in regulation. Monk took the inbounds pass near backcourt with 15 seconds remaining and never gave the ball up, even with two Fayetteville defenders in pursuit.

Only once did he dribble inside the 3-point line as the seconds ticked away. He stopped about 28 feet away from the basket, then the ball left his hands with .6 seconds left and hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.

“I made my team put it up to me,” Monk said. “They isolated me, and coach told me to take the last shot. So I did. I just took a little stutter step to get them off -balance.

“If I missed, overtime was good. So that’s what I did.”

Fayetteville took a 49-47 lead on Payton Willis’ 3-pointer with 58.5 seconds left, but Bentonville (13-3, 7-0) tied it on Tyler Robinson’s tip-in with 42 seconds left on the clock. The Bulldogs then elected to run the clock down and hold the ball for one last shot.

That strategy was foiled when Monk closed in on Willis and stayed with him long enough to get a 5-second call and a turnover, setting up the last-second heroics.

“It was my fault; it wasn’t Payton’s fault,” Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. “We tried to run a set for him, and I messed that deal up. Not Payton.”

The Bulldogs never traileduntil an 8-0 spurt, including a pair of dunks by Monk, put the Bentonville ahead 41-38 with 3 minutes, 34 seconds remaining. It was one of five lead changes that took place, including Willis’ last 3-pointer that came after Jake Caudle’s 3-pointer to put Bentonville up 47-46 with 1:17 remaining.

“I feel like Coach Adams, Payton Willis and the whole Fayetteville team deserve all the credit,” McMahan said. “I feel like they outplayed us.

“With this home crowd and this atmosphere, we justmade one or two more shots than them.”

Monk finished with 23 points to lead Bentonville, while Caudle and Robinson chipped in 10 apiece. Willispaced Fayetteville with 19, followed by Luke Renner with 14.

NWA online THE LAST SHOT

For video of Malik Monk’s

game-winning shot, go to www.nwaonline.com.

HOW THEY SCORED BOYS BENTONVILLE 52 FAYETTEVILLE 49

Fayetteville 14 16 6 13 - 49

Bentonville 9 16 6 21 - 52

FAYETTEVILLE (10-10, 3-4):

Willis 19, Renner 14, Adams 5,

Cozart 4, Matthews 4, O’Grady

3.

BENTONVILLE (13-3, 7-0):

Monk 23, Caudle 10, Robinson

10, Dixon 5, McNee 2, Carter 2.

Sports, Pages 9 on 02/01/2014

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