VIDEO, PHOTOS: Isaiah Releford clutch in overtime win for Fayetteville

Fayetteville's Isaiah Releford (center) drives to the lane Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, as he is pressured by Har-Ber's Charlie Bockelman (from left), JaJuan Boyd (1) and Lawson Jenkins during the first half of play in Wildcat Arena in Springdale. Visit nwaonline.com/prepbball/ for a gallery of photographs from the games. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Fayetteville's Isaiah Releford (center) drives to the lane Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, as he is pressured by Har-Ber's Charlie Bockelman (from left), JaJuan Boyd (1) and Lawson Jenkins during the first half of play in Wildcat Arena in Springdale. Visit nwaonline.com/prepbball/ for a gallery of photographs from the games. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

SPRINGDALE -- Little brother can play, too.

Sophomore Isaiah Releford scored nine points in overtime to give Fayetteville a 70-65 victory in overtime over Springdale Har-Ber before a large crowd on Senior Night at Wildcat Area. The victory marked an impressive comeback for Fayetteville, which won in overtime after trailing 23-10 in the first quarter.

With the win, Fayetteville clinched the No. 2 seed from the 6A-West for the Class 6A State Tournament that begins next week at Bryant. Har-Ber had already clinched the conference championship and the No. 1 seed on Tuesday with its 62-53 win at Rogers.

Har-Ber didn't let up and the Wildcats exploded to a 13-point lead after one quarter. But Fayetteville fought back behind the play of center Tamaury Releford and guard Corey Williams, who forced overtime by making the second of two free throws with 4.5 seconds left in regular time.

[Don't see the video above? Click here to watch.]

Isaiah Releford took over and put Fayetteville ahead by making 5 of 7 free throws in the extra period. He then followed with a driving layup while being closely guarded to put Fayetteville ahead 68-64 with 25 seconds left. Two players fouled out for Har-Ber and Fayetteville held on for the comeback victory.

"Isiah was the glue for us," Fayetteville coach Brad Stamps said. "We put the ball in his hands, and he made plays for us. For us to be a contender next week, he's got to lead us with his ball-handling and his defense. I couldn't be more proud of Isiah. He was the difference."

Tamaury Releford, Isaiah's big brother, finished with 19 points to lead Fayetteville. Corey Williams, Jr., added 17 and Isaiah Releford finished with 10.

Senior Lawson Jenkins scored 19 points for Har-Ber, which tried to fight off the Bulldogs after grabbing a 23-10 lead in the first quarter.

Both teams had a chance to win in regulation but missed free throws in the final seconds.

Fayetteville did not fold after falling behind by 13 points early. The Bulldogs got to within 33-31 after a rebound basket by Tamaury Releford and a 3-pointer from Corey Williams, Jr. But Jenkins, a 6-foot-6 center, slowed Fayetteville's momentum with two 3-pointers, two free throws, and an assist to help Har-Ber to a 49-45 lead after three quarters.

Releford went to work in the second quarter when Fayetteville cut a 23-10 deficit to 31-28. Releford scored inside before Corey Williams, Jr., followed with a 3-pointer and a fastbreak layup to prompt a Har-Ber timeout.

photo

Fayetteville's Tamaury Releford (left) celebrates Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, with teammates after the Bulldogs' 70-65 win over Har-Ber in Wildcat Arena in Springdale. Visit nwaonline.com/prepbball/ for a gallery of photographs from the games. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

Fort Smith Northside is the defending state champion in Class 6A. Fayetteville lost to Northside in the quarterfinals while Har-Ber was eliminated in the first round by Cabot.

Fayetteville^10^18^17^12^13^--^70

Springdale Har-Ber^23^10^16^8^8^--^65

Fayetteville (19-8, 11-3): T. Releford 19, Williams 17, I. Releford 10, Barnett 1, Gibbs 4, Wayman 7, Cox 2, Glasper 10.

Springdale Har-Ber (21-4, 12-2): Boyd 14, Jenkins 19, Livingston 7, Eckwood 8, Pieroni 3, Buchannan 9, Tilford 3, Bockelman 2.

[Don't see the gallery above? Click here to see photos from the game.]

Bentonville High 80, Bentonville West 67

Abel Hutchinson had 23 points to lead four Bentonville players in double figures as the Tigers defeated West in Tiger Arena and closed out the regular season with a four-game winning streak.

Bentonville (18-8, 9-5) outscored West 20-8 in the second quarter and turned a two-point lead into a 35-21 halftime cushion. Hutchinson then had the hot hand with 12 points in the third quarter as the Tigers led 55-39 heading into the fourth quarter.

Jaylen Lee added 19 for Bentonville, followed by Brayden Freeman with 14 and Hayden Shanks with 13. Dillon Bailey led West (10-14, 5-9) with 23 points, while Dalton McDonald added 14 and Riley Buccino chipped in 10.

Both teams will play first-round games Wednesday in the Class 6A state tournament at Bryant. West plays the first game against Little Rock Central at 2:30 p.m., while Bentonville takes on Conway at 8:30 p.m.

Rogers High 62, Rogers Heritage 38

The Mounties pulled away for the season sweep of their crosstown rivals.

Rogers (21-4, 10-4) jumped to a 32-17 halftime lead and were never challenged in the final two quarters. Elliot Paschal led all scorers with 16 points, while Will Liddell added 13.

Kyle Ingram led Heritage (9-17, 2-12) with 10 points and Logan Glenn chipped in nine.

Preps Sports on 02/29/2020

This story was originally published at 1:00 a.m.

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