PEA RIDGE -- Pea Ridge saved its best for last, and it was just enough to claim a narrow home win Friday night.
The Blackhawks outscored Shiloh Christian 17-7 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 52-48 win in 3A/4A District 1 boys basketball.
Normally sharp-shooting Pea Ridge (5-2, 2-0) overcame a sluggish shooting night that saw the Blackhawks make just six 3-pointers, and just three through the first three quarters. But down the stretch, junior Carson Rhine drilled a pair from distance to key a game-changing 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter.
"We didn't hit shots the first three quarters, but Carson Rhine stepped up big time," Pea Ridge coach Trent Loyd said. "He hit the shots that we needed. He got us going. He was the energy bug tonight. I mean, the kid's a winner.
"That is the greatest compliment I can give him is that he is a winner, and he won this one."
Shiloh Christian (5-2, 1-1) played smothering defense to limit the Blackhawks' scoring opportunities. The Saints also pounded the boards at both ends and earned numerous second and third scoring opportunities.
The Saints trailed 16-15 after one quarter, but John Morrison hit a driving layup to open the second quarter and Shiloh Christian held the lead for the next two-plus quarters, leading by as much as seven points, 37-30, when Jaret Russ hit a layup with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Seth Rosenfield gave the Saints a 41-35 lead at the end of the third quarter with a 3-pointer from the left wing, but that proved to be Shiloh Christian's last points until the 4:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
Rhine drilled back-to-back 3-pointers and Hayden Holtgrewe, who led Pea Ridge with 18 points, scored on a layup to give the Blackhawks their first lead 43-41.
"We knew we were going to have our hands full tonight," Loyd said. "Coach (Jacob) Skinner does a great job and their record speaks for itself."
Pea Ridge managed to hit just enough at the free-throw line down the stretch to hold on, especially Holtgrewe, who was 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter.
"Our kids hung in there and kept competing and made the plays when they needed to," Loyd said. "They just kept believing in each other and made the plays down the stretch."
Shiloh Christian 52, Pea Ridge 48
Shiloh Christian 15 9 17 7 -- 48
Pea Ridge 16 4 15 17 -- 52
Shiloh Christian (5-2): Hutchinson 9, Russ 9, Rosenfeld 8, Bryant 8, Neal 6, Cranna 3, Thompson 2, Morrison 2, Turpin 1.
Pea Ridge (5-2): Holtgrewe 18, Mahoney 11, Rhine 11, Coble 9, Rose 2, Yates 1.
Girls
Shiloh Christian 54, Pea Ridge 48 (OT)
The Lady Saints saw a seven-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter, but outscored Pea Ridge 10-4 in overtime to claim a road win.
Lia Enis scored a game-high 24 points for Shiloh Christian (6-4), including a pair of clutch free throws in overtime. Shae Sandefur added 12 for the Lady Saints.
"It's ridiculous how these girls fight," said Shiloh Christian coach J.D. Dudley. "We lost our last two games and got our dobbers down, but I told our girls, 'you come in here and win this one, you've got 10 days where we can celebrate this and come back and put the hammer down."
Hollyn Davis led three Pea Ridge (3-5) players in double-figures with 14. Sunny Olsen added 13 and Kiley West scored 11.
Shiloh Christian 54, Pea Ridge 48 (OT)
Shiloh Christian 11 12 12 9 10 -- 54
Pea Ridge 8 10 13 13 4 -- 48
Shiloh Christian (6-4): Enos 24, Sandefur 12, Johnson 8, McCredy 7, Thompson 3.
Pea Ridge (3-5): Davis 14, Olson 13, West 11, Swope 4, Hooten 4, Socha 2.
Sports on 12/16/2017