SPRINGDALE -- Six lead changes in the fourth quarter wasn't enough to decide a winner Friday night. It took one more in overtime for Har-Ber to survive a scare from Fayetteville.
Tylor Perry, after missing the front end of a 1-and-1 with 12 seconds left, knocked down the second, giving the Wildcats a 60-59 lead. The Bulldogs then had two chances to win in the final five seconds, but both shots came up empty. Har-Ber moves to 5-0 in 7A-West play with the 1-point win.
7A-WEST CONFERENCE
Boys
Fayetteville^24^14^7^12^2^–^59
Har-Ber^18^7^17^15^3^–^60
Fayetteville (6-11, 1-4): Roth 17, Cooper 16, Finney 10, Simon 8, Conley 8.
Har-Ber (14-5, 5-0): Taylor 14, Perry 13, King 12, T. Garrett 8, Sanders 7, Williams 4, A. Garrett 2.
Girls
Fayetteville^22^16^17^8^–^63
Har-Ber^5^11^8^12^–^36
Fayetteville (18-2, 5-0): Franklin 12, Goforth 11, M. Mayberry 11, Breathitt 8, W. Mayberry 6, Holmes 4, Douglas 4, Coulter 2, Rimmer 2, Posey 1, Smith 1.
Har-Ber (10-8, 1-4): Terry 12, Smith 6, Shannon 6, Juella Brown 6, Collins 2, Whaley 2, Weber 2.
"We were just happy to be ahead at the end," Har-Ber coach Scott Bowlin said. "Those are goods wins for us. We'll take it. Survive and advance. It was a team win. That's how you win games."
The Wildcats' ninth consecutive win dating back to late December came in comeback fashion after a sizzling start from distance by Fayetteville. The Purple'Dogs hit 8-of-12 3-pointers in the first quarter and jumped out to a 24-18 lead after one. They then took a 13-point lead into halftime behind a 13-of-24 shooting effort.
Perry, a sophomore, said there was no panic from Har-Ber at the break.
"We just knew we had to defend better," he said. "We knew they were on fire and we had to defend them or we were going to lose the game. We played Har-Ber basketball the second half."
Perry finished the night with 13 points, but Ryan Taylor provided a big lift with a team-high 14 points on three 3-pointers and an and-1 that gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night at 50-49. Har-Ber held for the final shot of regulation which resulted in a Perry missed 3-pointer as he attempted to draw contact.
Tyler Roth, who finished with a game-high 17, scored the lone bucket for Fayetteville in overtime, tying the game at 59 after a Tyler Garrett layup. Following Perry's split at the line Fayetteville had a pair of looks for the win. Caleb Finney's first shot missed long, rebounded by Roth, who left the putback just short, prompting Har-Ber's student section to rush the floor.
"There's really not a plan. You just try to stay in front of them," Bowlin said of the final play. "You hope they miss. We've lost games like that before since I've been here."
Har-Ber, now 14-5 and the lone undefeated team in the 7A-West, travels to Van Buren next Tuesday. Fayetteville makes the short drive to Springdale Tuesday. Friday snapped a streak of three straight 20-point games for Perry, but he'll gladly take the win.
"It was very big," Perry said. "Fayetteville's a good team, they were down and really needed this win badly. It was good for us to get a win and get better."
Collin Cooper scored 16 points for the Purple'Dogs as well, knocking down three 3-pointers in the early going. Zane King added 11 points for Har-Ber, including a baseline dunk during the Wildcats' comeback. Tyler Garrett finished with 8 and Chops Sanders had 7.
Girls
Fayetteville 63, Springdale Har-Ber 36
The Lady Purple'Dogs jumped out to a 20-2 lead in the first quarter and didn't look back, cruising to their fifth win in 7A-West play. Jasmine Franklin led Fayetteville with 12 points while freshman Sasha Goforth and Maya Mayberry each added 11.
Fayetteville, similarly to the Purple'Dogs, came out hot from distance, hitting 6-of-9 in the first quarter to race out to a 22-5 lead after one. Coach Vic Rimmer's club shot 51 percent in the win and 8-of-18 from 3-point range.
Dachelle Terry led Har-Ber with 12 points, six in the fourth quarter. Krislyn Smith, Juella Brown and Khanni Shannon each added six points as well.
Sports on 01/21/2017