Month: December 2019

Lady Panthers open 4A-4 play with victory

December 10, 2019

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

DOVER – The Heber Springs Lady Panthers withstood a barrage of 3-pointers and opened the Conference 4-4A basketball schedule by defeating Dover, 59-56, Tuesday.

Ellie Riddle led the Lady Panthers (1-0 in conference, 7-1 overall) with a game-high 22 points. Jillian Herring had 15 points. Libby Stutts and Claudia Newberry each scored 10 points.

Amelia Besterfeldt (19 points) and Kaylee Singleton (11 points) each made three 3-pointers for Dover (0-1 in conference, 5-4 overall). Avery Reichert made two 3-pointers.

“I knew Dover was small in size and could shoot the three,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “We tried to spread our defense out and get a hand in their faces. Dover shot the ball well. We dug down, and we made stops and shots when it was needed to win the game.”

Riddle liked his team’s balanced scoring.

“One of the good things about this team is either of the five starters can be the leading scorer,” he said. “That can be good and lead to success.”

Riddle told the team before the start of the game that it was important to start the conference season with a win.

“I told them it will start with this game,” Riddle said. “If we have the desire of winning the conference championship, we needed a win.”

The Lady Panthers responded, but it was not easy.

“We won a tough game on the road,” Riddle said. “We switched defenses to try and throw them out. We made them rush some  shots, and we were able to get rebounds. We played with a lot of fire in the first half. Dover came back and made shots in the second half.”

Heber Springs led 11-9 midway through the first quarter before gaining its first double digit lead. The Lady Panthers finished with a 14-4 scoring run and took a 25-13 lead into the second quarter.

Dover gained ground with three 3-pointers and reduced Heber Springs’ lead to 38-30 by halftime. The Lady Panthers took a 53-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
Dover pulled to within 58-56 with less than a minute left in the game. Herring made 1-of-2 free throws, while Heber Springs held the Lady Pirates in the final seconds.

The Lady Panthers will play road games against Marshall on Friday and at White County Central on Tuesday.

“Those will be two tough games before hosting Ozarks (Dec. 20) in conference play,” Riddle said. “Both schools are having good seasons.”

Heber Springs 25 13 15 6 -59
Dover 13 17 12 14 -56
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (59): Ellie Riddle 22, Jillian Herring 15, Libby Stutts 10,  Claudia Newberry 10, Hailey Bresnahan 2.
DOVER SCORING (56): Amelia Besterfeldt 19, Kaylee Singleton 11, Jacqueline Fields 9, Avery Reichert 6, Audrey Reichert 6, Haley Villareal 4, Gracie Bowden 1.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 7-1
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT)
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 #
December 5 - Heber Springs 53, South Side Bee Branch 34 #
December 7 - Heber Springs 44, Wonderview 43 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 56 ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Heber Springs claims first win on Tuesday

December 10, 2019

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

DOVER – Heber Springs answered the challenge, broke into the win column for the first time this season and started the boys’ Conference 4-4A basketball schedule with a 37-32 win against Dover Tuesday.

The Panthers (1-0 in conference, 1-4 overall) played without Ryan Crocker and Logan Monahan, who missed the game because of illness. An ankle injury sidelined Hunter Griffin.

Adam Martin, who made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 30 seconds to preserve the lead, led Heber Springs with 15 points. Dalton McCollum contributed 11 points. Josh Besterfeldt led Dover (0-1 in conference, 4-5 overall) with nine points.

“This was a total team effort without a doubt,” Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson said. “We faced a lot of adversity with a starter (Crocker) and our sixth man (Monahan) out because of the flu. We lost one of our posts (Griffin) to an ankle injury. It was a tough environment, but we pulled out the win. I could not be more proud of the team.”

Dover took a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter. Heber Springs responded as Martin scored to tie the game. McCollum made two field goals, giving the Panthers a 6-2 lead going into the second quarter.

Heber Springs scored seven consecutive points to start the second quarter. Johnson said that was his team’s response to the challenge of starting the game fast.

“We had to play with intensity from the beginning of the game,” he said. “We wanted to take the game to them. We played a tremendous defensive game. Besterfeldt is a good player and Caden Frazier a good post. We defended both players well. Defense won this game.”

Dover kept within striking distance throughout the remainder of the first half. Each team each scored eight points as the Panthers led 21-10 at halftime.

Heber Springs’ advantage slipped to four points during the third quarter The Panthers withstood Dover’s challenge and took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter.

Dover pulled to within 34-30 with less than two minutes left in the game. Martin made 3-of-4 free throws during the final minute.

“I knew Dover would not roll over in the second half,” Johnson said. “They kept battling until the end of the game. We responded with good defense.”
Heber Springs will play three straight nonconference road games against South Side Bee Branch today (Thursday), followed by Marshall (Friday) and White County Central (Tuesday). The Panthers will return to conference play by hosting Ozarks on Dec. 20.


Heber Springs 6 15 3 13 — 37
Dover 2 8 7 15 — 32
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (37): Adam Martin 15, Dalton McCollum 11, Garrett Hudspeth 8, Wyatt Sanders 2, Zach Thomas 1.
DOVER SCORING (32): Josh Besterfeldt 9, Caden Frazier 8, Ross Laffoon 7, Landen Parker 5, Zeke Stanek 3.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-4
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 12 - at South Side Bee Branch
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Heber Springs takes consolation bracket at tourney

December 10, 2019

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Lady Panthers won two of three games at the Joe Mallett Classic and hope the momentum carries over to Tuesday’s Conference 4-4A basketball opener at Dover.

Heber Springs (6-1) lost to host Conway St. Joseph, but the Lady Panthers finished strong by defeating South Side Bee Branch and Wonderview, the defending 1A state champions.

“We had a great tournament,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “It was good to play a team like St. Joseph for the first game. We didn’t shoot well after the Thanksgiving break, but it still was a good game. We beat South Side for the second time this season and Wonderview was a good game for us, too. We had a good tournament against tough competition. I’m pleased how we played overall.”

Heber Springs started the season with four wins before its first loss. Riddle said the defeat taught his team valuable lessons, which can be used to play better in the future.

“Sometimes it’s better to get a loss early in the season,” he said. “The team learned you have to be ready for every game. We adjusted our full-court press against St. Joseph and did a good job of doing it. We played our regular full-court press against South Side, and it worked in that game. We shot well against Wonderview We found a way to win the last two games.”

Riddle said the Lady Panthers benefited from the overtime win at Clinton before Thanksgiving and that helped in preparing for the tournament.

“Clinton was a great atmosphere,” he said. “We overcame foul trouble with our bench players playing well. We did a good job of handling Clinton’s pressure defense. We made shots and got rebounds. We were glad to come out on top.”

Heber Springs will look to continue the momentum from the first seven games against Dover.

“We play those games to get ready for the conference schedule,” Riddle said. “The situations we faced will help to prepare us. But we must shoot free throws better. Our free-throw shooting helped to win the Clinton game. If we had made more free throws, the Wonderview game would not have been as close. “

(PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This story was posted after Heber Springs’ opening 4A-4 conference game on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers won 59-56. McCarty will have story later on MarkedTime.com about Tuesday’s win by the Panthers.)

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 7-1
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT)
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 #
December 5 - Heber Springs 53, South Side Bee Branch 34 #
December 7 - Heber Springs 44, Wonderview 43 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 56 ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)


Panthers resilient despite 0-4 start

November 10, 2019

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs coach Chad Johnson never put his finger on pushing the panic button despite the Panthers starting the season at 0-4.

Johnson said the players, a majority who played football, continues to make the transition from the gridiron to the court, and he sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Heber Springs came close to that first win Thursday, falling to South Side Bee Branch, 50-49, at the Joe Mallett Classic in Conway.

“It was a battle,” Johnson said. “We trailed by 11 points in the first half and chipped away. We trailed by one point with 16 seconds left in the game. South Side had the ball and turned it over with 13.5 seconds to go. We got a good shot that rimmed out. We got the rebound and shot again, but it was blocked out of bounds with no time left.”

Heber Springs played tough competition, starting the season five days after the football playoffs The Panthers hosted Riverview, then played at Clinton and then played two games at the tournament.

The four opponents have winning records and a combined record of 21-9.

“I’m pleased with the team’s progress, especially against South Side,” Johnson said. “We could have folded by losing the first four games, but they didn’t. We are battling every game to the end. I’m proud of the players for doing that. We have a tough schedule and no creampuffs.”

Johnson said the players have improved, thanks to focusing on basketball, and he expects success to come soon.

“We are working on shooting at every practice,” he said. “We need more players contributing with scoring. We are playing good defense and our endurance is increasing. The players are playing with intensity for the entire game. They are playing with more energy, enthusisam and desire.”

Johnson said playing good competition will benefit the team in the long run.

“Our early schedule has been an eye opener and pushed the players to get better quickly,” he said. “We don’t have much height and must take advantage of our speed. We are excuting better on offense and need to make more shots. I’m pleased where we are right now.”

Heber Springs will open the Conference 4-4A schedule at Dover on Tuesday.

“Our conference is very tough, but we have a strong will to win,” Johnson said. “Four teams advanced deep in last year’s playoffs. That shows the strength of our conference. There are no weak teams.”

Johnson said work remains, but the team is capable of meeting the challenge.

“We must improve our shooting, but we also need improvement in all areas of the game,” he said. “We have players who want to win games and they are willing to put in the effort to be successful. We can do that with hard work.”

(PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This story was posted after Heber Springs’ opening 4A-4 conference game on Tuesday. The Panthers won 37-32. McCarty will have story later on MarkedTime.com about Tuesday’s win by the Panthers.)

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 1-4
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - South Side Bee Branch 50, Heber Springs 49#
December 10 - Heber Springs 37, Dover 32 ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Panthers fall to St. Joseph

December 3, 2019

Heber Springs dropped a 44-21 decision to Conway St. Joseph in a first-round contest from the Joe Mallett Classic.

The Panthers (0-3) will face either Shirley or South Side Bee Branch in consolation contest Thursday night at 8:15 at the St. Joseph Family Activity Center in Conway.

Over the Thanksgiving break, Heber Springs traveled to Clinton on November 26 and was a 71-35 setback.

The Panthers were held scoreless in the first quarter and trailed 34-15 at the half. Senior Adam Martin, who finished with 19 points and four 3-pointers, scored 11 of the Panthers first-half points including three 3-pointers.

Clinton’s Kragen Bradley led all scorers with 26 points, including 19 in the second half.

Clinton also lost it’s first-round contest at the Joe Mallett Classic so if the Yellowjackets and Panthers both win on Thursday night, the two teams would meet in the consolation championship at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday.

Clinton 14 20 20 17 – 71
Heber Springs 0 15 14 6 – 35
CLINTON SCORING (71): Kragen Bradley 26, Jasper Burgess 13, Zac Alexander 9, Reid Hensley 8, Lathan Newland 6, Harrison Hall 6, Nick Eppley 3.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (35): Adam Martin 19, Dalton McCollum 4, Gus Hannah 3, Garrett Hudspeth 3, Logan Monahan 2, Ryan Crocker 2, Zach Thomas 1, Wyatt Sanders 1.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE RESULTS
RECORD: 0-3
November 21 - Riverview 68, Heber Springs 36
November 26 - Clinton 71, Heber Springs 35
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 44, Heber Springs 21 #
December 5 - vs. SS Bee Branch/Shirley #
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy ^
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 7 - Subiaco Academy ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Lady Panthers suffer first loss of season

December 3, 2019

Heber Springs was knocked into the consolation bracket of the Joe Mallett Classic with a 47-44 setback to the host Conway St. Joseph.

Heber Springs will face South Side Bee Branch Thursday at 7 p.m. in consolation contest at the tournament. The Lady Panther defeated the Lady Hornets, 70-45, in game last month at the Panther Den.

If Heber Springs wins on Thursday, they would play in the consolation championship game at noon on Saturday in Conway.

In a played over the Thanksgiving break on November 26, the Lady Panthers traveled to Clinton and claimed a 56-54 overtime victory.

Jillian Herring and Ellie Riddle each finished with 17 points on the night to pace Heber Springs.

The Lady Panthers trailed, 38-36, but outscored the the Lady Yellowjackets, 17-15, in the fourth quarter thanks in part to six points in the quarter by Herring.

Neither team managed a field goal in the extra period but Ellie Riddle hit a pair of free throws in the overtime period while Hailey Bresnahan added another. Heber Springs was 3-for-8 in the overtime period from the line while Clinton was 1-of-4.

Aly Bramlett paced the Yellowjackets with 19 points.

Heber Springs 12 9 15 17 3 – 56
Clinton 15 13 10 15 1 – 55
CLINTON SCORING (55): Aly Bramlett 19, Madison Speer 8, Lacey Belle McJunkins 5, Haven Stoltzfus 5, Livie Dufrene 2, Ashley James 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (56): Jillian Herring 17, Ellie Riddle 17, Libby Stutts 8, Ashley Spanel 6, Mary Shearer 5, Claudia Newberry 2, Hailey Bresnahan 1.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 4-1
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT)
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 #
December 5 - vs. South Side Bee Branch #
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)