CONWAY -- Slow-starting Conway claimed its first advantage when it mattered most Tuesday night.
Terry Clary's layup with 16.9 seconds remaining gave the top-ranked Wampus Cats the lead for the first time and Conway survived for a 46-45 victory over Fort Smith Northside at Buzz Bolding Arena.
Senior guard Kylen Milton scored a game-high 19 points as the Wampus Cats (13-3, 4-0 6A-Central Conference) overcame a 13-0 deficit to capture their ninth consecutive victory.
"Kylen kept us in it in the first half," Conway Coach Brian "Salty" Longing said. "He made several mid-range jumpers on the baseline which is really his sweet spot. He was really active. When we tried to pick up the pace we took some really bad shots, but our kids kept playing hard and they kept scrambling."
Northside (11-7, 2-2) led 38-32 entering the final quarter and continued to maintain that advantage until the final minute.
Trailing 40-36 with 4:03 remaining, Conway got a spark from Clary, who grabbed a steal before finding junior teammate Trey Tull underneath the goal for a layup.
Clary's layup tied the game at 42-42 with 1:29 remaining but Northside regained the lead when Javion Releford hit a three-pointer from the left corner at the 1:01 mark.
Northside had a chance to put the game away when Conway was called for an offensive foul on its next possession, but junior Caleb London came up with a steal and a layup with 41 seconds remaining to cut Northside's lead to 45-44.
Clary's game-winner came after a steal by Tull.
"We came up with enough turnovers there late to get a couple of finishes and get a win," Longing said.
London added nine points for Conway, which was held scoreless until Tull's layup with 2:18 left in the first quarter.
Neal Gordon, who hit a three-pointer to beat Little Rock Central last week, missed a shot from the top of the key with 3.9 seconds left. Northside got a steal in the closing moments, and Releford's mid-court heave hit the backboard.
Gordon, Anthony Travis and Jaylin Williams all scored 10 points for Northside.
Sports on 01/16/2019