SPRINGDALE -- Bryant had trouble guarding Rogers Heritage guard Lexus Hobbs earlier this season.
That didn't change much Friday night.
How They Scored
Boys
Rogers Heritage 52, Bryant 48
Heritage^10^16^7^19^—^52
Bryant ^14^10^11^13^—^58
Rogers Heritage (16-12): Hobbs 23, Hirsh 15, Breedlove 7, Jensen 4, Coover 3.
Bryant (14-13): Hunt 16, Washington 11, Martin 8, Peters 6, Allen 5, Lewis 2.
The 5-foot-11 guard poured in a game-high 23 points and made key plays down the stretch to help the War Eagles earn a tough 52-48 win over the Hornets in the Class 7A state boys basketball tournament at Springdale Har-Ber's Wildcat Arena.
Heritage controlled the Hornets in a 52-38 win on Nov. 25, but Bryant pushed the War Eagles to the limit before falling short over the final three minutes on Friday.
The War Eagles, the No. 5 seed from the West, advance to take on Fayetteville, the No. 2 seed from the West, in a quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Sunday. The teams split two regular-season games with each team winning on its home floor.
Hobbs scored five points in a 7-2 Heritage run late in the fourth quarter, after Bryant (14-13) tied the game at 41 on Romen Martin's long 3-pointer.
War Eagles coach Tom Olsen said Hobbs was a huge key in helping Heritage notch its first state tournament win in school history.
"He did some really, really good things, made some really, really good decisions," Olsen said. "He made some great plays to stretch it out there and get us a couple possession lead. That really shows his maturity. He was exceptional.
"They hit some shots and kept coming and kept coming all night long. I was hoping we could get away from them a little bit to get my blood pressure down before the season's over. It's a landmark victory for our program, moving on to the round of eight against Fayetteville. They are tough."
The War Eagles also were able to make foul shots late, something they struggled with until the final minutes. Heritage made just 16 of 27 free throws for the game, but hit 8 of 10 in the fourth quarter and 6 of 6 in the final 70 seconds to secure the win.
Connor Hirsh was also in double figures for Heritage with 15.
Kevin Hunt led Bryant with 16 points off the bench. Lowell Washington added 11 for the Hornets, who start three sophomores.
Fort Smith Northside 71, Cabot 44
The Grizzlies started the game with a 16-0 run and never looked back.
Northside (20-10) advanced to a quarterfinal matchup against Van Buren, the 7A-Central top seed, at 8:30 tonight.
The Grizzlies led 41-23 at halftime. Senior Tyler Triplett led Northside, the No. 4 seed from the West, with a game-high 17 points. Dedric Patterson added 10, while Tevin Brewer and Jackson Forsey chipped in nine each. Logan Gilbertson led Cabot with 11.
Paul Boyd can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaulB.
Sports on 03/07/2015