HOT SPRINGS -- Sylvan Hills trudged its way through Thursday's first half against Prescott, then found its footing to snap a two-game losing streak.
Sophomore guard Nick Smith scored nine points during a 15-3 run in the third quarter to power the Bears to a 60-47 victory in the first round of the Spa City Classic at Bank OZK Arena.
Smith finished with a game-high 19 points for Sylvan Hills (6-3), which will play Benton in the semifinals today at 4:40 p.m. Sophomore forward Corey Washington added 14 points and 14 rebounds for a Bears team that had lost its previous two games by an average of nearly 19 points.
Sylvan Hills was in danger of dropping a third after a slow start.
"Coming out of that dead period, kids are going to be a little rusty," said Sylvan Hills Coach Kevin Davis, whose team was 6-of-18 shooting in the first half but hit 5 of 9 shots over the last 6:28 of the third quarter to change the game's complexion. "That's what I attribute some of that to. We hadn't been in the gym because we've been in a lockdown period with the holidays.
"And Prescott was the same way, so both teams can probably say that."
The Curley Wolves scored six of the final seven points in the second quarter to lead 23-22 at halftime. Prescott (2-2) was ahead 26-24 after a three-point play from sophomore forward Caleb Harris with 7:34 to go in the third period, but a pair of free throws from Smith kicked off a 6-0 run by the Bears.
A free throw from junior guard Jacobi Nolen and a short bucket from senior guard Javell Page allowed the Curley Wolves to chop Sylvan Hills' lead down to 30-29 before a putback from Washington led to a 9-0 run and 39-29 advantage for the Bears.
"I told [Washington] that I wanted to take him out and rest him," Davis said. "But I said, 'Son, you were going to work in there.' That's the kind of player a coach looks for. I couldn't take him out of the game because he was just doing too much in there. He was hitting on all cylinders at the right time."
Prescott pulled within 39-31 in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but an 11-3 flurry by the Bears returned the Curley Wolves to a double-digit hole.
"We dropped back into the zone, and that frustrated Prescott a little bit," Davis said. "They weren't able to get to the basket quite as easy, and I thought that was the difference in the game."
Page finished with 10 points while Harris had 8 points and 10 rebounds for Prescott, which shot 15 of 43 for the game. Sylvan Hills was 18 of 38 from the floor.
BENTON 68, FOUNTAIN LAKE 52 Benton's backcourt pressure in the third quarter paved the way for its 16-point victory. Jalen Reed scored 14 points for Benton (8-1), which forced seven turnovers during a 17-1 run in the third quarter to erase a one-point deficit and open a 49-34 lead. Ethan Hilkert and Russ Hooks added 10 points for the Panthers. Colton McMullin scored 16 points, and Andrew Overton added 15 points and 12 rebounds for Fountain Lake (8-5), which finished with 24 turnovers.
GIRLS
NASHVILLE 56, MAGNET COVE 30 Nashville closed out the third quarter on a 14-0 run to build a big lead and coast in the opening round of the Spa City Classic. Adalyn Dunn scored 14 points and Lauren Carver added 12 for Nashville (4-3), which forced 35 turnovers and held a 42-24 rebounding edge. The Scrapperettes will play Sylvan Hills in the semifinals. Riley Green and Emma Golden each had 10 points for Magnet Cove (3-8), which took just four more shots (28) than Nashville made (24). The Lady Panthers will play Arkadelphia in the consolation round.
SYLVAN HILLS 65, ARKADELPHIA 35 Daniya Cartwright scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half in a dominant showing from the Lady Bears. Maya Hallman scored 13 points while Jianna Morris and Jada Williams both had 12 points for Sylvan Hills (6-3), which shot nearly 50% over the first two quarters to lead 41-15 at the half. Kyla Elgas finished with 15 points while Hailey Nix had 10 points for Arkadelphia (1-6).
Sports on 12/27/2019