Basketball: Clutch Perry FTs win 2OT thriller for Har-Ber

Rebekah Ussery (24), Springdale senior, drives through the lane against Springdale Har-Ber in the first half Monday at Bulldog Gymnasium in Springdale.
Rebekah Ussery (24), Springdale senior, drives through the lane against Springdale Har-Ber in the first half Monday at Bulldog Gymnasium in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- Springdale Har-Ber's Tylor Perry turned Springdale High's Bulldog Gym into a house of pain for the home team Tuesday night.

The freshman, listed at 5-foot-9 but is probably closer to 5-7, played bigger than either height when it mattered most in double overtime.

Girls

Springdale High 64, Springdale Har-Ber 56

Har-Ber^15^19^13^9^—^56

Springdale^23^15^14^12^—^64

Har-Ber (12-5, 1-1): Mains 16, Smith 14, Shannon 8, Hornor 6, Pe. Brown 6, Weber 4, Collins 2.

Springdale (9-5, 2-0): Owens 17, Hood 11, Mack 11, Gadison 11, Lang 10, Goodsell 4.

Boys

Springdale Har-Ber 69, Springdale High 68 (2 OT)

Har-Ber^10^22^10^9^12^5^—^69

Springdale^9^14^15^13^12^4^—^68

Har-Ber (X-X): Benson 18, Perry 17, Garrett 15, Kaunitz 8, Hampton 4, King 3, Brandon 4.

Springdale (10-4, 1-1): Mahar 17, Bobo 14, Lindsey 12, Young 11, McFarlane 8, Carachure 6.

Perry drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with four-tenths of a second left and his team down two to its crosstown rival. He then calmly stepped to the line and swished the first two free throws before Springdale called timeout. His third shot didn't touch rim, lifting Har-Ber to an improbable 69-68 win in a game filled with wild shots and clutch play.

"He thrives in that," Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin said. "I told him, go make them because I'm ready to go home. He said, you got it coach. So I just went and sat down."

He had it.

Perry scored 17, while junior Avery Benson had a game-high 18 before fouling out and sophomore Tyler Garrett chipped in 15. Despite the strong performance by the trio of guards, Har-Ber (9-6, 2-0) trailed when Devon Young made the first of two free throws to extend Springdale's lead to 68-66 with three seconds left. But Young's second foul shot went halfway down before rimming out, setting up Perry's mad dash to the other end, where he drew a foul 30 feet from the basket.

"It all happened so quick," Springdale coach Jeremy Price said. "Obviously I don't feel like we fouled. (Perry) did a good job creating contact. Maybe (we should've) just stayed on the floor, hands out of there. I felt like it was shoulder-to-chest contact. But yeah, you just let them sling one up there and don't foul."

Springdale (10-4, 1-1) tried a final, long desperation inbounds pass, but it hit the ceiling, which gave possession to Har-Ber. The finish marred what was a gritty effort by the Bulldogs, which got to overtime on an Ishine McFarlane tip in the final seconds of regulation and extended the game again on a Jack Lindsey 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in the first overtime.

Senior Kyler Mahar scored 17 to lead the Bulldogs, while Towayne Bobo added 14, Lindsey 12 and Young 11.

Har-Ber had plenty of heroics of its own before Perry's final foul shots. Junior Matthew Kaunitz hit a 3-pointer with six seconds left in overtime to cut a six-point deficit to 67-66 and set up the final foul. Before that, in the first overtime, Benson and Brandon each had dunks in short succession to give Har-Ber a three-point lead before Lindsey's big shot.

In the end, the biggest shots came at the foul line, where a freshman stepped up under pressure in front of 2,000 screaming fans to come through for the visitors.

Girls

Springdale 64, Har-Ber 56

In a game of runs, a Springdale team with five seniors in double-figures made the final run in crunch time to knock off a Har-Ber team missing its leading scorer.

The Lady Bulldogs closed with an 8-0 run in the final three minutes to turn a tie ball game into a hard-earned win.

Chasidee Owens scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Springdale (9-5, 2-0), while Desiree Mack had 11 and 13. Fellow seniors Maya Hood (11), Anna Gadison (11) and Kierra Lang (10) were also in double-figures as the Lady Bulldogs closed out a tight game for a big conference win after struggling to do so at times in nonconference play.

Sophomore Maci Mains scored a team-high 16 off the bench and was a spark for Har-Ber (12-5, 1-1), which was without standout junior guard Jacie Higgins (ankle).

Springdale led 38-27 in the third quarter, but Har-Ber rallied to tie the game at 42. Springdale then led 56-51 in the fourth before Har-Ber tied it, setting up Springdale's closing run.

Sports on 01/12/2016

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