FAYETTEVILLE — Siloam Springs and Fayetteville began Tuesday’s 7A/6A-West Conference boys basketball game as if their feet were stuck in the mud.
Eventually, it was Fayetteville that found just enough loose footing to manage the necessary offensive spark to pull past the Panthers, 55-44, at Bulldog Arena.
“We get stationary offensively because we have so many kids who can shoot the basketball,” Fayetteville coach Kyle Adams said. “And we settle for that sometimes, we sit out there instead of attacking the rim. That’s what frustrated me there in the fourth quarter is we were settling for jump shots instead of attacking. And we can bounce it a little bit too, but because we rely on the 3-point shot so much it can sometimes come back to haunt us.
Senior Boys
Fayetteville 55, Siloam Springs 44
Siloam Springs^8^10^8^18^—^44
Fayetteville^3^17^10^25^—^55
Siloam Springs (10-12, 4-7): Gray 21, Benson 9, Goddard 7, Lambert 5, Johnson 2.
Fayetteville (12-12, 5-6): Renner 18, Willis 10, Adams 9, O’Grady 9, Young 9.
“Thankfully, it didn’t in this game.”
Fayetteville (12-12, 5-6 7A/6A-West) shot just 11 percent from the floor and trailed 8-3 after one quarter, but senior guards Mason Adams and Luke Renner combined on five 3-pointers in the last three quarters to help the Purple’Dogs pull away. Renner, who finished with a game-high 18, also hit 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Fayetteville also benefited from the play of Blake Young and C.J. O’Grady in the paint, as they combined for 18 points and 15 rebounds.
“Their big guys inside did a good job,” Siloam Springs coach Tim Stewart said. “We tried to get out on their shooters, but those guys inside were getting those rebounds and getting some kickbacks to the shooters.”
The Bulldogs built a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter, then went back and forth trading baskets as Siloam Springs (10-12, 4-7) refused to go down quietly. But the Panthers, who stunned Springdale High on Friday, could get no closer than seven points in the final few minutes.
“You’ve got to have your best every night, every possession and every quarter,” Adams said. “You just can’t take any time off and every play in every game is huge. This next one coming up at Springdale is another big test for us and we’ll have to be sure and bring our best on every play.”
Dylan Gray led Siloam Springs with 21 points, while Payton Willis added 10 for Fayetteville.