Marked Time

Panthers fall to Ozark in 4-4A play

IMG_9593_(2) — Heber Springs’ Kenan Sneed. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Ozark rallied for four runs in the fourth inning and two runs in the fifth and defeated the Heber Springs Panthers 8-3 in a 4-4A Conference baseball game at the Heber Springs Sports Complex on Friday.

The Hillbillies (2-2 in 4-4A, 8-7 overall) are tied for third place with the win. Meanwhile, the Panthers (1-2 in 4-4A, 8-10 overall) slipped into a tie for fifth place with Pottsville (1-2 in 4-4A, 7-7 overall). Morrilton (3-0 in 4-4A, 12-1 overall) remains at the top of the standings, one game ahead of Dardanelle (2-1 in 4-4A, 9-5 overall) and Clarksville (2-1 in 4-4A, 7-4 overall).

Kayden McAnally led Ozark with three singles and a stolen base. Sterling Strick hit a single and a double with 3 RBIs. Dylan Herriage, who was the winning pitcher, had a 2-run double Herriage allowed nine hits and three run with seven strikeouts in 6 and two/third innings. McAnally relieved Herriage and got the final out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Kenan Sneed had two singles and a double with one stolen base for the Panthers. Corbin Jones hit a 2-run double and Liam Buffalo had an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Jones, who was the starting and losing pitcher, scattered five hits and yielded five runs before Ty West relieved with one out in the top of the fourth inning. West pitched through the fifth inning. J.T. Spears finished with four strikeouts and allowed three hits and one earned during the final two innings.

Ozark took a 1-0 lead in the second inning before breaking the game open with four runs in the fourth. The Hillbillies added two runs in the fifth and scored one run in the seventh.

Heber Springs scored its runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Heber Springs resumes conference play at Clarksville on Tuesday and then it will host Subiaco Academy on Friday. The conference games will start at 4:30 p.m.

Ozark 010 420 1–8 10 0
Heber Springs 000 030 0–3 9 1
Ozark hitters: Kayden McAnally 3 singles, 1 stolen base; Sterling Strick single, double, 3 RBIs; Dylan Herriage double, 2 RBIs; Spencer Lippott single, 2 RBIs; Richdan Case single, 1 RBI; Landon Wright single; Dax Shaffer single.
Heber Springs hitters: Kenan Sneed 2 singles, double, 1 stolen base; Corbin Jones double, 2 RBIs; Liam Buffalo single, 1 RBI; J.T. Spears single; Logan Lozeau single; John McBroome single; Preston Fitzpatrick single.
Ozark pitchers: Dylan Herriage (WP) 9 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts in 6.2 innings; Kayden McAnally 0 hits, 0 runs in .1 inning.
Heber Springs pitchers: Corbin Jones (LP) 5 hits, 5 earned runs, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts in 3.1 innings; Ty West 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 strikeout in 1.2 inning; J.T. Spears 3 hits, 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts in 2 innings.

Heber Springs blanks Pangburn in nonconference play, host Newport today

IMG_2813_(2) — Heber Springs sophomore Corbin Jones delivers a first-inning pitch against Pangburn. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs hopes a return to the Heber Springs Sports Complex leads to more success on the field.

The Panthers (2-4) began the season by shutting out Pangburn at home and won one of four games against at the Sheridan Tournament.

Heber Springs started the tournament with losses to 6A Sheridan and 5A Searcy before the 6-0 shutout against Pangburn at home last Thursday. The Panthers lost to 6A Little Rock Catholic last Friday before a 14-9 win against Malvern in the tournament finale on Saturday.

On Monday, Heber Springs fell to Beebe 11-4. The Panthers are scheduled to host Newport at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Batesville at 5 p.m. Friday.

“We played two tough games to start the season,” Heber Springs coach Ryan Bridges said. “We played them close, but unable to finish it at the end of the games. Against Pangburn, we got out on them early in the game. Pangburn was a good team and played at last year’s state tournament.”

Corbin Jones struck out three and allowed two hits in five innings. Ty West pitched the sixth and Xander Lindley relieved West in the seventh.

“Corbin did a good job and answered back from his first start,” Bridges said. “He threw 38 pitches through four innings and finished with 66 pitches. He got in a jam during the fifth inning, but got out of it. The other guys stepped up and finished the game. Ty pitched well and used his split-finger pitch and a change-up. Xander pitched his first game and did well, too.”

John McBroome led the Heber Springs offense with two singles. Liam Buffalo had two RBIs and Zane Lozeau had an RBI.

“We finally took advantage of opportunities with runners in scoring position,” Bridges said.

Pangburn 000 000 0–0 3 2
Heber Springs 010 230 x–6 4 1
Pangburn hitters: Braxton Butler single; Cole Ramsey single; Stephen Toumajan single.
Heber Springs hitters: John McBroom 2 singles; Liam Buffalo single, 2 RBIs; Kenan Sneed single; Zane Lozeau 1 RBI.
Pangburn pitchers: Braxton Butler 1 hit, 1 earned runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout in 1.1 inning; Trevor Evans 1 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 1 strikeout in 2 innings; Xander Kane 2 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning; Rhett Tharp 1 hit, 0 runs, 1 walk in 1.2 inning.
Heber Springs pitchers: Corbin Jones 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts in 5 innings; Ty West 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts in 1 inning; Xander Lindley 1 hits, 0 runs in 1 inning.

SPRING ROUND-UP: Panthers open soccer season with wins; Brown, Hooten win state titles

IMG_2455_(2) — Heber Springs’ **Chloe Flores** looks to get past a Riverview in nonconference soccer action at Panther Stadium Monday night. **PHILIP SEATON PHOTO**

HEBER SPRINGS – The spring sports season opened up on Monday for four Heber Springs Panther teams with mixed results.

The boys and girls soccer teams won home matches over Riverview at Panther Stadium, while the baseball and softball teams opened with losses.

For the track teams, the senior boys and girls competed at the Class 4A state indoor track meet on Saturday in Fayetteville.

GIRLS SOCCER

Cristina Garcia scored three times and Sam Gilley twice as Heber Springs (1-0) led 5-0 until late in the contest before the Riverview (0-1) added late goal on the Lady Panther reserves.

Heber Springs returns to action on Thursday at Panther Stadium against Conway St. Joseph (0-0).

BOYS SOCCER

Senior Gus Hannah and freshman Braden Biggs each scored as Heber Springs (1-0) opened with a 2-1 win over Riverview (0-1).

Chandler Webber picked up the assist on each of the goals, while senior goalkeeper Jackson West had 10 saves in the night.

Heber Springs will return to action on Thursday at home against Conway St. Joseph (0-0).

BASEBALL

Heber Springs opened the coach Ryan Bridges era with a trip to Bridges’ alma mater, Sheridan, for a nonconference tournament.

The 4A Panthers led until the late innings but were not able to pull out the win against the 5A Yellowjackets falling 13-4.

Heber Springs (0-1) will tangle with another 5A school today in the same tournament when they face Searcy at Benton with first pitch set for 5:45 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Due to wet field conditions, Heber Springs’ season-opener was moved from Maumelle. Despite the home field advantage, the Lady Panthers dropped a 7-2 decision.

Heber Springs will look to bounce back today as they host Nemo Vista at 4:30 p.m.

TRACK

At the Class 4A state indoor meet on Saturday on the campus of the University of Arkansas, sophomore Parker Brown and junior Jaylea Hooten each won individual state titles by winning the high jump.

The boys mile relay team also claim a first-place finish.

HEBER SPRINGS RESULTS:

SENIOR BOYS 
60: 4. Parker Brown 7.38, 14. Bent McClain 7.90
200: 4. Parker Brown 23.83, 10. Bent McClain 25.40
400: 14. Weston Warden 1:02.34, 16. Hunter Warren 1:07.21
800: 8. Nathan Poff 2:21.43, 11. Wade Harris 2:27.47
1600: 7. Mason Harris 5:08.62, 10. Wade Harris 5:18.20
3200: 6. Nathan Poff 11:33.68, 8. Reagan Buell 12:22.27
60 HURDLES: 8. J.P. Bonkoski 12.36, 9. Aaron Combs 14.46
MILE RELAY: 1. Heber Springs 3:55.88
TWO-MILE RELAY: 4. Heber Springs 9:55.49
HIGH JUMP: 1. Parker Brown 6-0, 4. Liam Buffalo 5-6
LONG JUMP: 2. Parker Brown 19-7.5, 3. Liam Buffalo 19-6.75
TRIPLE JUMP: 2. Parker Brown 40-0.25
POLE VAULT: 5. Justin Ogle 10-6
SHOT: 9. Aaron Combs 22-7, 10. Kevin Leal 19-5.

SENIOR GIRLS
60: 12. Natalie Buffalo 8.88, 15. Ava Noble 9.68
200: 7. Jaylea Hooten 28.57, 11. Joanna Wilson 29.65
400: 7. Joanna Wilson 1:06.81, 10. Maygan Jarvis 1:08.5
800: 8. Riley Bailey 2:52.79, 11. Vallie Cantrell 3:00.9
1600: 7. Joy Bray 6:18.98, 9. Riley Bailey 6:33.28
3200: 7. Riley Bailey 14:37.63, 10. Vallie Cantrell 15:12.32
60 HURDLES: 2. Rylee Birmingham 10.84, 4. Jaylea Hooten 10.95
MILE RELAY: 5. Heber Springs 4:55.04
HIGH JUMP: 1. Jaylea Hooten 4-10, 6. Vallie Cantrell 4-4
LONG JUMP: 2. Jaylea Hooten 15-11.75, 10. Natalie Buffalo 14-2.35
TRIPLE JUMP: 8. Taylor Parker 27-11.25
POLE VAULT: 2. Maygan Jarvis 10-0, 5. Ava Noble 7-0
SHOT: 8. Miah Tharp 21-11.75, 10. Lily Hendrix 19-3

UPCOMING HEBER SPRINGS SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULE

March 1 through March 10

(Times and dates subject to change; italics indicts home games, matches)

Tuesday, March 1st

Softball vs. Nemo Vista (4:30 p.m.)

Baseball vs. Searcy at Benton (tournament) (5:45 p.m.)

Thursday, March 3rd

Baseball vs. Clinton (4:30 p.m.)

Softball vs. Clinton (4:30 p.m.)

Senior Girls Soccer vs. Conway St. Joseph (5 p.m.)

Senior Boys Soccer vs. Conway St. Joseph (7 p.m.)

Friday, March 4th

Baseball vs. Little Rock Catholic (3:30 p.m.)

Softball vs. Carlisle (4:30 p.m.)

Saturday, March 5th

Softball at Southside Batesville (4:30 p.m.)

Monday, March 7th

7th-Grade Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)

Softball at Searcy (4:30 p.m.)

Senior Girls Soccer at Dardanelle (5 p.m.)

Baseball at Beebe (5 p.m.)

Senior Boys Soccer at Dardanelle (7 p.m.)

Tuesday, March 8th

Junior High Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)

Softball at White County Central (4:30 p.m.)

Thursday, March 10th

Senior High Track at Searcy (3:30 p.m.)

Baseball vs. Newport (4:30 p.m.)

Softball at Bigelow (4:30 p.m.)

Senior Girls Soccer vs. Danville (5 p.m.)

Senior Boys Soccer vs. Danville (7 p.m.)

Lady Panthers battle, fall one game short of regionals

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

SUBIACO – The Heber Springs Lady Panthers didn’t go away without a fight against Dardanelle in Tuesday’s quarterfinal game at the 4-4A Conference Basketball Tournament.

Dardanelle (8-10) went on a 13-3 scoring run, beginning with one minute left in the third quarter to 3:45 remaining in the game, and defeated the Lady Panthers 46-36.

Heber Springs, which lost its 12 consecutive game, finished the season at 10-15. The Lady Panthers’ last win came against Nemo Vista at the Mount Vernon-Enola Holiday Tournament in late December.

Jaylea Hooten and Addison Hudspeth led Heber Springs each with eight points. Hudspeth and Savannah Stout each made two 3-pointers. Hope Turney and Madison Clemons each had a 3-pointer.

Karlie Cursh scored a game high 17 points for Dardanelle. Bethani Walter contributed nine points.

The Lady Sand Lizards led throughout the first half with a 4-2 lead after the first quarter and 17-12 at halftime.

But momentum shifted to the Lady Panthers early during the third quarter. Stroud hit back-to-back 3-pointers for an 18-17 lead. Dardanelle regained the lead on two free throws by Cursh. Heber Springs then recaptured the lead on Hudspeth’s 3-pointer.

The Lady Sand Lizards pulled within one and later took the lead for good on Grace McIntyre’s 3-pointer with one minute to go in the third quarter.

Savannah Williams scored during closing seconds for a 29-25 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Dardanelle put the game away by completing the 13-3 scoring run and led by as much as 15 points, 46-31, with 48 seconds left.

Heber Springs 2 10 13 11 –36
Dardanelle 4 13 12 17–46
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (36): Jaylea Hooten 8, Addison Hudspeth 8, Savannah Stout 6, Molly Smith 4, Sophie Stone 4, Madison Clemons 3, Hope Turney 3.
DARDANELLE SCORING (46): Karlie Cursh 17, Bethani Walter 9, Grace McIntyre 6, Jayden Vazquez 6, Savannah Williams 4, Audry Rowan 2, Elizabeth Earnest 2.

Heber Springs’ season ends with loss in district tournament

IMG_0740_(2) — Heber Springs’ Eli Riggs reacts after a collision with Ozark’s Kyle Archer in 4-4A District Tournament action on Saturday at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

One of the most successful basketball seasons for the Heber Springs Panthers in recent years came to a disappointing end on Saturday.

Ozark (7-18), which lost twice to the Panthers during the regular season, led from start to finish in a 38-20 win at the Panther Den in the play-in game for the 4-4A Conference tournament.

The Panthers (13-13) had the program’s best season record since the 2013-14 campaign when they finished at 18-9.

Heber Springs also showed more signs of progress by winning a tournament title (Mount Vernon-Enola Holiday Tournament) and four conference games. The Panthers had one conference win during the previous two seasons.

“I’m proud how the players brought into what I wanted them to do from the beginning of the year to the end,” Heber Springs first-year head coach Jordan Riley said. “We improved in a lot of areas. This was not how we wanted to end the season, but we did avoid a losing record. Before the season, most people didn’t feel we could do that”

Riley had been the former head girls coach at Southside Batesville for two years and rebuilt the program into a contender before taking over the Heber Springs program. Southside was 25-1 this season and won the 3-4A Conference championship going into postseason play. Riley never hesitated when the opportunity came to coach at Heber Springs.

“A lot of coaches thought I was crazy to leave a good team at Southside and come to Heber Springs,” he said. “I believe Heber Springs is where I’m suppose to be.”

At Saturday’s game, Braeson Peters, who made three 3-pointers, led Ozark with 13 points. Landon Wright, who connected twice on 3-point shots, scored eight points. Kyle Archer, who made one 3-pointer, had seven points. Jace Richard also had a 3-pointer.

“Ozark had players who made big shots,” Riley said. “Peters didn’t score in the first two games against us and made three 3-pointers. Our plan was to make players other than Wright and (Kayden) McAnally beat us. We did a good job guarding those two players (Wright and McAnally), but other players were making shots. Even as well as Ozark shot, we still held them to 38 points. We felt if we did that, we would have had a chance to win.”

Heber Springs struggled most of the game on offense and held to six field goals. The Panthers played catchup throughout the game and scored four points during the first half. Ryan Crocker, who made the team’s only 3-pointer, led with nine points.

“Ozark deserves a lot of credit for the way it played defense,” Riley said. “The 2-3 zone made it tough on us. We couldn’t dribble and create good shots against the zone. It was one of our worst shooting games of the year. Offensively, it was a tough game.”

Ozark’s Eli Masingale started the game with a field goal, followed by a 3-pointer by Wright for a 5-0 lead. Parker Brown scored the only points of the first quarter for the Panthers on an inside move. The Hillbillies scored the next eight points and took a 13-2 lead into the second quarter.

Ozark increased its lead on 3-pointers by Archer and Richard. Crocker stopped the surge by hitting a jumper as Heber Springs trailed, 19-5. Peters mad two free throws, giving the Hillbillies a 21-4 halftime lead.

Gavin Vaughn sank two free throws and a field goal by Crocket gave the Panthers a bit of life early during the third quarter. Ozark finished on a 7-1 scoring run and led 28-9 going into the fourth quarter.

“The loss hurt against a team we had defeated twice,” Riley said. “I felt we were going to win the game and move on in postseason.”

Despite the season-ending loss, Riley said the program made progress, and he hopes to keep everything going next season.

“I believe the guys will continue to work and keep improving,” he said. “We won one tournament during our best stretch of games. I thought that was going to give us momentum coming out of the Christmas break. We were unable to carry it forward.”

Riley said players will realize the good points from the season in the near future before turning their focus to next season.

“Coaches must make sure the players keep improving in the right areas and do what is best to move forward,” he said. “We will miss Ryan and Zach (Thomas). Zach came off the bench and provided leadership needed for the younger players. We have five of the top seven players coming back, plus younger players who are coming.”

Ozark 13 8 7 10 -38
Heber Springs 2 2 5 11 -20
OZARK SCORING (38): Braeson Peters 13, Landon Wright 8, Kyle Archer 7, Eli Masingale 4, Kayden McAnally 3, Jace Richard 3.
HEBER SPRING SCORING (20): Ryan Crocker 9, Ladd Choate 4, Zach Thomas 3, Gavin Vaughn 2, Parker Brown 2.

Late run pushes Heber Springs past Clarksville

Heber Springs junior Gavin Vaughn dribbles past a Clarksville defender in 4-4A action at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Junior J.T. Spears turned in two pivotal second-half plays, one on offense and other on defense, and switched the momentum to the Heber Springs Panthers against Clarksville at the Panther Den on Saturday.

Heber Springs went on a 20-9 scoring run starting with 6:42 left in the third quarter before taking lead with 4:06 left in the game, and defeated Clarksville 54-49 in a Conference 4-4A basketball game.

Clarksville led Heber Springs 35-25 with 6:42 left in the third quarter. The key defensive play came when Spears drew a charge from Owen Ashlock with 2:42 to go as Clarksville led, 36-34. Spears gave Heber Springs the lead with 4:06 left in the game when he made a 3-pointer, 45-44.

Braxton Payne led Clarksville with 17 points, followed by Bush, who had 15 points, all of 3-pointers. Ashlock contributed 11 points.

“From the middle of the third quarter, we started to do a better job defensively,” Heber Springs coach Jordan Riley said. “No. 33 (Ashlock) and No. 3 (Bush) are good players and were hard to stop in the first half.”

The win kept Heber Springs (4-7 in Conference 4-4A, 13-11 overall) in position to avoid a play-in game for the conference tournament. Heber Springs will play at Pottsville on Tuesday in the regular season finale. Pottsville (3-7 in Conference 4-4A, 9-13 overall) and Heber Springs are tied in the loss column for fifth place. A win on Tuesday assures the Panthers of avoiding the play-in game.

Pottsville will end the regular season against Ozark at home on Friday. Clarksville (5-6 in Conference 4-4A, 10-12) is currently one game ahead of the Panthers in fourth place. A Clarksville loss to Morrilton at home on Friday would give the No. 4 seed to Heber Springs.

Gavin Vaughn, who hit three 3-pointers, scored 17 points for Heber Springs. Parker Brown added 16 points, 12 coming during the first half, and Ryan Crocker, who made two 3-pointers, had 14 points.

“I’m proud of how the guys worked throughout the game,” said Jordan when asked about his team’s comeback. “I kept telling them we can’t take any plays off or time to rest until the game was over. They made the right adjustments and answered the call. J.T. got us going when he took the charge and when hit made the 3-pointer.”

Heber Springs had struggled offensively by scoring 46 points combined in the last two games. Riley said contributions of more than one or two players were the keys to Saturday’s win.

“I was glad to see that,” Riley said. “That is what it is going to take because we can’t have just one or two guys doing it all. We had been struggling scoring and been too much one dimensional in recent games. Parker has been one of our most consistent players on offense throughout the year. We need Gavin, Ryan and J.T, as well as others to contribute on offense. Eli (Riggs) and Ladd (Choate) are capable of making big shots. We got to get all of the players involved to play winning basketball.”

Clarksville led 17-14 after the first quarter and increased it to 31-25 by half. Heber Springs trailed 41-36 going into the fourth quarter.

Riggs made one of the game’s biggest shots when he sank a layup for a 51-46 lead with 11 seconds left. Payne drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and made the free throws with five seconds to go. On the inbound pass after a timeout, Crocker threw deep to Brown, who caught the pass and drew an intentional foul with 3.6 seconds remaining.

Vaughn hit a 3-pointer from the deep corner at the buzzer.

“It sets up a big game at Pottsville,” Riley said. “We had two more big plays at the end of this game, especially the long pass. We showed already this season that we are capable of beating any team in the league. That makes the other teams feel a little nervous about playing Heber Springs.”

Clarksville 17 14 10 8 – 49
Heber Springs 14 11 11 18 – 54
CLARKSVILLE SCORING (49): Braxton Payne 17, Tobin Bush 15, Owen Ashlock 11, Landon Leeds 4, Cody Qualls 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (54): Gavin Vaughn 17, Parker Brown 16, Ryan Crocker 14, J.T, Spears 5, Eli Riggs 2.

Heber Springs falls in home finale

IMG_0534_(2) — Heber Springs’ Jaylea Hooten drives for a lay-up against Clarksville’s Macy Weathers. Hooten was fouled on the play. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HEBER SPRINGS – Clarksville hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the first quarter and didn’t look back in downing Heber Springs, 47-30, in 4-4A senior girls play.

A Jaylea Hooten free throw for Heber Springs made it a one-point game at 5-4 in favor of Clarksville with 2:11 left in the opening quarter, but Clarksville’s Macy Weathers hit 3-pointers with 1:08 left and at the first-quarter buzzer to make it an 11-4 contest.

Heber Springs (10-13 overall, 0-9 in 4-4A) cut the deficit to under 10 points twice in the second quarter. An Emily Fuller 3-pointer at the 5:59 mark made it 14-7 and a Hooten three-point play with 1:01 left in the half cut the Clarksville (8-13, 5-4) lead to 9 at 21-12. But the visiting Panthers, again hit a pair of 3-pointers to close out the quarter with a 27-12 halftime lead.

Fuller paced Heber Springs with 8 points while Clarksville’s Kenleigh Rieder led all scorers with 14 points. The visiting Panthers led 38-19 at the end of three quarters.

Heber Springs travels to Pottsville Tuesday for its regular-season finale.

HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (30): Jaylea Hooten 7, Addison Hudspeth 2, Sophia Stone 6, Molly Smith 2, Savannah Stout 5, Emily Fuller 8

CLARKSVILLE SCORING (47): Kenleigh Rieder 14, Abby Domerese 13, Adilyn Cummins 4, Kelsey Frizzell 2, Macy Weathers 12, Madison Pennington 2.

Panthers fall to Dardanelle, host Clarksville Saturday

IMG_0073_(2) — Heber Springs’ Parker Brown goes up for a dunk attempt in the first half against Dardanelle Tuesday night at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs coach Jordan Riley issued a challenge to the Panthers minutes following Tuesday’s 48-25 loss to Dardanelle at the Panther Den.

Despite the loss, the Panthers (3-7 in Conference 4-4A, 12-11 overall), trail fifth-place Pottsville (3-6 in Conference 4-4A, 9-12 overall) by one-half game. Heber Springs has two games remaining during the regular season, while the Apaches have three games left.

Heber Springs will host Clarksville (5-5 in Conference 4-4A, 10-11 overall) at 2 p.m. Saturday and play at Pottsville on Tuesday. Pottsville will play at Morrilton on Friday, with home games against Panthers on Feb. 8 and Ozark on Feb. 11.

The fifth-place team will avoid playing a play-in game at the conference tournament.

“We have a lot of basketball left to play,” Riley said. “It’s up to the players how this team will be defined after the season ends. The team already exceeded most expectations (of fans). They either will fizzle out or work hard and improve on offense and defense. Hopefully, we will fight, battle and finish the season strong.”

Braden Tanner scored a game-high 21 points for Dardanelle (7-3 in Conference 4-4A, 14-7 overall). Robert Millard contributed 11 points. Gavin Vaughn led Heber Springs with seven points.

“Dardanelle did a good job of keeping us on the from the middle of the court,” Riley said. “We were able to keep the ball in the middle of the floor and created more room for passes in the first game (a 45-42 loss at Dardanelle). We didn’t do a very good job of protecting the ball in (Tuesday’s) the game and shot poorly for the second straight game.”

Parker Brown opened the game by converting a short jumper to give Heber Springs its only the lead during the game. Tanner made a 3-pointer and Chase Jordan’s jumper and started a 17-4 run by the Sand Lizards. Brown scored again and Eli Riggs had a field goal, but Dardanelle maintained control and built a 17-6 lead going into the second quarter.

The Sand Lizards pulled away with a 10-3 second quarter scoring run and for a 27-9 halftime lead. Dardanelle took a 38-16 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Riley planned extra work on offense for Friday’s game against Clarksville. The Panthers scored 46 points in two games this week.

“You can’t win games when scoring in the 20s,” he said. “We were taking good shots, but didn’t make many. We will work on improving what we had been doing on offense.

Riley said the plan was to put pressure on Dardanelle’s two shooters (Tanner and Millard, who combined for six 3-pointers 32 of the 48 points.
“We let those two guys loose on the perimeter and make multiple 3’s,” Riley said. “We dug a deep hole for ourselves. We played better defense during the second half, but it’s tough when you are down by 18 points.”

Riley expects his team to accept his challenge, starting with Clarksville.

“Clarksville is playing well,” he said. “We will be ready to defend the Den and win. We need to win the next two games for a better tournament seed. I hope that is how the team will be defined during the remainder of the season, a team which fought until the end.”

Dardanelle 17 10 11 10 -48
Heber Springs 6 3 7 9 -25
DARDANELLE SCORING (48): Braden Tanner 21, Robert Millard 11, Chase Jordan 7, Chris Wrinkle 6, Noah Weisenbach 2, Tyler Spencer 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (25): Gavin Vaughn 7, Hud Haggard 6, Parker Brown 4, Ladd Choate 3, Austin Winchester 3, Eli Riggs 2.

Sand Lizards top Panthers in senior girls play

IMG_9814_(2) — Heber Springs’ Sophia Stone looks to drive past Dardanelle’s Jayden Vazquez in senior girls action Tuesday night at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

HEBER SPRINGS – Dardanelle outscored Heber Springs 21-7 in the second half and cruised to a 41-24 4-4A victory over the Panthers in senior girls play at the Panther Den.

Dardanelle (6-10 overall, 5-4 in the 4-4A) led 20-17 at the half and got 10 points from Karlie Cursh in the third quarter to take a 30-21 lead into the final stanza.

Heber Springs (10-12,0-8) was held scoreless in the third quarter before a Madison Clemons free throw with 2:32 to play in the quarter.

With the loss, the Panthers can do no better than a six seed in the upcoming district tournament at Subiaco Academy. However, with only six teams in the conference, Heber Springs will only need one win to qualify for the regional tournament at Farmington.

The Panthers will play their final home game on Saturday at the Panther Den against Clarksville. The senior boys tip things off at 2 p.m. followed by the senior girls contest.

HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (24): Jaylea Hooten 9, Sophia Stone 11, Molly Smith 3, Madison Clemons 1.

DARDANELLE SCORING (41): Karlie Cursh 17, Grace McIntyre 3, Savannah Williams 3, Audry Rowan 4, Bethani Walter 12, Elizabeth Earnest 2.

Fast start, slow finish costs Panthers in 4-4A action

Heber Springs coach Jordan Riley reacts to call in the second half in 4-4A play against Pottsville at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Panthers started fast, but scored only 10 points during the final three quarters and fell to Pottsville in a Conference 4-4A basketball game at the Panther Den on Monday.

Heber Springs (3-6 in Conference 4-4A, 12-10 overall) led 11-8 after the first quarter. Pottsville built an 8-5 lead before the Panthers responded with six unanswered points, all scored by Parker Brown, for an 11-8 lead going into the second quarter.

Pottsville (3-6 in Conference 4-4A, 9-12 overall) scored the next five points to seize control and finished with a 9-3 scoring run for the 22-14 halftime lead. The Apaches put the game away by outscoring Heber Springs 17-4 and took a 39-18 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The win moved the Apaches into a tie for fifth place with Heber Springs.
Landon Stanley, who made six 3-pointers, led Pottsville with 24 points. Parker Brown scored 13 points for the Panthers.

“The big difference was how Pottsville shot the basketball well, and we didn’t shoot well,” Heber Springs coach Jordan Riley said. “It’s difficult to beat a team that shoots that well. We settled for stuff on offense too much and that led to poor shooting. Pottsville showed patience and executed on offense. It was a rough night on both ends of the court.”

Ryan Crocker, who was held to two points, played until late in the fourth quarter with a badly sprained ankle. Crocker suffered the injury during Friday’s shoot-around. He led the defense with two blocked shots.

“I’m proud of Ryan for playing even though he was not 100 percent,” Riley said. “We are a better team when he is on the floor. Hopefully, he will get healthy, but it will be difficult with three games this week. We will do the best we can.”

The Apaches had eight 3-pointers, which didn’t catch Riley by surprise.

“Pottsville had been shooting well from three, especially Stanley,” he said. “At times, we contested shots, but not tight enough. We never made the adjustments to keep him (Stanley) from making those shots.”

Heber Springs will look to rebound at home against Dardanelle (6-3 in Conference 4-4A, 13-7 overall) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“It will be a tough game against Dardanelle, which is one of the top teams in the league,” Riley said. “We just have to battle through adversity and protect the homecourt. We need to win at least two more games to keep out of the play-in game for the conference tournament. Wherever we land, we will be ready to battle and give it our best shot.”

The Panthers’ final home game will be against Clarksville on Friday, with the regular season finale at Pottsville on Feb. 8.

Pottsville 8 14 17 5-44
Heber Springs 11 3 4 3 -21POTTSVILLE SCORING (44): Landon Stanley 24, Jackson Furrh 7, Trevor Lyles 5, Nico Ybarra 4, Landon Martin 2, Carson Palmer 2.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (21): Parker Brown 13, Ladd Choate 3, Eli Riggs 3, Ryan Crocker 2.