CABOT -- It took the Mountain Home boys basketball team nearly five minutes to score Thursday in the Cabot Classic, and Bombers big man Mat Jones needed even more time to gain his equilibrium.
But Jones, a 6-5 junior center, found his footing in the second half, scoring 16 of his 18 points to lead Mountain Home (3-2) to a 46-39 victory over Beebe (3-4) at Cabot High School.
Mountain Home advances to a semifinal game at 8:45 tonight against host Cabot, which defeated Lonoke in Thursday's late game.
The Bombers misfired at the start, allowing Beebe to open a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes and forcing a timeout by Mountain Home Coach Josh Fulcher.
"The thing about it," Fulcher said, "is we were getting good looks. We were getting what we wanted."
What Mountain Home needed was points, and senior guard Satch Harris provided them.
Harris hit 3 three-pointers in a span of 1:17 to tie the game at 9-9, and Mountain Home led 11-9 after the first eight minutes.
"We appreciated him stepping up and hitting those shots, keeping us afloat," Fulcher said.
Beebe went into halftime with a 20-17 advantage thanks to a half-court shot by Austin Smith at the buzzer, but the Badgers could not keep the momentum in the second half.
Jones, who also had 10 rebounds, found more room to operate in the second half.
"We knew he was going to be a tough matchup for us," Beebe Coach Ryan Marshall said. "He's a nice player. And he's quick for his size. Very high IQ."
Beebe, led by sophomore guards Rylie Marshall (19 points) and Brooks Nail (11), was within 33-32 with 5:48 to play in the fourth quarter when the Bombers made the decisive run.
Mountain Home scored seven consecutive points -- five by junior Wyatt Gilbert and two by Jones -- and the Bombers led 40-32 with 3:32 to play.
Beebe never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
"Their physicality overall was a big difference-maker," Marshall said. "Their shots inside were right at the rim. Ours were a little farther away. They were just much more physical than us. We weren't very smooth."
Fulcher said the way Jones played in the second half is an indication of what he is capable of doing all the time.
"He got his legs under him," Fulcher said. "When he gets balanced, 2 feet under him, he's really hard to stop. He's a big kid. He's trimmed a lot of baby fat. It's really just the tip of the iceberg what we've seen from him."
CABOT 52, LONOKE 19
Seth Vance scored 13 of his game-high 19 points in the first half as Cabot built a 32-10 halftime lead en route to a victory over Lonoke (1-4).
The Panthers led 46-15 after three quarters.
Vance had four of Cabot's eight three-pointers. Jackson Muse, who finished with 13 points, had 3 three-pointers for Cabot (4-2).
GIRLS
MOUNT ST. MARY 42,
LONOKE 10
Senior Catherine Althoff scored 14 points, and junior Hagan Smith had 10 to lead the Belles.
Mount St. Mary (4-3) built a 17-2 lead after one quarter and was never threatened in the day's opening game against Lonoke (2-4).
MOUNTAIN HOME 52,
LR McCLELLAN 38
Senior center Anna Grace Foreman scored 16 points, and Kate Gilbert added 15 for Mountain Home, which outscored McClellan 18-7 in the second quarter to pull away.
Mountain Home (5-0) meets Mount St. Mary at 4 p.m. today.
Mountain Home led 27-17 at halftime and 38-28 after three quarters against McClellan (2-2).
Takvra Miles led McClellan with 13 points.
Sports on 12/13/2019