PEA RIDGE -- Mikey Mahoney stepped to the line as a hush fell over the Blackhawk's arena. He took a few dribbles, arched his shot, and delivered the final of his 16 points with only two seconds remaining, as Pea Ridge took a three-overtime 59-57 win over Gravette on Friday night.
Mahoney's final free throws ended the seventh overtime period between the two teams this season.
"He's a winner. He makes those shots," said Pea Ridge coach Trent Loyd. "We want to throw it to him (in the post) because he's one of our best players. We're going to throw it to him and see what happens out of it."
He was outdone only by teammate Hayden Holtgrewe, who led Pea Ridge (17-4, 11-1 3A/4A District 1) with 18 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, as the Blackhawks erased a six-point deficit late.
Pea Ridge tied it on two free throws from Landon Allison with 17 seconds remaining in regulation.
"(Holtgrewe) has been doing it since he was a sophomore for us," said Loyd. "We knew that down the stretch and overtime, we were going to put the ball in his hands and let him go make plays."
Gravette (13-7-1, 7-5) led by as many as seven in the second half. Lions coach Matt Busch credited Pea Ridge's pressure defense with the comeback.
"The basket got small at the end of the game," Busch said.
Gravette's Dayten Wishon led all scorers with 20 points. Kelton Trembly scored 15, Bailey Soule 11, and Chris Childress 10 for the Lions.
Pea Ridge 59, Gravette 57
Pea Ridge 8 11 7 21 6 2 4-- 59
Gravette 11 13 8 15 6 2 2-- 57
Pea Ridge (17-4): Holtgrewe 18, Mahoney 16, Rose 10, Coble 5, Allison 5, Wales 2, Rhine 2 Feemster 1.
Gravette (13-7): Wishon 20, Trembly 15, Soule 11, Childress 10, O'Brien 1.
Girls
Gravette 58, Pea Ridge 56
Gravette needed all four quarters to drop Pea Ridge, but Lions coach Will Pittman knew his team could go longer if needed.
Utilizing a 1-3-1 pressure zone defense for much of the game, Gravette proved to be the fresher team at the end, erasing an eight-point deficit with 24 seconds left in the third quarter to secure the victory.
"Our pressure late allowed us to come up with some big turnovers," Pittman said. "That enabled us to get a lead at the end, and then we were able to hold on."
Gravette (15-4, 10-1) tied it at 53-53 with 6 minutes, 14 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter on a bucket by Shylee Morrison. Then, after forcing Pea Ridge (8-13, 5-7) into turnovers on its next four possessions, the Lions took the lead on a steal and layup by Jessica Bookout, who led all scorers with 20 points. Kyrstin Branscum chipped in 19 for Gravette.
"Kyrstin is always a good offensive force for us. She's hard to handle down low, and she runs the floor good," Pittman said. "Bookout, she's been playing really well lately. She really played well down the stretch and hit some big buckets."
Kiley West led Pea Ridge with 19 points. Maria Socha scored 16, and Sunny Olson scored 13.
Gravette 58, Pea Ridge 56
Gravette 15 18 13 12 -- 58
Pea Ridge 18 16 17 5 -- 56
Pea Ridge (8-13): West 19, Socha 16, Olson 13, Swope 3, Hooten 3, Davis 2.
Gravette (15-4): Bookout 20, Branscum 19, Morrison 7, Garcia 6, Foster 5, Smith 1.
Preps Basketball on 01/20/2018