PEA RIDGE -- There eventually came a time Friday night when Trent Loyd wanted Pea Ridge's boys to slow down on the 3-point shots they were taking and concentrate on the inside game.
It was hard to argue with the Blackhawks' success from beyond the arc at the start of their 4A-1 Conference game against Gravette. Pea Ridge's first five buckets came from 3-point range, and that set the stage for the Blackhawks' 62-43 victory over the Lions in Blackhawk Arena.
"When you start the game hitting a lot of threes, sometimes you get a little 3-point happy and stay on the perimeter too much," Loyd said. "I thought we finally got going in that third quarter of getting down inside, and even some in the second quarter.
"Defensively right now, this group is really locked in. They're playing together and for each other. They're sharing the basketball offensively, and I'm really proud of their team chemistry and how we're playing together."
Noah Peterson hit a pair of 3-pointers and Wes Wales hit another as Pea Ridge (13-4, 5-0) jumped out to a 9-0 lead, and Hunter Rains added two more before the first quarter and helped the Blackhawks take a 17-9 first-quarter lead. Rains, who finished the game with a team-high 17 points, then scored eight points to spearhead a 10-1 run and give Pea Ridge a 27-10 cushion midway through the second quarter.
The Blackhawks, who led 29-14 at halftime and 50-28 after three quarters, finished nine 3-pointers, and Rains hit four of them. Pea Ridge's biggest lead came when Greydon Edwards' layup made it 54-28 early in the third quarter before Loyd emptied the bench.
"We think we have six or seven options offensively," Loyd said. "We think all of our guys can score a little bit. They all compliment each other really well and share the ball well. It's not selfish play, so when you make the easy pass and the right pass, then you're going to get good looks."
Johnny Dunfee finished with 14 to lead Gravette, which suffered its third straight league loss.
Gravette 9 5 14 15 -- 43
Pea Ridge 17 12 21 12 -- 62
Gravette (10-8, 1-4): Dunfee 14, Trembly 9, Muldrow 6, Carver 3, Sizemore 3, Furlow 3, Dulce 3, Batie 2.
Pea Ridge (13-4, 5-0): Rains 17, Wales 11, Peterson 9, Whatley 8, Stewart 7, Ericson 6, Edwards 2, Harrison 2.
Girls: Gravette 52, Pea Ridge 41
Kasandra Tajchman put Gravette ahead for good on a buzzer-beater to end the third quarter, and the Lady Lions went on to defeat Pea Ridge and move ahead of the Lady Blackhawks in the 4A-1 Conference standings.
Tajchman's bucket gave Gravette (11-7, 3-2) a 34-33 lead, then the Lady Lions started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointers by Reese Hamilton and a bucket by Kaylan Chilton for a 39-33 cushion. Pea Ridge (15-4, 2-3) would get as close as 43-40 on a bucket by Aiden Dayberry, but Gravette closed out the game with a 9-1 spurt.
Shylee Morrison scored eight of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter for Gravette and was the only Lady Lion in double figures. Blakelee Winn led Pea Ridge with 14, while Allisa Short had 11.
Gravette 11 10 13 18 -- 52
Pea Ridge 14 11 8 8 -- 41
Gravette (11-7, 3-2): Morrison 25, Chilton 7, Diehl 6, Hamilton 5, Scott 3, Beranek 2, Tajchman 2, Smith 2,
Pea Ridge (15-4, 2-3): Winn 14, Short 11, Wright 5, Goldberg 5, Dayberry 4, Cawthon 2.
Preps Sports on 01/18/2020