Heber Springs wins tournament title, 10th game

IMG_4583_(2)
The Heber Springs senior boys basketball team after its win over Concord to claim the Mount Vernon-Enola holiday tournament. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

MOUNT VERNON – The Heber Springs Panthers finished 2021 strong and built momentum going into 2022.

Heber Springs held the Concord Pirates to four points during the third quarter and pulled away for a 54-36 win and won the Mount Vernon-Enola Holiday Basketball Tournament championship Thursday.

The Panthers (10-5 overall, 1-1 in Conference 4-4A) trailed 9-8 after the first quarter before they rallied for a 19-17 halftime lead and increased it to 34-21 by the end of the third quarter.

Heber Springs reached the 10-win plateau for the first time since the 2015-16 season and won a tournament championship for the first time in more than a decade.

Concord fell to 12-7 on the season.

“They are starting to believe in themselves,” Panther coach Jordan Riley said. “It’s not anything special I’m doing. The players are the reason for the success. They just needed someone who believed in them. I’m proud of their effort, and everything is coming together.”

Riley said getting the 10th win was important.

“It was a milestone that the team wanted to achieve,” he said. “We just need to keep moving forward.”

Ryan Crocker, who finished with 14 points, led the third-quarter charge by scoring six of Heber Springs’ 15 points. Parker Brown led the Panthers with 15 points.

“We did a better job of taking away the things that Concord was doing against our defense during the first half,” said Riley when asked about the second half. “Ryan hit some big shots and gave us separation. Concord has a good team and did a good job attacking our zone defense during the first half. In the second half, we came away with enough rebounds and didn’t give them many second chances.”

The lead changed back and forth during the first quarter. Heber Springs led 8-4 until Concord finished by scoring five unanswered points. Gage Morgan scored on an inside move, and Eli Heigle hit a 3-pointer, giving the Pirates a 9-8 lead going into the second quarter.

The trend continued through the remainder of the first half. Crocker connected on a jumper late in the second quarter as Heber Springs led 19-17 at halftime.

The Panthers outscored the Pirates 35-19 during the second half.

“We didn’t make many shots during the second half,” Concord coach Keith Cornett, who led Heber Springs to the state semifinals during the early 2000s. “Heber should be credited for playing a good 2-3 zone defense. We didn’t take advantage of getting the ball into the post and to players in the corners during the second half. They made shots in the second half, and we didn’t.”

Heber Springs built a 16-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Crocker and point guard Gavin Vaughn (who was selected the tournament’s MVP) went to the bench with four personal fouls. Concord pulled to within seven points before the Panthers finished with a flurry.

“I’m proud of the younger guys who took good care of the ball against Concord’s full-court press and kept the lead,” Riley said. “Once Ryan and Gavin went back into the game, we pulled away. It was a good way to wrap up our non-conference schedule.”

Cornett said the difference in the game came from how Heber Springs played defense during the second half.

“We played okay on defense, but struggle on offense throughout the game,” he said. “We showed fight in the fourth quarter when we reduced Heber’s lead.”

The Panthers will host Morrilton (7-6 overall, 0-1 in Conference 4-4A), led by Razorback signee Joseph Pinion, on Tuesday.

“Morrilton is going to be a tough game, just like the other conference games,” Riley said. “If we can keep playing hard, it will give us a chance for a win every night. Pinion is the best player in the conference.”

Riley said Tuesday’s game will be a challenge for his team.

“We are starting to look like a good basketball team,” he said. “We will do our best to put the guys in the right positions for a chance to win the game.”

Concord             9  8   4 15 -36
Heber Springs 8 11 15 20 -54
CONCORD SCORING (36):  Eli Tate 12, Eli Heigle 12, Gage Morgan 9, Dylan Byrd 3.
HEBER SPRINGS SORING (54): Parker Brown 15, Ryan Crocker 14, Gavin Vaughn 9, Eli Riggs 5, J.T. Spears 4, Ladd Choate 3, Adam Winchester 3, Zach Thomas 1.

 

Field set for tournament at Mount Vernon-Enola

MOUNT VERNON-ENOLA HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
at Mount Vernon-Enola High School
SENIOR GIRLS
December 28th
Game 1 - Mount Vernon-Enola vs. Concord (10 a.m.)
Game 3 - Morrilton Sacred Heart vs. Conway Christian (12:30 p.m.)
Game 5 - Heber Springs vs. Nemo Vista (3 p.m.)
Game 7 - Quitman vs. Midland (5:30 p.m.)
December 29th
Game 9 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 5 (10 a.m.)
Game 11 - Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 7 (12:30 p.m.)
Game 13 - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 7 (3 p.m.)
Game 15 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 5 (5:30 p.m.)
December 30th
Game 17 - Loser Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11 (10 a.m.)
Game 19 - Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11 (12:30 p.m.)
Game 21 - Loser Game 13 vs. Loser Game 15 (3 p.m.)
Game 23 - Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 15 (5:30 p.m.) 
SENIOR BOYS
December 28th
Game 2 - Concord vs. Morrilton Sacred Heart (11:15 a.m.)
Game 4 - Nemo Vista vs. Conway Christian (1:45 p.m.)
Game 6 - Heber Springs vs. Quitman (4:15 p.m.)
Game 8 - Mount Vernon-Enola vs. Midland (6:45 p.m.)
December 29th
Game 10 - Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8 (11:15 a.m.)
Game 12 - Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4 (1:45 p.m.)
Game 14 - Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4 (4:15 p.m.
Game 16 - Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 8 (6:45 p.m.)
December 30th
Game 18 - Loser Game 10 vs. Loser Game 12 (11:15 a.m.)
Game 20 - Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 12 (1:45 p.m.)
Game 22 - Loser Game 14 vs. Loser Game 16 (4:15 p.m.)
Game 24 - Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 16 (6:45 p.m.)


HSHS All-Decade Team: 1970s

The 1970s era of Heber Springs football started slowly but ended with a bang as the Panthers won their first outright conference title since 1952 in 1979 and also shared two other conference crowns.

Morgan Outlaw took over the program for the 1970 and 71 seasons. The Panthers went 2-6-1 in 1970 closing out the season with wins over Cotton Plant and Highland. In 1971, it was wins at Bald Knob, Greenbrier and Cotton Plant that put the final mark at 3-6.

Robert Medley led the Panthers during the 1972 and 73 seasons as they competed in the 3A-West conference with Mountain View, Bald Knob, McCrory, Beebe, Cotton Plant and Augusta. Former Panther standout Dennis DeBusk would join the staff as an assistant in 1972 as Heber Springs finished the year with a 3-3-2 mark. The Panthers tied Clinton and Bald Knob and defeated Greenbrier and Cotton Plant, and then closed out the season with a win over Cross County from the 3A-East, as the final week of the season pitted teams from the East and West to determine final District 3 standings. In 1972, the Panthers managed wins over Greenbrier and Cotton Plant to finished 2-8.

Clyde Darrough would take over the program for the 1974 and 1975 seasons. The Panthers would only manage a 2-8 campaign in 1974 with wins over Greenbrier and Marshall in conference play as Heber Springs was in the new 12A conference along with Mountain View, Clinton.

Vilonia would join the 12A conference in 1975 and the Panthers would start the season 5-0 with wins over Concord, DeValls Bluff, Salem, Greenbrier and Clinton before being tripped up in week 6 by Harding Academy. The Panthers would drop Mountain View and Marshall to set at 7-1 but a week 9 loss to Vilonia cost Heber Springs and outright conference title. Following a tough nonconference loss to Bald Knob in week 10, McCrory would end the Panthers season in the first round of the playoffs (the first playoff berth since the 1952 season).

Darrough left following the 1975 season and DeBusk was promoted to head coach. The Panthers would go 8-3 and claim another share of the 12A crown, falling to Don Campbell’s Corning Bodcats in a first round playoff contest.

The 1977 season saw the Panthers keep the same conference foes but with a new conference name, the 1AA-East. Heber Springs would go 8-2 but back-t0-back losses to Greenbrier and Clinton cost the Panthers a chance at postseason play. Heber Springs downed Pulaski Academy, North Pulaski, Bald Knob in nonconference play before closing the season with a win over Augusta.

The 1978 squad would finish at 5-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play (Yellville-Summit joined the conference in 1978) as the Panthers would claim nonconference wins over Bald Knob and Pulaski Academy.

The 1979 season would be an historic one for the Panthers. Heber Springs would win an outright 1AA-East crown with a 6-0 record and earn the school’s first playoff victory. The Panthers started the season 3-0 with wins over Joe T. Robinson, Harding Academy and Bald Knob, before Beebe tripped up Heber Springs in week 4. The Panthers would lose again until McCrory stopped the Panthers in the second round of the playoffs.

The 1970s HSHS All-Decade Football Team

(Position, Player and Last Season Played)

OFFENSE

WR – David Brown (1979)

WR – Mark Duncan (1971)

OL – John Bergin (1975)

OL – Steve Butler (1972)

OL – Steve Crumpler (1976)

OL – John Davis (1976)

OL – Joe Bob Powell (1979)

QB – Louis Lee (1973)

RB – Curtis Henry (1978)

RB – Larry Kennedy (1975)

RB – Layne Tubbs (1977)

K – Russ Olmstead (1976)

AP – Brock Duckworth (1972)

AP – Buster Gaylor (1977)

AP – John Hvasta (1978)

DEFENSE

DL – Donald Elslander (1974)

DL – Mike Greene (1978)

DL – Billy Lindsey (1972)

DL – Roger Logan (1977)

DL – Jackie McPherson (1977)

LB – Terry Bittle (1979)

LB – Ronnie Martin (1977)

LB – Mason Reed (1979)

DB – Steve Plant (1973)

DB – Carl Cox (1975)

DB – Lance Lincoln (1978)

P – Ben Caston (1976)

AP – Thomas Heigle (1970)

AP –Bruce (Barker) Swan (1973)

AP – Bo Verser (1971)

PREVIOUS DECADES

The 1960s HSHS All-Decade Team

The 1950s HSHS All-Decade Team

The 1940s HSHS All-Decade Team

The 1930s HSHS All-Decade Team

The 1910s/20s HSHS All-Decade Team

Track Results: Heber Springs Wins Senior Girls Meet

March 14, 1978

Team: 1. Heber Springs (52); 2. Concord (31); 3. Judsonia Central (1).

High Jump: 1. Sabrina Long (HS), 5-0

110 Hurdles: 1. Birdsong (HS), 19.0; 2. Bell (HS), 19.4; 3. Paine (Concord), 21.8

Long Jump: 1. Stair (Concord), 15-0; 2. Brenda Alexander (HS), 14-6; 3. Sabrina Long (HS), 14-0; 4. Birdsong (HS), 13-9.5

100: 1. Brenda Alexander (HS), 11.7; 2. Stair (Concord), 13.0; 3. Allen (Concord), 13.2; 4. Barnett (Central), 13.3

440 Relay: 1. Heber Springs, 56.1; 2. Concord, 59.8

440: 1. Stair (Concord), 1:12.2; 2. Namie (HS), 1:19.3; 3. Allen (Concord), 1:20.6

880 Relay: 1. Heber Springs, 2:06.8; 2. Concord, 2:23.7

880: 1. Morrow (HS), 3:12.7; 2. Rose (HS), 3:23.5; 3. Namie (HS), 3:41.6

220: 1. Brenda Alexander (HS), 28.5; 2. Stair (Concord), 31.1; 3. Allen (Concord), 33.9; 4. Southerland (Concord), 36.4

Notes: Weather was sunny, cool and partly cloudy. Track surface was Red Dog clay. Scoring was 5-3-2-1.

Editor’s Note: Please leave help me Id these athletes by leaving their first names in the comments section below. These will not be published on the site, but corrected inside the story. Thanks!

Track Results: Bradford takes Heber Springs Senior Girls Panther Relays

April 4, 1978

Heber Springs Panther Relays

Team Results: 1. Bradford (64.5); 2. Heber Springs (59.5); 3. Kensett (25); 4. Rose Bud (23); 5. Marshall (9); 6. Mountain View (7); 7. Concord (0).

High-Point Award: Brenda Alexander, Heber Springs (25)

Long Jump: 1. Hart (Kensett), 16-2; 2. Birdsong (HS), 15-2; 3. Goad (Bradford), 15-1; 3. Brenda Alexander (HS), 15-1

Shot Put: 1. T. Goad (Bradford), 31-0; 2. Wingert (RB), 30-10; 3. Barnett (RB), 30-7; 4. Thompson (Bradford), 30-1; 5. Brenda Alexander (HS), 29-7

Discus: 1. Brenda Alexander (HS), 90-7.75; 2. Young (RB), 87-9; 3. Namie (HS), 86-8.25; 4. T. Goad (Bradford), 78-10.5; 5. L. Goad (Bradford), 77-0

High Jump: 1. Sabrina Long (HS), 5-0; 2. Phillips (Bradford), 4-8; 3. Taylor (Bradford), 4-6

440 Relay: 1. Heber Springs, 54.0; 2. Kensett, 56.7; 3. Bradford, 57.0; 4. Rose Bud, 58.3; 5. Marshall, 58.4

110 Hurdles: 1. Phillips (Bradford), 17.3; 2. Birdsong (HS), 17.8; 3. Whitener (Bradford), 17.85; 4. Dructor (RB), 18.9; 5. Bell (HS), 19.2

100: 1. Brenda Alexander (HS), 12.1; 2. Hart (Kensett), 12.8; 3. Burlison (RB), 13.0; 4. Barnett (HS), 13.2; 5. Hurst (Bradford), 13.25

880 Relay: 1. Heber Springs, 1:55.1; 2. Bradford, 1:59.3; 3. Kensett, 2:00.4; Rose Bud, 2:04; 5. Marshall, 2:07.5

440: 1. Pigg (Bradford), 1:05.6; 2. Whitner (Bradford), 1:08.4; 3. Parsons (MV), 1:10.7; 4. George (Marshall), 1:13.8; 5. Horton (Marshall), 1:15.6

880: 1. Pigg (Bradford), 2:36.5; 2. Williams (MV), 2:51.4; 3. Goad (Bradford), 2:55.9; 4. Morrow (HS), 2:58.4; Moore (HS), 3:00.6

220: 1. Brenda Alexander (HS), 27.2; 2. Hart (Kensett), 28.8; 3. Burlison (RB), 28.9; 4. Phillips (Bradford), 29.2; 5. Williams (Kensett), no time available

880 Medley Relay: 1. Bradford, 2:02.3; 2. Marshall, 2:11; 3. Kensett, 2:12; 4. Heber Springs, 2:13.8

Notes: Track surface was Red Dog clay. Weather was warm and sunny with a little wind. Scoring: 6-4-3-2-1.