Tag: December 10 2019

Heber Springs junior boys host Ozark

Heber Springs’ Luke Greenwald passes the ball against Conway Blue on November 23 at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 20, 2019

The Heber Springs junior boys will host Ozark tonight at the Panther Den as the Panthers look to improve to 2-0 in the conference.

During the Panthers last outing on Monday, Conner Riddle finished 18 points including 11 points in the fourth quarter as Heber Springs improved 4-8 on the season with a 36-35 on Monday at White County Central. Riddle was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final quarter.

Riddle (15) and Bauer Pruitt (10) were also in double figures in a loss at Marshall on Dec. 12.

On Dec. 10, the Panthers avenged an earlier loss to Dover at the Marshall tournament with a 45-33 victory at Dover to open 4A-4 play. Riddle had 19 points in the victory.

That victory ended a four-game losing streak in which the Panthers dropped both contests on Nov. 23 at their own tournament at the Panther Den to Cabot South and Conway Blue.

Heber Springs claimed its second win of the season on Nov. 19 at home against South Side Bee Branch, 44-38. Riddle finished with 26 points while Eli Riggs was also in double figures with 11. Riddle had 15 points in the first half and was 9-of-10 from the line.

HEBER SPRINGS BOXSCORES

December 16 at White County Central
White County Central  2 7 9 17 - 35
Heber Springs         7 4 9 16 - 36
WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL SCORING (35): Rodriguez 19, Gilliam 7, Loyd 5, Broderick 2, Knight 2 
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (36): Conner Riddle 18, Bauer Pruitt 6, Xander Lindley 4, Eli Riggs 4, Wyatt Winchester 2, Maddox Reed 2

December 12 at Marshall
Marshall       6 12 12 16 - 46
Heber Springs 10  9 14  5 - 38
MARSHALL SCORING (46): DePriest 21, Ragland 15, Griffin 7, Loggins 3
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (38): Conner Riddle 15, Bauer Pruitt 10, Eli Riggs 6, Xander Lindley 4, Hud Haggard 3

December 10 at Dover
Dover          3 11 12 7 - 33
Heber Springs 15 13  8 9 - 45
DOVER SCORING (33): Criag 9, Dale 8, Krentz 4, Canfield 4, Reichert 3, Shuffield 3, Jacobs 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (45): Conner Riddle 19, Luke Greenwald 9, Eli Riggs 8, Ladd Choate 3, Xander Lindley 2, Bent McClain 2, Bauer Pruitt 2

December 5 at Cedar Ridge
Junior Boys “B”
Victory at Cedar Ridge
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Xander Lindley 13, Ladd Choate 8, Easton Cusick 4, Luke Greenwald 3, Hud Haggard 3, Maddox Reed 2

November 26 at Clinton
Clinton       10 10 10 14 - 44
Heber Springs  7  3 11  6 - 27
CLINTON SCORING (44): Widener 20, Hensley 10, Emberton 9, Briggs 3, Burgess 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (27): Conner Riddle 9, Ladd Choate 5, Bauer Pruitt 4, Xander Lindley 3, Eli Riggs 2, Wyatt Winchester 2, Hud Haggard 1, Bent McClain 1

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Conway Blue    13 20 24 14 - 71
Heber Springs  10 18  5  6 - 39
CONWAY BLUE SCORING (71): R. Fields 24, D. Paglianite 13, D. Moton 8, C. Adams 8, T. Garlington 6, D. Tate 5, K. Jeffers 4, M. Pleasant 3
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (39): Conner Riddle 20, Bauer Pruitt 6, Luke Greenwald 6, Bent McClain 4, Eli Riggs 3

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Cabot South 8th-Grade 13  4 13 7 - 37
Heber Springs         11 10  4 8 - 33
CABOT SOUTH SCORING (37): T. Dyer 16, P. Hines 8, J. Christopher 4, R. Baxter 2, B. Beaver 2, B. Seagars 2, L. Flores 2, J. Fulton 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Conner Riddle 11, Xander Lindley 8, Bauer Pruitt 6, Bent McClain 4, Hud Haggard 2, Eli Riggs 2

Other Heber Springs Tournament Junior Boys Results on November 23: Batesville 46, Conway Blue 43; Batesville 40, Cabot South 8th-Grade 30 

November 21 at Heber Springs
Riverview     6 28 15 2 - 51
Heber Springs 6  2  5 8 - 21
RIVERVIEW SCORING (51): K. Jiles 21, Z. Williams 8, H. Sawtelle 5, A. Munoz 5, A. Donnell 4, T. Cunningham 2, S. Watson 2, M. Watson 2, T. Rogers 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (21): Xander Lindley 6, Ladd Choate 4, Eli Riggs 3, Luke Greenwald 2, Hud Haggard 2, Bauer Pruitt 2, Conner Riddle 2 

November 19 at Heber Springs
South Side Bee Branch 10  4 13 11 - 38
Heber Springs          9 16 11  8 - 44
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (38): Holland 11, Emmert 9, Sullivan 6, Bradford 4, Swafford 3, Jenson 2, Black 2, Hall 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (44): Conner Riddle 26, Eli Riggs 11, Luke Greenwald 4, Bent McClain 3 

November 19 at Heber Springs
Junior Boys “B”
South Side Bee Branch  3  2 -  5
Heber Springs         12 14 - 26
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (5): Murphee 2, C. Guynes 2, Grissom 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (26): Bauer Pruitt 9, Hud Haggard 7, Ladd Choate 6, Easton Cusick 2, Maddox Reed 2

November 18 at Heber Springs
Junior Boys “B” 
Greenbrier    12 5 10 9 - 36
Heber Springs  7 7 11 2 - 27
GREENBRIER SCORING (36): K. Brooks 12, C. Hartman 11, J. Smith 5, M. Miller 4, C. Zachary 4
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (27): Bauer Pruitt 12, Easton Cusick 7, Maddox Reed 4, Wyatt Winchester 2, Hud Haggard 2

November 14 at Marshall Tournament
Dover         7 9 13 14 - 43
Heber Springs 7 7 12 10 - 36
DOVER SCORING (43): Dale 13, Reichart 8, Vickers 8, Krenty 6, Criag 5, Shuffield 2, Meador 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (36): Eli Riggs 12, Conner Riddle 7, Luke Greenwald 6, Bent McClain 4, Bauer Pruitt 4, Xander Lindley 3
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
COACH: Chad Johnson
OVERALL RECORD: 4-8
4A-4 RECORD: 1-0
November 9 - Greenbrier 37, Heber Springs 17 ^
November 12 - Nemo Vista 45, Heber Springs 37
November 13 - Heber Springs 54, Yellville-Summit 50 ^
November 14 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 36 ^
November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 38
November 21 - Riverview 51, Heber Springs 21
November 23 - Cabot South 8th 37, Heber Springs 33 *
November 23 - Conway Blue 71, Heber Springs 39 *
November 26 - Clinton 44, Heber Springs 27
December 10 - Heber Springs 45, Dover 33 #
December 13 - Marshall 46, Heber Springs 38
December 16 - Heber Springs 36, White County Central 35
December 20 - Ozark #
January 7 - Pottsville #
January 10 - at Subiaco Academy #
January 14 - Dardanelle #
January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola
January 23 - Marshall
January 24 - Dover #
January 27 - at Mayflower
January 28 - at Pottsville #
January 31 - at Ozark #
February 3 - Quitman
February 4 - at Dardanelle #
Februaryr 7 - Subiaco Academy #
February 10 - District Tournament at Ozark

(^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament)
(* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament)
(# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game)

Heber Springs junior girls host Ozark on Friday

The Heber Springs Junior Girls basketball team pose with the runner-up trophy from the Heber Springs Junior High Tournament on November 23 at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 19, 2019

The Heber Springs junior girls basketball team will look to even its 4A-4 conference record on Friday when they host Ozark at the Panther Den beginning at 4 p.m.

It will be the Panthers final game of the year before returning to action on Jan. 7 at home against Pottsville.

Heber Springs (7-4) dropped its conference opener on Dec. 10 at Dover, 43-33, as Sophia Stone finished with 15 points. The Panthers led 21-18 at the half, but were outscored 25-12 in the second half, including 12-3 in the final quarter.

Heber Springs started the season 2-0 before dropping a 60-49 decision to Dover on Nov. 14 at the semifinals of the Marshall junior high tournament. The Panthers also led at the half during that contest, 29-24. Stone had 20 points in a losing effort while Jaylea Hooten finished with 13.

The Panthers bounced back defeating the host, Marshall, in a consolation contest at the tournament, 40-25, on Nov. 16 as Hooten had 13 points in the win.

Heber Springs would down South Side Bee Branch, 44-22, on Nov. 19 and Riverview, 46-13, on Nov. 21 as Stone had 19 points in the win over South Side Bee Branch.

On Nov. 23, the Panthers hosted a one-day junior high tournament at the Panther Den. Heber Springs won its opener, 62-10, over the Cabot South 8th-Grade team as Addison Hudspeth finished with 17 points.

In the championship game, Heber Springs used a 6-0 run to close out the first half to take a 16-15 advantage into the half against Conway Blue, even pushing its lead to 22-16 after a Sophia Stone lay-up with 2:27 left in the third quarter. But Hooten picked up her fourth foul and had to set the remainder of the quarter as the Wampus Cats used their size to re-take the lead and win the title.

Heber Springs dropped a 48-40 contest to Clinton on Nov. 26 as Hooten had 15 points in the loss.

The Panthers won their last game on Dec. 12 with a 52-31 victory at South Side Bee Branch. Hooten had 24 points in the win, including 12 points in the third quarter, while Stone and Rylee Harrod each finished with 10.

HEBER SPRINGS BOXSCORES

JUNIOR GIRLS
December 12 at South Side Bee Branch
South Side Bee Branch   2  9  8 12 - 31
Heber Springs          10 12 16 14 - 52
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (31): Walley 21, Smith 3, Thurney 2, Linn 2, Smith 2, Duncan 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (52): Jaylea Hooten 24, Sophia Stone 10, Rylee Harrod 10, Riley Bailey 4, Madison Clemons 2, Molly Smith 2

December 10 at Dover
Dover          14  4 13 12 - 43
Heber Springs   7 14  9  3 - 33
DOVER SCORING (43): A. McCrotty 29, A Reams 12, S. McClendon 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (33): Sophia Stone 15, Madison Clemons 9, Jaylea Hooten 3, Hope Turney 3, Rylee Harrod 3

November 26 at Clinton
Clinton       12 14  9 13 - 48
Heber Springs 11 10 12  7 - 40
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (40): Jaylea Hooten 15, Rylee Harrod 8, Sophia Stone 8, Madison Clemons 7, Hope Turney 2

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Conway Blue   10  5 11 9 - 35
Heber Springs  5 11  6 7 - 29
CONWAY BLUE (35): K. Brown 11, A. Corley 6, S. Ingraham 4, K. Beckwith 4, K. Harper 4, A. McMillen 3, B. Ferguson 2, J. Davis 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (29): Sophia Stone 13, Madison Clemons 4, Rylee Harrod 4, Riley Bailey 4, Jaylea Hooten 2, Hope Turney 2

November 23 at Heber Springs Tournament
Cabot South 8th-Grade  0  2  8 0 - 10
Heber Springs         25 10 11 6 - 62
CABOT SOUTH SCORING (10): Cresswell 4, Stark 2, Dolling 2, Gourke 2
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (62): Addison Hudspeth 17, Sophia Stone 15, Lindsey Southerland 8, Molly Smith 6, Jaylea Hooten 6, Hailey Poore 4, Hope Turney 3, Rylee Harrod 2, Riley Bailey 1

Other November 23 Heber Springs Tournament Junior Girls Results: Conway Blue 52, Batesville 26; Batesville 43, Cabot South 8th-Grade 10.

November 21 at Heber Springs
Riverview      0 7  4 2 - 13
Heber Springs 19 9 12 6 - 46
RIVERVIEW SCORING (13): Hale 9, Munoz 2, Rayson 1, Rojas 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (46): Jaylea Hooten 10, Sophia Stone 8, Hope Turney 7, Lindsey Southerland 4, Marin McKenzie 4, Madison Clemons 2, Riley Bailey 2, Cristina Garcia 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Hailey Poore 2, Molly Smith 2, Rylee Harrod 1.

November 19 at Heber Springs
South Side Bee Branch 8 6 4 4 - 22
Heber Springs 16 2 12 14 - 44
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH SCORING (22): E. Walley 11, A. Zimmerson 4, J. Walley 4, B. Smith 2, E. Thornley 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (44): Sophia Stone 19, Rylee Harrod 7, Jaylea Hooten 6, Hope Turney 6, Madison Clemons 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Molly Smith 2

November 16 at Marshall Tournament
Marshall       8 9  0  9 - 25
Heber Springs 10 6 11 13 - 40
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (40): Jaylea Hooten 13, Sophia Stone 9, Rylee Harrod 7, Madison Clemons 2, Hope Turney 2, Cristina Garcia 2, Addison Hudspeth 2, Molley Smith 2, Marin McKenzie 1

November 14 at Marshall Tournament
Dover         13 11 18 18 - 60
Heber Springs 15 14 14  6 - 49
DOVER SCORING (60): McCrotty 20, Reams 13, Young 13, Hodge 8, McClendon 5, Perea 1
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (49): Sophia Stone 20, Jaylea Hooten 14, Rylee Harrod 6, Cristina Garcia 3, Madison Clemons 2, Hope Turney 2, Riley Bailey 2
HEBER SPRINGS JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
COACH: Jamey Riddle
OVERALL RECORD: 7-4
4A-4 RECORD: 0-1
November 9 - Heber Springs 27, Greenbrier 16 ^
November 12 - Heber Springs 33, Nemo Vista 27
November 14 - Dover 60, Heber Springs 49 ^
November 16 - Heber Springs 40, Marshall 25 ^
November 19 - Heber Springs 44, South Side Bee Branch 22
November 21 - Heber Springs 46, Riverview 13
November 23 - Heber Springs 62, Cabot South 8th 10 *
November 23 - Conway Blue 35, Heber Springs 29 *
November 26 - Clinton 48, Heber Springs 40
December 10 - Dover 43, Heber Springs 33 #
December 12 - Heber Springs 52, South Side Bee Branch 31
December 20 - Ozark #
January 7 - Pottsville #
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle #
January 16 - Mount Vernon-Enola
January 23 - Marshall
January 24 - Dover #
January 27 - at Mayflower
January 28 - at Pottsville #
January 31 - at Ozark #
February 3 - Quitman
February 4 - at Dardanelle #
February 10 - District Tournament at Ozark

(^ - Denotes Marshall Tournament)
(* - Denotes Heber Springs Tournament)
(# - Denotes 4A-4 Conference Game)

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)