GRAVETTE -- Huntsville's boys enjoyed the lead for only 10.5 seconds of the second half, but it was those seconds that mattered the most Friday night.
Sophomore Matt Sisk buried the go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Eagles ahead, and they survived two last-second attempts to take a 52-51 victory over Gravette during 4A-1 Conference basketball action in Lion Gymnasium.
"Sometimes I don't know if they know any better or what it is, but Matt Sisk hit a huge shot for the Huntsville Eagles," Huntsville coach Grant Myrick said. "That's for sure.
"We were trying to get an inside presence with Kent Mayes. When we enter the lane, we always tell our guards to relocate. He relocated from the baseline to the wing, and there he was. It worked out right -- just the way we practice, of course."
[Don't see the video above? Click here to watch Coach Myrick's post-game comments.]
Huntsville (14-6, 5-1) trailed 24-22 at halftime and missed out on a pair of opportunities to take the lead. Gravette (10-10, 1-6) then appeared to be in control when the Lions scored nine unanswered points and extended their lead to 48-38 on a Tristan Batie 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 32 seconds remaining.
Sisk then hit a 3-pointer to begin the Eagles' rally, and a 3-pointer by Mayes pulled Huntsville within 50-49 with 35 seconds remaining. Gravette had four free-throw chances to extend its lead but Brayden Trembley hit one to make it a two-point game, setting the stage for Sisk's game-winning heroics.
"I saw my teammate get the ball inside, and I just rolled out to the top," Sisk said. "I knew he would kick it out, so I shot the ball with the confidence I felt. It was really good. That's what coach Myrick has taught me to do -- shoot it with confidence."
Gravette called time with 9.1 seconds left and raced the ball into the frontcourt, but Kaleb Furlow's jumper was short and Jake Carver couldn't convert an unlikely putback attempt.
Mayes finished with 23 points for Huntsville, which retained its share of first place in the league's East Division standings with the win. Hunter Davidson added 15 and Sisk 10 for the Eagles, while Johnny Dunfee had 12 and Batie 11 to lead Gravette.
"These Eagles, they don't back down from anybody," Myrick said. "We're undersized, but we're not scared. I promised you that."
Huntsville;11;11;14;16;--;52
Gravette;13;11;13;14;--;51
Huntsville (14-6, 5-1): Mayes 23, Davidson 15, Sisk 10, Dotson 4.
Gravette (10-10, 1-6): Dunfee 12, Batie 11, Carver 9, Furlow 7, Trembley 5, Sizemore 4, Donnell 3.
Girls
Gravette 48, Huntsville 47
Shylee Morrison drove down the floor and hit a 15-footer as time expired as Gravette held off Huntsville.
The Lady Eagles (5-16, 2-4) took a 47-46 lead when Addisyn Routh hit a jumper with 30 seconds left, then Gravette (13-7, 5-2) turned the ball over with 16 seconds. Huntsville then missed a free throw, and Gravette was able to get the ball and call timeout with 9.4 seconds remaining.
Morrison took the inbounds pass and raced into the frontcourt, then stopped to the left of the free-throw line and drilled her shot just before the buzzer sounded. The junior finished with 29 points, and her three-point play midway through the third quarter helped her surpass the 1,000-point mark in her career.
Josie Sisk had 22 to lead Huntsville, including a breakaway layup with 3:39 to give the Lady Eagles a 44-42 lead before Morrison hit back-to-back buckets, including a reverse layup to make it 46-44 with 2:14 remaining.
Huntsville;10;12;12;13;--;47
Gravette;17;10;10;11;--;48
Huntsville (5-16, 2-4): Sisk 22, Poor 8, Routh 8, Wilson 7, Bennett 2.
Gravette (13-7, 5-2): Morrison 29, Chilton 9, Beranek 5, Hamilton 4, Deihl 1.
Preps Sports on 01/25/2020